The 2007 PCA General Assembly Debate on Federal Vision Theology

Some time ago I discovered the audio for the debate and listened with considerable interest.

I found it interesting that it wasn't only the advocates of Federal Vision theology that were concerned with the actions of the General Assembly.  They simply requested that judgment would be delayed, that Scriptural proofs and exegetical work would be provided and that the committee would be revised to include at least a couple of voices who could advocate for the Federal Vision.

LaHaye's Victory and the Next Phase: The Psychotropic Imperative

Evangelicalism has a long track record of compromise when it comes to psychology and psychotropic drugs. In these days of confusion even 'ministries' once oriented toward Biblical counseling have been compromised.

Recently I was listening to an Evangelical radio station and was struck by the interviewee's statement that not only can Christians take psychotropic medications, in some cases it would be sinful not to.

Clark and Mefferd on Socialism: A Dog and Pony Show

https://heidelblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/7-25-18-Janet-Mefferd-Today.mp3

I rolled my eyes, but like the impulse to turn one's head to look at a car wreck, I had to listen. What are they going to say? Janet Mefferd and Scott Clark are going to break down Socialism for us. It ought to be a hoot.

And I wasn't disappointed, that is if I was looking for a fiasco. If someone is looking for good information, acumen and Scriptural wisdom on Socialism and how a Christian should think about it... they'll need to look somewhere else, because as expected, these two are a case of blind leading the blind.

Parousia Interim

The period in which the Parousia is in temporal suspension, paused and delayed from being fully completed, the period in which Divine Wrath and Judgment are deferred, that the Gentiles might be brought in.

The Old Testament presents the First and Second Comings as one event and eschatologically they are indeed unified. This has led to a great deal of confusion for some as they seek to interpret prophecy in isolated terms apart from the Parousia which is centered on Christ.

This age of the Already-Not Yet, this time of fulfillment in earnest and expectation is one in which prophecy is in pause and in suspension. The age could be described as characterised by a temporal schism in which we as believers live in This Age and yet are participant citizens in The Age to Come.

When Christ returns the full meaning and import of the Parousia will be brought to bear as our Lord will finish not a task separate from His First Coming but will finish the tasks associated with His Coming. The events are separated by chronological time but eschatologically are essentially one. This doctrine of course defies normal categories of predication and experience. It is a source of wonder.

The Fool Wang Yi and the Dark Side of Calvinism

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/world/asia/pastor-wang-yi-detention.html

I read this article the other day and it disheartened me to say the least.

It's one thing for a state to allow illegal activity if that activity stays low-key and off the main street so to speak. But when those engaged in illegality (as defined by the state) move to conspire and collaborate with the enemies of the state, their actions are no longer back-alley subcultural exploits but instead become overtly political.

The Lausanne Harvest (1974-2019)

http://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/4136/julia_doxat_purser_brussels_Christians_are_now_better_at_thinking_biblically_about_politics_than_25_years_ago

Ah yes, the Lausanne Movement. This is the face of Evangelicalism in Europe and it has its parallels in Latin America and elsewhere. Lausanne refers to the 1974 congress organised by John Stott and Billy Graham on the shores of Lake Geneva.

The Northern Kingdom Analogy

A way to view Rome as a covenantally relevant but apostate form of Christianity.

Those who say Rome has no status and never did err both theologically and historically. It's not a tenable position.

And yet those who argue Rome still has status also err.

The Confessional metanarrative which insists Rome was the Church until the Council of Trent upon which the mantle was taken up by Magisterial Protestantism also err, a point I will briefly touch on in the conclusion.

Evangelical Manipulation of the Population Debate (Part 2)

The real problem is waste and consumption. The Western world bears most of the guilt but it must be admitted that they are not solely to blame. The developing world is wasteful in other ways and certainly nations like China are now playing their part as well, a part played by the West a century ago. They have adopted the Western lifestyle and are now part of the consumption carousel.

Evangelical Manipulation of the Population Debate (Part 1)

https://www.christianpost.com/voice/population-bust-not-population-bomb.html

Stonestreet once again misleads his audience as to the real questions concerning world population. For years the consensus has sounded the alarm about population and the far Right has responded with scepticism regarding their claims dismissing them as alarmist and agenda driven.

