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Dissertation Final Draft Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity Christ and the Cradle: The explanatory power of Christian theism for basic moral sensibilities on the ontology of children A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Jeffrey M. Robinson West Palm Beach, Florida August 15, 2017 Adviser: David Baggett Reader: Leo Percer Reader: Chad Thornhill Copyright © 2016-2017 by Jeffrey M. Robinson All rights reserved. ii To Jenn and Noah Jordan, my precious wife and son, I love you iii A father half apologetic for having brought his son into the world, afraid to restrain him lest he should create inhibitions or even to instruct him lest he should interfere with his independence of mind, is a most misleading symbol of the Divine Fatherhood. - C. S. Lewis A “dad” is tenth most popular Christmas list request for children in 2012. - Hannah Furness Childlikeness is the foundation for simplicity and truthfulness. - O. M. Bakke [Having children] It’s 10,000 times better than anything I’ve ever done. - Steve Jobs Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. - Jesus, Matthew 19:14 iv Contents Acknowledgments……………….……………….……………….…………….……………viii-ix Introduction……………….……………….……………….……………….…………………..1-5 Thesis……………….……………….……………….……………….…………………………6-8 Purpose and Method……………….……………….……………….…………………………8-12 Chapter 1: Properly Basic Beliefs and Children……………….…….…………….…………13-63 A. Theology 1) Uniqueness of Reformed Epistemology………………………………………….13-20 2) Basic moral sensibilities on children……………………………………………..20-23 3) Christian moral duty: Contend for the truth…………………………………...…23-28 4) Apologetic methodology…………………………………………………………28-49 a. Eclectic apologetics…………………………………………………………..28-32 b. Noetic effects of sin…………………………………………………………...32-36 c. Role of reason………………………………………………………………...36-38 d. Limits of reason………………………………………………………………38-42 e. Value of cultural awareness in apologetic methodology…………………….42-49 5) Moral realism: Overview of the moral argument…………………………….....49-59 a. William Lane Craig’s deductive version of the moral argument…………….51-57 b. David Baggett and Jerry Walls’ abductive version of the moral argument….57-59 6) Pragmatism: Worldview affects treatment of children that shapes society…...…60-62 B. Key terms and concepts………………………………………………………………...62 C. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………....…….63 Chapter 2: Ontology of Children on Paganism…………………………………………..…64-113 A. Worldview presuppositions…………………………………………………………..64-69 B. Molech and children………………………………………………………………….69-82 C. Plato and children…………………………………………………………………….82-97 D. Aristotle and children……………………………………………………………….97-104 E. Caesar and children……………………………………………………………......104-113 F. Conclusion………………………………………………………..………………….…113 Chapter 3: Current Trends in Child Treatment…………………………………………….114-153 A. Enlightened and crass egoism……………………………………………………...117-127 B. Societal effects of crass egoism……………………………………………………127-153 1) Devalues children: Parental duty……………………………………………....127-130 2) Decay of the family………………………………………………………...…130-153 a. Divorce and single-parent homes……..…………………………...………131-133 b. Absent fathers and emotionally neglected children: Rising instances of neglect of children allowed to be born………………………………...……………...133-136 c. Breakdown of the family unit and doubt………………………...…………136-137 vi d. Increase of virtual communication to the demise of familial harmony and community……………………………………………………………….…138-140 e. Acceptance of abortion………………………………………………….…140-146 f. Rise in anti-human rhetoric: The argument from speciation………...……146-148 g. Normalization of same-sex marriage…………………………………...…149-151 h. Normalization of pedophilia……………………………………………….151-153 C. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...153 Chapter 4: Ontology of Children on Christian Theism………………………..…………..154-224 A. More than general theism: The explanatory power of Christian theism for the intrinsic value and humane treatment of children…………………………………………..154-170 1) General and special revelation………………………………………………..155-160 2) Idolatry and children: Incarnation of egoism……………………………..…..160-165 3) Imago dei…………………………………………………………………..…..165-170 B. Moses, the prophets, and children…………………………………………………170-180 1) Parental responsibility to train children in the knowledge of God……………..171-172 2) Contra Molech: denouncement of child sacrifice………………………….….172-174 3) Blessings to the helpers of the helpless and judgment on exploiters of the defenseless……………………………………………………………………..174-180 C. Jesus and children……………………………………………………………….…180-195 1) Kingdom of God…………………………………………………………….....180-185 2) Gravity of child harm…………………………………………………….