September 2 Today in OPC History

At the start of the fall semester at Westminster Seminary in 1977, an interesting encounter took place involving Dr. Norman De Jong and Dr. Cornelius Van Til. Years before this meeting, Dr. De Jong had read with great interest some of the writings of Dr. Van Til, including his book The Defense of the Faith. That volume, and Van Til’s writings on Christian Education, had a formative influence on De Jong. In 1969, De Jong’s first book was published by The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company (P&R). The book was entitled Education in the Truth, and became a groundbreaking work on a Reformed philosophy of education. When Van Til became aware of this book, he was warmly appreciative and supportive of De Jong’s efforts. In 1977, De Jong moved to northern New Jersey to become the superintendent of the Eastern Christian School System. Shortly after arriving, Dr. De Jong received an invitation from Dr. Van Til to come visit him at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia. De Jong recalls the encounter: “I remember meeting him and he was very cordial, very pleasant, very down-to-earth. I had a chance to meet with some of the other faculty over coffee, and then I was invited into a class to talk about Education in the Truth and my philosophy of education.” Looking back on that encounter, and the influence of Van Til on his own thinking, De Jong said, “I found myself from the very beginning in complete agreement with him. I had, previously in some of my coursework, been introduced to rationalism and the inadequacy of that. So, I simply started from the same place that he starts. You assume the existence of God, you don't try to prove it rationally. You can demonstrate all kinds of grounds for that and you can find adequate reason for the existence of God. But, his influence was very positive and I think quite pervasive.”

HomePage Picture: Norman De Jong

Picture: Norman De Jong and Cornelius Van Til