I don't doubt there are ideologues on both sides of the issue who have made their share of exaggerated claims. The world has proven resilient with regard to hunger although the costs are enormous and when considered long term the solutions of today may prove disastrous for tomorrow.

The False Exposé (Part 3/Final)

In some cases, these books could almost be described as court histories, official narratives that reveal some juicy tidbits and offer some internal criticisms but largely they are revealed to be sanctions and apologias for the subjects and institutions they address. The approach they take is more a case of constructive criticism as opposed to a genuine adversarial exposé. They are not exposing the deeper truth, revealing true guilt, unleashing a story that's been suppressed and hidden.  

This is why they need to be identified as false exposé.

The False Exposé (Part 2)

Jeremy Scahill's book on Blackwater came to mind while reading the Dinges work on Condor. It represents a common type of criticism but still lands safely within the Establishment circle or consensus.

The False Exposé (Part 1)

The False Exposé. It's a concept I've talked about from time to time but it deserves a closer examination. What exactly is it?

An exposé by definition is that which make visible, in this case it's a reference to a work which reveals guilt or wrongdoing, it shines light on corruption. So how then can it be false?

Aeons Contrasted: Kingdom Visions in Conflict (Part 5)

(Final)

Protestantism continues to pursue the transformation of the world and yet continues to be transformed by it. The overwhelming support for someone like Donald Trump simply testifies to this. The fact that many will respond by saying that such sentiments indicate a political liberal or Clinton supporter only further the point demonstrating just how trapped many Christians are by the world and its paradigms.

Aeons Contrasted: Kingdom Visions in Conflict (Part 4)

Rome's model was developed under the auspices of Late Antiquity and their version of Christendom was forged in what we now call the Middle Ages. They needed kings, knights, bailiffs and all the rest. And yet many thinkers within the Roman Catholic fold recognised problems with one being engaged in these occupations while at the same time holding a Christian profession. This tension is something Magisterial Protestantism failed to recognise and in fact rejected. The Reformers and their descendants saw no difficulty with these professions at all and in fact blessed those who endeavoured to fill them. Over time Roman Catholic theologians developed spiritual frameworks for Christian knighthood etc... and while Rome long resisted usury, even while utilising loopholes, by the time of the Renaissance and Reformation, Rome would cave on this issue too.

Aeons Contrasted: Kingdom Visions in Conflict (Part 3)

And though Magisterial Protestantism and modern Evangelicalism find a great deal of commonality with the historical Constantinianism of Rome, there are slight differences. Rome is actually more nuanced. It essentially equates reign and realm but under the auspices of its broad and extensive tradition it is also able to embrace parallelisms in its understanding of how the Gospel and Kingdom are manifested in This Age.

Aeons Contrasted: Kingdom Visions in Conflict (Part 2)

Christ took on the semblance of sinful flesh in order to redeem not this fallen temporal world but to save His people who are (and will be) transformed and reign over an eternal New Heavens and New Earth. This is essential to understand. The New Testament vision of a Kingdom that is not of this world, one that is something we are translated into (and thus in contrast with this world), one that we place our thoughts, affections and treasures in, is a Kingdom negated by the Dominionist paradigm.

Aeons Contrasted: Kingdom Visions in Conflict (Part 1)

When it Comes to the Question of Vocation, Rome is Closer to the Truth than the Dominionist ideology of the Gospel Coalition

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-sacred-secular-divide-is-pure-fiction/

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When we speak of Vocation, when we speak of the Kingdom and Culture, when we speak of the sacred-secular divide, what we're really talking about is a larger category of thought sometimes referred to as the question of Nature-Grace dualism.

Twisting Scripture and History to Justify Christmas

http://evangelicalfocus.com/magazine/4072/Eight_AntiChristmas_Arguments

This was a rather lackluster attempt by the author but it's useful in that these trite, silly and erroneous pro-Christmas arguments are commonly used and thus must be answered. I thought it worth taking a moment to examine and interact with them.

