Vern Poythress

Poythress was born in Madera, California in 1946 to Ransom H. Poythress and Carola N. Poythress. He graduated from Bullard High School in Fresno, California.^[3]

At the age of 20, Poythress earned a BS in mathematics with honor (valedictorian) from California Institute of Technology,^[4] in the year 1966. While there, he became a Putnam Fellow in 1964.^[5] He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University,^[4] finishing in 1970. Westminster Theological Seminary awarded him both an M.Div and a Th.M in apologetics for work done in the years 1971-74. He earned an M.Litt from the University of Cambridge in New Testament studies during 1974-1976.^[6][7] He received a ThD in New Testament from the University of Stellenbosch.^[8][9]

In 1983, Poythress married Diane M. Poythress. They have two sons, Ransom Poythress and Justin Poythress.^[3][10]

As of 2016, he was teaching New Testament and occasional courses on the philosophies of science and language at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia,^[4] work he began in 1976. His blog with John M. Frame was listed in early 2018 as one of the top 50 Christian popular culture sites.^[11]

Poythress views scientific law as a form of the word of God.^[12] In 1976, Poythress wrote a chapter on "A Biblical View of Mathematics,"^[13] in which he argued (among other things) that number is eternal because the Trinity is eternal.^[14] In a 1983 article, he suggested that mathematics is the rhyme of the universe.^[15] His philosophy of science draws on the work of Thomas Kuhn.^[16]

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Poythress has published a number of books in different fields — Christian philosophy of science, linguistics, theological method, dispensationalism, biblical law, copyright law, hermeneutics, Bible translation, and eschatology and the Book of Revelation^[17] including:

• Philosophy, Science, and the Sovereignty of God. Presbyterian and Reformed: 1976, reprinted 2004. ISBN 978-1-59638-002-8.
• Symphonic Theology: The Validity of Multiple Perspectives in Theology. Zondervan: 1987. ISBN 978-0-87552-517-4.
• Understanding Dispensationalists. 2d ed. Presbyterian and Reformed: 1993. ISBN 978-0-87552-374-3.
• Science and Hermeneutics: Implications of Scientific Method for Biblical Interpretation (Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation series, volume 6). Zondervan: 1988. ISBN 978-0-310-40971-7.
• The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses, Wolgemuth & Hyatt: 1991, reprinted Presbyterian & Reformed: 1995. ISBN 978-0-87552-375-0.
• God-Centered Biblical Interpretation. Presbyterian and Reformed: 1999. ISBN 978-0-87552-376-7.
• The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation, Presbyterian and Reformed: 2000. ISBN 978-0-87552-462-7.
• The Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy: Muting the Masculinity of God's Words (with Wayne Grudem). Broadman and Holman: 2000. ISBN 978-0-8054-2441-6.
• The TNIV and the Gender-Neutral Bible Controversy (with Wayne Grudem). Broadman and Holman: 2004. ISBN 978-0-8054-3193-3.
• Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach. Crossway Books: 2006. ISBN 978-1-58134-731-9.
• In The Beginning Was The Word: Language--A God-Centered Approach. Crossway Books: 2009. ISBN 978-1-4335-0179-1.
• What Are Spiritual Gifts? (Basics of the Faith series). Presbyterian and Reformed, 2010. ISBN 978-1-59638-209-1.
• Redeeming Sociology: A God-Centered Approach. Crossway Books: 2011. ISBN 978-1-4335-2129-4.
• Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible. Crossway Books: 2012. ISBN 978-1-4335-2387-8.
• Inerrancy and the Gospels: A God-Centered Approach to the Challenges of Harmonization. Crossway Books: 2012. ISBN 978-1-4335-2860-6.
• Logic: A God-Centered Approach to the Foundation of Western Thought. Crossway Books: 2013. ISBN 978-1-4335-3229-0.
• Redeeming Mathematics: A God-Centered Approach. Crossway Books: 2015. ISBN 978-1-4335-4110-0.
• The Lordship of Christ: Serving Our Savior All of the Time, in All of Life, with All Our Heart. Crossway Books: 2016.
• The Miracles of Jesus: How the Savior’s Mighty Acts Serve as Signs of Redemption. Crossway Books: 2016.
• Reading the Word of God in the Presence of God: A Handbook for Biblical Interpretation. Crossway Books: 2016.
• Knowing and the Trinity: How Perspectives in Human Knowledge Imitate the Trinity. P&R: 2018.
• Theophany: A Biblical Theology of God’s Appearing. Crossway Books: 2018.
• Interpreting Eden: A Guide to Faithfully Reading and Understanding Genesis 1-3. Crossway Books: 2019.
• Redeeming Our Thinking about History: A God-Centered Approach. Crossway Books: 2022.
• Redeeming Reason: A God-Centered Approach. Crossway Books: 2023.
• Making Sense of the World: How the Trinity Helps to Explain Reality. P&R: 2024).

Additionally, he has published a number of scholarly articles, including:^[18][17]

• North, Gary, ed. (1976). "A Biblical View of Mathematics". Foundations of Christian Scholarship. Vallecito, CA: Ross House. pp. 159–188.
• "Structuralism and Biblical Studies". Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 21. 1978.
• "Science as Allegory". Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation. 35. 1983.
• "Newton's Laws as Allegory". Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation. 35. 1983.
• "Mathematics as Rhyme". Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation. 35. 1983.
• "The Use of the Intersentence Conjunctions De, Oun, Kai, and Asyndeton in the Gospel of John". Novum Testamentum. 26. 1984.
• "Reforming Ontology and Logic in the Light of the Trinity: An Application of Van Til's Idea of Analogy". Westminster Theological Journal. 57. 1995.
• "2 Thessalonians 1 Supports Amillennialism". Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 37. 1995.
• "Counterfeiting in the Book of Revelation as a Perspective on Non-Christian Culture". Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 40. 1997.
• "Keep on Praying!". Decision. 39 (10). 1998.
• "Why Scientists Must Believe in God: Divine Attributes of Scientific Law". Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 46. 2003.