Jurnal Teologi Pambelum
Vol 6 No 1 (2026): Teologi dalam Dialog dengan Budaya, Teknologi, dan Kerentanan Manusia

Distingsi Pencipta-Ciptaan dalam Pemikiran Cornelius Van Til sebagai Kritik Apologetis Terhadap Dataisme

Novallick Justin Sundamen Elungan (Fakultas Teologi, Universitas Kristen Indonesia Tomohon)
Henny William Booth Sumakul (Fakultas Teologi, Universitas Kristen Indonesia Tomohon)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Aug 2026

Abstract

Dataism, as popularized by Yuval Noah Harari, views all of reality - including human beings - as a data-processing system, thereby elevating the flow of data to the highest value that determines meaning, decisions, and truth, and thus emerges as an alternative religion in the contemporary era. This article examines the ontological and epistemological claims of Dataism through the framework of Cornelius Van Til’s Creator-creation distinction. This study employs a qualitative-descriptive literature review design with thematic text analysis, mapping Dataism into four hierarchical layers of claims: empirical (the capacity of algorithms to process data), anthropological (the reduction of humans to biochemical algorithms), epistemological (data as the authority of knowledge), and axiological (the flow of data as the highest value). The results show that Van Til’s distinction affirms the empirical reliability of algorithms but reveals a fundamental error in the subsequent three layers, as Dataism repeats an ancient rebellion—namely, the creation’s desire to usurp the Creator’s throne, now with data as its crown. This study concludes that the Creator-creation distinction serves as a powerful yet focused presuppositional critique, affirming the status of data as a derivative and dependent creation, not an absolute source of truth.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

pambelumjtp

Publisher

Subject

Religion

Description

The Pambelum Theological Journal is a journal that publishes theological research studies in four theological families: Exegetical Theology (Biblical Theology/Old Testament Theology and New Testament Theology), Systematic Theology (dogmatics, ethics, philosophy of religion), Practical Theology ...