Riverwood Presbyterian Church

I found his blog but couldn’t find his comments. Please help me out by telling me where they are. Thanks!

Maria, follow the “click here” and it will take you to Kidd’s article.

I hope that helps!

Blake

Thanks for adding the link.

I watched the “debate” about the Federal Vision on the General Assembly webcam. It’s good to know the other side’s position by reading Dr. Kidd’s blog post and the comments. Where were these people at the General Assembly?

Blake, I had to look up “defenestration” before going further. Comment number 1 under Kidd’s blog was posted by John Frame, and he got it right: “protect us from the cannibals.”

You may have heard this before, but it is interesting to note the “tone of the times.” I have reservations about parts of Luther’s theology, CS Lewis’ theology, and many others. But no one will even blink when I reference or quote those great men. However, if I were to reference a certain modern scholar (not even on a controversial subject), the wolves start to howl. In fact, I do not agree in whole with any particular theologian/preacher/author. It would be almost impossible to do so. But the Spirit gives discernment, so we can properly sort the good from the bad. It is sad and startling when people will quickly eschew an entire corpus, because they have been told that parts of it are bad and dangerous.

It is also disheartening to see that ministers in good standing have been so violently slandered with absolutely no ecclesiastical due process.

But, I believe, the news is not all bad. Whenever there is struggle, persecution, or threats to the church’s theology, it has historically fired those awake who had been sleeping for too long. The state of American Evangelicalism is woefully shallow— but that vacuum has created a hunger for something substantial, as well.

Oddly enough, my heart beats for the “cannibals,” as well. I was once an Arminian Baptist. But a patient man brought me to the Reformed Historical faith. And now, I want that for many Arminians around me. So too, I want to foster a culture of eager and avid learning when it comes to processing and filtering through new books. I just don’t want to marginalize those who are honestly hammering out their faith— in any regard.

Unfortunately, the PCA Study committee was more of a kangaroo court than a fair interaction with the Federal Vision, in my view.

I don’t have a perfect understanding of the Federal Vision or the New Perspective, but I have found both very helpful, not a threat to the gospel. I think Presbyterian pastors such as Rick Lusk, Peter Leithart, and Jeffrey Myers have many good and helpful things to say. I think N.T. Wright is the best New Testament scholar in the world, and his work gives us a solid defense of the historical Jesus, while challenging us to reflect on the corporate nature of justification in Paul’s letters. I think these men are allies to Reformed theolgy, not enemies.

So, the folks on the other side have been around and have tried serously to interact with their critics. The PCA power brokers, however, were dead set on not including them in the official discussion. The committee was stacked from the beginning to get a guaranteed result, thus marginalizing many godly men who are in good standing with their presbyteries. Its no secret that many want a thorough purging of the PCA.

Just my two cents!

Maria, You are right to put debate in quotations in your comment. There was no debate. In reality, GA is not the place to have a theological debate. This should have been hashed out in committee. Unfortunately, there was only one side represented on the committee that issued the paper. That left delay & review as the only viable tactic. After RC Sproul pronounced the issue as an attack on justification by faith alone (which it wasn’t), all discussion ended. Even if this had been accurate, the weakness and sloppiness of the paper presented should have caused its review upon arrival. I totally agree with the letter that circulated before GA that essentially said what Tim stated above. I don’t agree with all of anyone’s theology completely. My own theology is ever processing and changing- though in smaller degrees than earlier in life. I also don’t have a dog in this particular fight, but the idea that we can’t discuss it and that people who want to discuss it are viewed with disdain (having not been accused of any wrongdoing)and that we have now set up the structure so that the presbyteries have a whipping stick if they choose to use it is very discouraging.

I think one of the outgrowths of this is that bright, articulate people will likely leave the ranks of seminary/teaching elder positions in the PCA in search of places they can honestly continually reform their teaching and theology from Scripture without worrying about being branded, chastised, ostracized or disciplined at every turn for every reason or no reason.