From Rationalism to Irrationality

Singer is a remarkable thinker--the kind of man our age desperately needs, but is no longer able to produce. He is a remnant of the Christian heritage of the West, but his death parallels the disappearance of the rigorous academic polemicists in the mold of Francis Schaeffer and J. Gresham Machen. Singer is a bold and unapologetic Calvinist, heavily influenced by Van Til. To Singer, Christian Theism means the reformed doctrines of John Calvin--anything less is a deficient theology. In Calvin, Singer finds the answer to the philosophers that have sought to create systems of rational thought, yet have all been deterred by the corollary of irrationalism that is inherent in any autonomous philosophy. This is the theme of Singer's book--no philosophy apart from Christian Theism can stand due to its inherently irrationality. He begins with an evaluation of the Greek and Roman philosophers, Augustine and the early church fathers, the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, German idealism, Marxism, Darwinism, and Existentialism. The last and most important chapter is his argument for Christian Theism in the mold of Calvin. This is the kind of thing any Christian would benefit from in reading. It is the kind of thing that is no longer preached in our pulpits or taught in our churches. The rigorous, God-centered view of the world where all things are subject to Christ. There is no concession made for autonomous human institutions. The implications of this are massive. Few Christians are ready spiritually or intellectually for this. Again, Singer reads like a prophet of old, from a lost age. Our culture can no longer produce men of such intellect or temper. We've lost our way and our cultural institutions have decayed such that we need to rebuild for generations to regain what has been lost.