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 the basic content of their two-minute drill.
At the conclusion of his post, Dr. Clark says this:
“I’ll tell you what I don’t understand is why these folk don’t align themselves with CREC where they will be ‘understood’?”
Look for this question that Dr. Clark raises to become a constant drumbeat in the weeks to come.
“Why are you disrupting the PCA? Why don’t you just go where you’re wanted?”
“Why are you making all this trouble? Don’t you care about the peace and purity of the church? Why don’t you just join the CREC and make everybody happy?”
“Why do you have to be so disruptive? Why won’t you just leave quietly?”
“If you just left voluntarily, we could avoid a lot of trouble, Wilkins.”
Now the accusation that Steve Wilkins is making trouble in the PCA is a little bit like Ahab calling Elijah the one who troubled Israel (1 Kings 18:17). Steve has brought charges against no one, he is attacking no one, he is blocking the ordinations of no one, and so on. But that does not keep him from being the bad guy in the story that some are industriously trying to tell. He is simply the one that some TRs in the PCA have dubbed the designated villain. He is to be blamed for all kinds of things, and these pressing problems would all be solved if he would just agree with their negative assessments, and put himself into exile. Not only must he be at fault for all the current troubles, but he is being intransigent by refusing to do their dirty sentencing work for them. If he really had the peace and purity of the PCA in mind, he would just slip away quietly and allow his opponents time for a little touchdown dance. But he isn’t going anywhere, and by remaining it is beginning to appear that his opponents may soon have to start proving what they are saying, and that is an outrage upon their dignity. The ones attacking always feel victimized by the one they attack. It’s all in Girard, man.
So this is the drill. The last thing in the world that the anti-FV people want is any kind of open forum where questions get to be asked in both directions. They don’t want this in a voluntary set-up, as in a debate. They don’t want it in a judicial setting, as in an open trial. They don’t want it in a box; they don’t want it on the floor. Not in the closet either. We piped but ye would not mourn; we played the bass line from “Play That Funky Music, White Boy,” and ye would not dance.
They want to chase Steve Wilkins from the PCA into the CREC, and they then will return to their home churches, still breathing hard, and will wonder aloud where he went. And however sheepish they will be over a move so transparent, that sheepishness would be nothing compared to what they would have to deal with if they are ever required to prove these assertions with all the Reformed folk in the English-speaking world looking on.