Bernard Ramm - Writings

Writings

Ramm wrote eighteen books, contributed to chapters to other books, and composed over one hundred articles and book reviews in various theological periodicals.

In his contributions to Christian apologetics, Ramm began his career in the evidentialist camp. However his later work reflected a shift in viewpoint over to a modified form of presuppositional apologetics that had some affinity with the work of Edward John Carnell. In spite of harsh criticisms of Karl Barth from more traditionally Calvinist apologists such as Cornelius Van Til, Gordon Clark, and Carl F. H. Henry, Ramm would explore much of Barth's theological viewpoint, eventually embracing Barth's theology almost wholeheartedly as outlined in Ramm's own book After Fundamentalism (Harper & Row, 1983).

Ramm did not utilise the classical or Thomist approach in arguments for God's existence. He maintained that apart from faith God was unknowable. He likewise emphasised that the noetic effects of sin rendered the theistic proofs useless. For Ramm the proof of God's existence is in Holy Scripture.

He argued that the primary use of Christian evidences is to create a favourable climate of opinion so that the Gospel may be proclaimed, and believed. In this respect he felt that both fulfilled prophecy and miracles provided a factual basis for that climate of opinion. Ramm placed strong emphasis on the inner witness of the Holy Spirit verifying the gospel to the believer.

In some respects Ramm's emphasis on the inner witness of the Spirit reflected the view of John Calvin, but it also reflected the influence of Karl Barth under whom he studied in Switzerland.

Near the end of his life Ramm was honored with a book of essays by his colleagues and younger contemporaries.