Papers by Greg Welty

This page contains links to a selection of papers by Greg Welty (and one by Steve Hays) which were formerly hosted on (or linked from) Greg's own website. I have included verbatim Greg's original summary of each paper.

M.Phil. Thesis

An Examination of Theistic Conceptual Realism as an Alternative to Theistic Activism (Oxford, 2000)
- Theistic conceptual realism argues that (at least some of) the divine thoughts can be regarded as functionally equivalent to abstract objects, due to the unique and determinative relation they sustain to any created realm. Such abstract objects are real (having extramental existence relative to finite minds), but conceptual (because ultimately mental in character). The merits of this position are compared and contrasted with "theistic activism" (as it is expounded and critiqued in the contemporary literature), which holds that abstract objects are creatures, ontologically distinct products of God's creative, causal power.
- Adobe Acrobat Version (.pdf file)
- Microsoft Word 97 Version (.zip file)

Philosophy of Religion

The Problem of Evil (Oxford, 1998)
- Tries to summarise and critically interact with some of the current literature on the problem of evil. Here I try to (1) evaluate the recent shift in the literature from the 'logical' to the 'evidential' form of the argument, (2) expound what I call the 'Wykstra-Alston Hypothesis' against the evidential argument from evil, and (3) defend this hypothesis against some of Swinburne's criticisms. I close with an examination of what it means to 'beg the question' against the atheist.

Apologetics

Critique of Geisler's entry for Van Til (Van Til Discussion List, 1999)
- This is a critical review of Geisler's eight-page summary of Cornelius Van Til in his Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker, 1999). He manages to do slightly better here than the deficient way he treats the same topic in Christian Apologetics (Baker, 1976). Despite these shortcomings, I still recommend the volume as a whole.
Persuasion or Proof? (WTS, 1994)
- This essay compares and contrasts Norman Malcolm's 'Wittgensteinian fideism' with Greg Bahnsen's 'transcendental argument' for God's existence. It concludes that, once a model of 'apologetics as explanation' is adopted, the final stopping point of such an apologetic must be pragmatic. (I am now rather sceptical of this conclusion!)
Shall We Argue Transcendentally? (WTS, 1995)
- Basically an extended and largely favorable summary of Professor John Frame's book, Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1995). In contrast to Van Til but still within his theological outlook, Frame argues for a considerable degree of flexibility in apologetic method. Of special importance are Frame's arguments about the implications of antithesis between believer and unbeliever.
Comparative Apologetic Anatomy (Steve Hays)
- An attempt to lay out the differences between various approaches to Christian apologetics.

Baptism

A Critical Evaluation of Paedobaptism (Offsite [at Founders' Movement website], WTS, 1996)
- Written as the Westminster profs were turning the screws! :-) This one piece has generated so many megabytes of email back and forth over the years, that the next logical step is a book-length response to critics. Stay tuned.

New Covenant Theology

Eschatological Fulfilment and the Confirmation of Mosaic Law (2002)
- This is my critical evaluation of D. A. Carson's exegesis of Matthew 5:17-48. His interpretation of this crucial text — which includes Jesus' relation to the law (vv. 17-18) and the nature of his six 'antitheses' (vv. 21-48) — is often appealed to by New Covenant Theology (NCT) advocates as emphatically supporting their distinctive teachings concerning the moral law of God, and as undermining the traditional Reformed or classical covenant theology (CCT) view of the same. After the Critique, I set forth my alternative view in the Conclusion, and go on in the Appendix to briefly consider Fred Zaspel's view of the same passage.
A Response to Mike Adams's "In Defense of the New Covenant" (2002)
- I offer a comprehensive, critical evaluation of Mike Adams's "In Defense of the New Covenant," which was a reply to Richard Barcellos's In Defense of the Decalogue. The appendix sets forth my "Five Points of Classical Covenant Theology," as well as seven arguments for the essentially gracious character of the Old Covenant.
A Response to Steve Lehrer's "Israel: An Unbelieving People" (2002)
- Here is a brief response to a characteristic NCT argument that Israel should be viewed primarily as a nation of unbelievers.
A Response to Steve Lehrer's "The Active Obedience of Christ in NCT (Part II)" (2002)
- Here is a brief response to Steve's Lehrer's argument that Ga 3:13 only applies to Jews, not to Jews and Gentiles, and that therefore Gentiles are not under the curse of the Mosaic law.