Pastor Wilson sure took a beating last week after the PCA General Assembly adopted a committee report condemning Federal Vision. In case you forgot, the vote was something like 1400 in favor of the report and about 30 against it. Man, talk about a landslide. Someone should call a search and rescue team to dig Wilson out. The poor gumbo never saw it coming.
There was something else he didn’t see either: this time the good guys took a page from Pastor Wilson’s playbook and had their blogs ready so that they could CONTROL THE CONVERSATION, rather than concede it to him.
For example, Green Baggins is systematically nailing Wilson, point for point, on his blog, and Wilson, who must always have the last word, is responding. This probably explains why you only posted five times last week and Ms. Tanaka ran interference for you. Too busy getting Bagged.
Dr. R. Scott Clark of The Heidelblog (excellent name) wasted no time making a general application of the “W” word — “wolf” — to the heretics who propagate Federal Vision. Dr. Clark also noted their favorite rhetorical device: “their tactic has been to criticize my person and my conduct of the discussion in order to deflect the discussion away from the issue at hand.” Welcome to the party, Dr. Clark; that’s their only argument. (Note to Ms. Tanaka: the sophists gave birth to the ad hominem.)
And Bob Mattes has made the most brilliant point yet on his blog, Reformed Musings. In fact, I believe his simple comparison will help everyone get their heads around the Federal Vision. You see, Mr. Schwaller, Federal Vision confuses the average Joe because it is so difficult to explain. But Mr. Mattes bypassed a convoluted explanation that would only make matters worse and drew a simple comparison between Pastor Wilson’s Federal Vision and his magnum opus Southern Slavery As It Was:
Together Doug Wilson and Steve Wilkins did for Christianity and US history what the Federal Vision is doing for the Reformed faith. This is theonomic theology at its absolute best. Here’s a quote from page 18 under the section heading of “Unexpected Blessings”:Slavery produced in the South a genuine affection between the races that we believe we can say has never existed in any nation before the War or since. Whatever its failures, slavery produced in the South a degree of mutual affection between the races which will never be achieved through any federally-mandated efforts.
Ouch; that’s gotta hurt. And you will note that Mr. Mattes served on the committee that wrote the report condemning Federal Vision. He sure did his homework. Just wait until he learns that Wilson and Wilkins plagiarized the whole thing!
So there it is, Mr. Schwaller. Something for your consideration before you join the fossils of Pompeii, a mere hole in the ash heap of history.
Dougs’ Hero
