카이퍼와 워필드의 인식론 비교: 비기독교 학생들과의 진리 소통을 위한 ‘공통의 토대’ 탐구 = A Comparative Study of the Epistemologies of Kuyper and Warfield: Exploring the “Common Ground” for Communicating Christian Truth to Non-Christian Students

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aims to compare and analyze the epistemological frameworks that shape the apologetics of Abraham Kuyper and Benjamin Warfield, and, based on this comparison, to explore a foundation for effectively communicating Christian truth to students from non-Christian backgrounds within Christian higher education.
Kuyper begins with the premise of a fundamental discontinuity between believers and unbelievers, arguing that two opposing worldviews—those grounded in faith and those in unbelief—cannot be harmonized. His presuppositional apologetics, which takes confessional faith as the starting point of epistemology, stands within the Reformed tradition and possesses strengths in preserving the integrity of faith identity and internal coherence within the community. However, this approach may become a barrier to public dialogue with non-believers.
In contrast, Warfield contends that the rational faculties common to both believers and unbelievers can convey the persuasiveness of Christian claims. Building upon inductive reasoning and the tradition of common-sense philosophy, he develops an evidentialist apologetic that enhances the intelligibility and accessibility of the Christian faith, especially among learners lacking prior theological understanding. Nevertheless, his reliance on the reliability of human reason may be criticized for insufficiently accounting for the noetic effects of sin after the Fall.
The epistemologies of these two thinkers are rooted respectively in different philosophical traditions—Kuyper’s in German Idealism as developed by Kant and Fichte, and Warfield’s in the Common Sense Realism of Thomas Reid and the empiricism of Francis Bacon. These philosophical presuppositions determine their contrasting views on the possibility of a “common ground.” By examining these historical and epistemological frameworks, this paper offers practical insights into constructing points of contact between faith and learning in contemporary Christian universities. It argues that Kuyper’s and Warfield’s apologetic models can function complementarily, depending on educational contexts, instructor orientation, and the faith or spiritual condition of individual students. Ultimately, the study reaffirms the dual mission of Christian higher education—to nurture both evangelistic witness and intellectual formation—and proposes a multifaceted apologetic approach suitable for diverse learners and academic settings.