……185-191 3) Incarnation: The death of egoism……………………………………………..191-195 D. Paul and children…………………………………………………………………..195-206 1) Adoption: What is a parent? ……………………………………………….…198-200 2) Marriage, child-raising, and the kerygma of the risen Jesus (Ephesians 5:23-6:1-4) ………………………………………………………………………………....200-206 E. Christian teaching on sexuality and children………………………………………206-212 F. Concluding thoughts……………………………………………………………….212-224 1) The Resurrection of Jesus: Hope for the lonely and emotional stability………214-218 2) Trauma, healing, and the church’s response………………………………….218-224 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………….225-260 vii Acknowledgments This dissertation was made possible with the help of several individuals. I would like to first thank the men who served on the committee for this project: David Baggett (my advisor), Leo Percer, and Chad Thornhill. I also am deeply appreciative to my other professors at Liberty. Their scholarship and Christian example has provided me with an incarnational model of blending academic and local church ministry. I’m also deeply grateful for a number of our faculty who spoke poignant messages from the pulpit of Rocky Mount Baptist during my tenure there. From my time at Southwestern Baptist Theological seminary I am especially thankful for Craig Mitchell and Bill Dembski who always challenged me to examine the implications of my beliefs. To my parents, Jimmy and Jennifer Robinson, I cannot fully express my gratitude for your selfless sacrifice on my behalf. Your example of engaging with ideas formed my love for reading and learning at a very early age. Although I didn’t appreciate it then, thank you for not allowing me to squander my childhood in front of screens and video games. Thank you for your commitment to train your children in the scriptures. To my colleagues, I want you to know how much I appreciate our rather heated debates over issues that matter. Your willingness to lend an ear to my oftentimes scattered thought processes means more than you know. Thank you for sharpening me. To my beautiful wife, Jenn, you are a precious gift from God. Thank you for helping me through my back injury even when I felt I had little to offer you in return. Your selflessness humbles me. Thank you for dialoguing with me about numerous arcane subjects. The fruit of viii your life characterizes Proverbs 31 and I love you. I am thankful for the time we’ve had together and look forward to the future. To my son, Noah, you provide a flesh and blood example of the point and purpose of this project. Although I’ve always loved children and grown to love philosophy, your life exemplifies not only that children have intrinsic value but my love for you as my son. You are just an infant as I write this but I pray you grow to be a man of God and use your God-given strength to help those who cannot help themselves. Be courageous and know your father will always love and support you. Finally, I am thankful to God for the indescribable riches of His grace. Without His work in my life I would never have considered such a project. My prayer is that this dissertation would remove intellectual roadblocks to the gospel. May these pages assist seekers to see why their properly basic moral sentiments towards children make the best sense on Christian theism. I pray the local church is moved to evermore place a high value on children. To God be the glory. ix Introduction With any writing project, even more an academic project as extensive as a dissertation, there should be at least some semblance of an answer to the question, “Why does this matter?” Most persons in contemporary Western culture recognize basic morality when it comes to children. Child neglect or molestation is almost universally viewed, putting it mildly, as a dereliction of moral duty. Yet what best explains these sensibilities? My sincere hope is that this work serves as a window to the operation of our inner moral machinery in how we view children. Here’s the roadmap: First, establishing basic moral sensibilities on children is an offshoot of the classical moral argument for the existence of God. Whereas, the moral argument speaks generally to moral realism my claim focuses more specifically on how our intuitions on children bear witness to this reality. I am presupposing the veracity of moral realism and confining my application to the womb, cradle, and elementary school. Without moral realism, arguing for basic moral sensibilities would be somewhat unintelligible. If moral realism is false then the claim of basic objective moral beliefs relating to children necessarily falters. In this sense, this study is an offshoot of the classical moral argument for the existence of God. Second, I will mine the relevant historical data relating to children
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