Victorian Sacralism and the Roots of 20th Century Evangelicalism

I have frequently mentioned and praised Iain Murray's Evangelicalism Divided, his often astute chronicle and analysis of 20^th century Evangelicalism and the roots of its decay.

Nevertheless I know from Murray's other works that he remains an advocate of the 'Christian' West and in particular Christian Britain. While his vision and means of accomplishing and maintaining this reality differs on certain levels from the Evangelical project, they are in effect related and perhaps more closely than Murray would be willing to grant.

The Feminist Surge: an Addendum

Here's the link to the original article:

http://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-feminist-surge-result-of.html

There are two issues which require further comment:

The Evangelical Worldview and the Legend of GHW Bush

At work I will often turn on the ostensibly Christian radio station at noon to hear the news reported from a Christian worldview. Of course in keeping with the tone and tenor of American Evangelicalism it's often anything but and often engaged in not only a twisting and spinning of current events but of the Scriptures themselves.

But this week was over the top. With the death of Bush, it seemed the whole of American media was obsessed in memorialising the ex-president. The Mainstream wished and even overtly laboured to juxtapose his 'dignified' manner with that of the barbarism displayed by the current White House occupant.

Petr Chelčický: A Medieval Biblicist and Rustic Philosopher (Part 2)

Chelčický finds himself occupying an almost unique place in pre-Reformation Church History, representing views that would all but disappear by the 17^th century swallowed up by the profound political and cultural changes which reshaped the European map. And while we know that many works of reformers and critics of the Catholic social order were doomed to perish and be lost to time, Chelčický's works survived though many were not translated from Czech until modern times.

Petr Chelčický: A Medieval Biblicist and Rustic Philosopher (Part 1)

Petr Chelčický was born sometime around 1380 in Southern Bohemia, today's Czech Republic.* Associated with the village of Chelčice, he was probably from Vodňany or some other nearby village. There are debates as to his identity, some identifying him with one Peter of Zahorči, but this is not conclusive. Regardless of his background (of which there are many theories) it seems a yeoman farmer is the most likely which would have placed him above the serfs and peasants but a member of neither the gentry nor the emergent bourgeoisie. Apparently a self-educated man he wrote in Czech and though he had some Latin, he wasn't fluent.

The Feminist Surge: A Result of Ecclesiastical Confusion, Middle Class Assumptions and Para-church Inroads (Part 2)

Where will this end? And more importantly what's happening in so-called Complimentarian circles that suddenly career women have become normative?

Do I doubt the ability of women? By no means but that's not the point.

The Feminist Surge: A Result of Ecclesiastical Confusion, Middle Class Assumptions and Para-church Inroads (Part 1)

It's a growing trend and yet few seem to notice. Some have been lulled to sleep by the ever present 'hum' of our frenetic culture. Others are changed even transformed by their failure to reflect on society and their place in it.

Others (I think) are tired of the fight or perhaps think that there are such 'bigger' issues and battles to be fought that this one is not worth the required energy or the possible divisions such an examination is bound to create.

Vocation, Dominion and The Banner of Truth (Part 2)

Cyber-security isn't 'loving others' any more than is banking, delivering mail or building stairs. Some (and only some) of these jobs can become 'loving' if they're done gratuitously. That's an aspect of ministry or Christian service.

Vocation, Dominion and The Banner of Truth (Part 1)

https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2018/a-new-testament-professors-rediscovery-of-the-doctrine-of-vocation/

I apologise in advance to long-time readers. This interaction will probably prove redundant but I do it anyway, hoping that maybe a few new readers will be grabbed by what I'm saying and turn away from a pernicious but popular error and one of the rotten harvests of the Reformation.

An Encounter with a Church Consultant: A lesson and a warning (Part 2)

He criticised the congregation for reading Scripture passages that were too long. Also, they should abandon hymn books because a lot of people can't follow along in them and don't know how they work. They should suspend the Sunday evening service because the lack of numbers was depressing and it was wasting people's time. They should turn the Sunday School room into a 'welcome center'.

