# Any connection to Biblical Theology?



## Amy (Jul 28, 2008)

Is there any connection between Biblical Theology/Redemptive Historical preaching and Federal Vision?

I don’t know much about Federal Vision, so I’m just wondering this based on very superficial things.


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## jwithnell (Jul 28, 2008)

Perhaps you would find this article helpful? It was originally published a year and a half ago in New Horizons, a magazine of the Orthodox PC.

New Horizons


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## PuritanCovenanter (Jul 28, 2008)

Here is an intro to the Federal Vision. Dr. Clark also has some good reference links on his site. He use to have a good mp3 link on the Federal Vision and Baptism on his site that is worth listening to.

Westminster Seminary California clark

Here is the link to the Mp3. http://www.wscal.edu/resources/audio/clarkfacultyconf2006.mp3


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## Contra_Mundum (Jul 29, 2008)

Amy said:


> Is there any connection between Biblical Theology/Redemptive Historical preaching and Federal Vision?
> 
> I don’t know much about Federal Vision, so I’m just wondering this based on very superficial things.



Amy,
You are going to a church with a strong recent history of B-T/R-H preaching. I could be wrong, but *I do not think that you are going to find any obvious connections* between B-T/R-H and F-V flavors. Some (not me) might argue that R-H/B-T, being so _anti-moralist_ in its stronger expressions, is rather much an "anti-F-V". Not that F-V is strictly moralistic any more than Romanism is strictly moralistic, but both do advocate similar notions of "cooperating" with grace. And typically, R-H preaching lays off of application, sometimes going overboard in trying to "prove" how "uncooperative" man is regarding any aspect of his salvation.

Another example: One of the F-V leaders has been quoted as saying: "if you lack assurance, look to your baptism." A typical B-T preacher might say, "if you lack assurance, look at Christ."

The point I would make is: it doesn't matter what sort of preaching is going on, or what stance somebody takes on theonomy, or apologetics, or worship styles, etc. F-V is eclectic in what it has borrowed from, and so it has many mothers, and no fathers. There is probably as much chance of a R-H/B-T guy in our circles going in that direction, as has a man leaning toward "Christian Reconstruction" going there.

The reasons are probably too complex to nail down to common denominators, but I will venture that there seems to be this: dissatisfaction with certain, very essential Reformed understandings (enshrined prominently in our confessions) of key soteriological principles. The mantra goes typically something like this: when it comes to justification and sanctification, "There's not enough there!"


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## TimV (Jul 29, 2008)

> Another example: One of the F-V leaders has been quoted as saying: "if you lack assurance, look to your baptism." A typical B-T preacher might say, "if you lack assurance, look to Christ."



Very nice.


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## Amy (Jul 29, 2008)

Thank you for the responses so far. They have been very helpful, especially Contra-Mundum (since I don't have enough posts to thank anyone). Like I said, I was only noticing superficial similarities, and was curious if there was more to it. When I heard things about Federal Vision a couple things sounded similar to me.


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