Good News from the PCA GA

Many of you will have heard that the PCA General Assembly was considering a study committee report condemning an aberrant form of theology know as “the Federal Vision” (FV) that has spread in certain sectors of the Reformed Community (well known advocates of this theology include Steve Wilkins, Doug Wilson, Jeff Meyers, Peter Leithart, and Steve Schlissel).

By the grace of God, the report was adopted by an overwhelming majority, despite a resolution to postpone and add FV men to the committee from Pastor Joe Novenson.

The actual percentage was estimated at 95% to 5% by someone I spoke to who was standing up front. Several well known members of the PCA spoke in favor of the report, including Frank Barker, RC Sproul, and George Robertson. It was the first time I can remember that there was such wide and deep support for a relatively conservative theological position in the PCA. Clearly the debate over the report indicated that there was widespread feeling amongst the Presbyters that this was a gospel vs. "another gospel" issue (Gal. 1:6-7).

Later that evening Dr. Sproul finished his evening sermon with a benediction stressing the "imputed active obedience of Christ without which no-one is saved" (or words to that effect) which was clearly aimed at the Federal Vision advocates who do not believe in the necessity of the imputation of Christ’s active obedience for salvation. Also several hymns stressing that theme were sung. One could be forgiven for feeling that the PCA was corporately doing all it could to declare that they are an “an Old Perspective on Justification denomination."

The report will be a useful tool when it comes to filing charges against FV advocating ministers in their presbyteries, which is the next step in the process of removing the Federal Vision teaching from the denomination.

Sadly the public reaction in the FV camp to date is that this just goes to show that the vast majority of PCA men are either under the evil control of men like Dr. Ligon Duncan or simply don’t understand theology or the bible well enough to be able to appreciate the superiority of their new theology – this charge is even being leveled against men like RC Sproul. There seems to be not even a glimmer of hope that the FV community might begin to wonder if the fact that even a moderate Reformed denomination like the PCA rejected the FV overwhelmingly is an indication that they really might be pursuing a serious error. For a movement that claims to have a high view of the church this is obviously disappointing. It also runs counter to the oft-repeated declarations we heard in years gone past that they would not listen to individuals or groups who declared the FV to be erroneous, as only the courts of the church had the power to declare that. Now it is becoming clear that they won't listen to the courts of the church either, and that no one who thinks this is an error or heresy can possibly be right.

In counseling one occasionally runs into this "I don't have a problem, everyone else thinks I have a problem because they all have a problem" syndrome, and its extremely difficult to break through. As a consequence there is little hope that the FV men currently in the PCA will simply realign with denominations more amenable to their new theology, and as result, charges will most likely need to be filed against them in several presbyteries.