And the day he was visiting for the final time, the day he gave his presentation after the luncheon, we happened to sing a hymn that mentioned 'propitiation'. He fixated on this and mentioned it more than once. Hymns shouldn't use 'big words' like that, words that visitors won't understand.

An Encounter with a Church Consultant: A lesson and a warning (Part 1)

This is both a report and perhaps a warning for churches of a certain mindset and polity. The congregation where we now assemble recently went through a long period without a pastor and a fairly sharp decline in numbers. Now, much could be said about the 'pastoral' system but we can leave that aside for the moment.

During the interim one of the men filling in convinced the congregation to hire a Church Growth Consultant. This gentleman visited the congregation on a few occasions and was given carte blanche to investigate the congregation's records, finances and the like. After a few months he returned and presented his report.

Historical Lessons not Learned: British Nonconformity, Classical Liberalism and a Cycle of Self-Destruction (Part 2)

For almost two centuries large factions of Protestants have championed Classical Liberalism and now like a Golem or Frankenstein monster turning on its creator, the system is effectively at war with social and religious nonconformity. By conflation, Classical Liberalism has eroded Christian thought and Liberalism's failures have driven society in a communitarian direction, even while retaining many liberal concepts and forms. As a consequence Christians, who often held to communitarian positions themselves are left imperiled and confused and their large-scale social projects in the post-Enlightenment period have turned into something of a nightmare.

Historical Lessons not Learned: British Nonconformity, Classical Liberalism and a Cycle of Self-Destruction (Part 1)

Scotland made international news with its Named Person programme in 2014. This programme would effectively assign a social worker to every child so that the state would be involved in that child's life from infancy. Parents, privacy advocates and others were horrified at this attempt of gross intrusion by the state as well as the potential for abuses and in principle the loss of parental power and autonomy.

There was resistance and the act was partially blocked in 2016, though Edinburgh is still trying to implement it. Recently there was a scandal as a video emerged of local authorities encouraging teachers to override parental consent regarding collected personal information about children and their families. In other words the state is keeping files on everyone and teachers are being effectively trained to disregard parental concerns and objections. They know best of course. For obvious reasons Christians and others are alarmed.

Christians and Tattoos: Wading Through the Bad Arguments (Part 2)

What about the idea of being marked out as a Christian, having one's self covered with Christian themed tattoos?

This is even more problematic.

Christians and Tattoos: Wading Through the Bad Arguments (Part 1)

It's a strange issue to have to discuss, all the more because it wasn't that long ago that this issue was unheard of. Tattoos were pretty rare and almost unheard of among Christians. Additionally the idea of Christian-themed tattoos would have been viewed as something not only bizarre but something laughable, absurd, an oxymoronic suggestion to be sure.

And yet culture changes and values shift and just because generations saw something as wrong, doesn't mean that they were always right. Maybe centuries of tradition on this point were mistaken and not only is it okay to get a tattoo but maybe Christians should do so as an act of devotion.

Legislation as a Form of Pedagogy

Christians differ over the role of law in society. Many believe that Biblical law is to be enforced, others believe Natural Law is sufficient. These are of course somewhat nebulous terms and there are many factions and internal debates over just what these terms mean, to what extent they can be known and as to what degree of certainty is attainable. The latter issue touches on the role of philosophy and questions of epistemology, coherence and inference.

Pentecost and the Framework of Redemptive History: Prolepsis, Asynchronicity and Eschatological Ethics (Part 2)

All that said, there is a sense in which Pentecost does have a special significance for NT believers.

I think it safe to say that as New Testament believers we experience life in the Spirit in a greater fullness. Old Testament figures would have the Spirit come upon them for great deeds and yet the True Presence was found with the Shekinah in the Holy of Holies. This again is another mind-bending revelatory truth in that believers possessed the Spirit, but not in its fullness, they were regenerated by the Spirit but the Spirit-Presence in space-time (for want of a better concept) was spatially located in the Temple. The typology and chronology bend, warp and are interwoven with the eternal-eschatological realities that believers participate in. A simple appeal to omnipresence does not alleviate the difficulty.