Scott Clark is at it again. He misrepresents my views (again) by saying this: “Mr Wilson’s doctrine of justification through ‘living’ or ‘obedient’ faith is the very doctrine that we rejected in the Reformation. He makes faith efficacious, not because it looks to Christ alone, but because it looks to Christ and is obedient.” The …
Even Warriors for Truth Have to Fudge the Facts a Little
In the “Bitter Wormwoods” post below, I appreciated a comment by David Gadbois, an FV critic, and thought I should respond to it here. He said, “I think Dr. Clark is right in his statement about the FV in general, although I think only 2 of the points would apply to Wilson at all (paedocommunion …
Ah, the Bitter, Bitter Wormwords!
Scott Clark has posted a form letter, here, for repentant FVers to sign off on. As has been my wont in times past, I would like to repost that letter here, with some editorial comments sprinkled throughout. I have put my comments in brackets and in bold, so that you can tell where it is …
Opening Play of the End Game
Scott Clark, big surprise, has written some more about the federal vision here. But in the course of his litany of ecclesiastical entities that have in various ways rejected the federal vision, he then goes on to say something very important — something that gives the end game away, incidentally. This, I predict, will be …
More On Louisiana Presbytery
I am grateful to be able to announce that Steve Wilkins has been cleared (for a second time) by his presbytery. “Louisiana Presbytery, after thorough examination and investigation of TE Steve Wilkins as per the SJC directives regarding allegations made in the Central Carolina Presbytery Memorial, finds no strong presumption of guilt in any of …
Thanks for the Opportunity to Respond
Editor, In your last issue of The Confessional Presbyterian, I read an article by R. Scott Clark entitled “Baptism and the Benefits of Christ.” There are many issues here, but I would like for reasons of space to limit myself to two. The first has to do with Dr. Clark’s straw man representation of the …
Outside Gallio’s House
Someone over at Reformation21 thought of a funny, and twisted it like a washcloth until it was dry enough to serve as pulpit supply in some churches that could be mentioned. But in the course of his excursus into humor, the writer developed a new accusation that merits some response, however brief. Speaking in the …
Layered Definition
One undercurrent beneath the Federal Vision business is a hidden difference in epistemological assumptions. The Hellenistic method strips accidents away from the thing, looking for essences. The Hebraic way of definition adds layer upon layer, looking at the thing from as many different angles as possible, and in as many situations as possible. Peter Leithart …
A Response to Rick Phillips
As the Wilkins controversy continues to give off fumes, I would like to refer you to three places before we begin our next installment of comments. The first is to reiterate that Steve’s written responses to his presbytery exam can be found here. The second is a response to that, written by Rick Phillips, found …
Faith Is Mediated
When someone says that God foreordained the conversion of Smith, and that the conversion of Smith was therefore made necessary, a denial of this would include the view that the conversion of Smith was contingent, not necessary, and that God’s foreordination took up some percentage of the whole deal that was less than 100%. In …