# Effect in the South



## W.C. Dean (Oct 8, 2020)

Hello all. Has anyone written anything on why (perhaps I am perceiving it wrongly) Federal Vision/Auburn Avenue affected theology seemed to sprout mostly in the South? I know obviously there were Auburn Avenue men who came from the North/Northeast (Schlissel, for one), but it seems the main proponents were from the South, or made their home in the South. Jordan, Wilkins, and Lusk (I think) are all from the deep South. Leithart made Alabama his home base. Obviously Auburn Avenue Presbyterian (now Church of the Redeemer) is in Louisiana. Am I not getting the whole picture, or has this been discussed before? 

@BayouHuguenot I figure you'd know something of this.


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## RamistThomist (Oct 8, 2020)

Not entirely. It's just geographical by accident. Rich Lusk went to Covenant Seminary and then got called to AAPC (and soon left because he saw that the Confederate conferences didn't mesh with the NPP).

Probably because most of these were PCA men and the the OPC, which was primarily in the North, was never drawn much to the FV.


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## Charles Johnson (Oct 8, 2020)

Expanding on what Jacob said, Kline and Vos are both very popular in the OPC at least here in the upper midwest, and Kline had opposite emphases to FV theology. He draws a harsh contrast between aspects of the covenant that are temporal, objective, and conditional and those that are spiritual, private, and absolute. And we also have Dutch churches in the North, but the FV is kind of a Presbyterian thing. FV reacts against Presbyterian separation between aspects of the visible and invisible church, but those things were generally held closer together in Dutch theology to begin with (presumptive regeneration, anyone?).


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## Edward (Oct 9, 2020)

I was reflecting last night on a variant of the question above (not whether anyone had written on the subject, but why FV/NPP/Auburn Avenue/etc seemed to find fertile ground in the South. 

Wilkins, as I recall, had ties to the neo-Confederate movement of the '90s. As such, he provided a spiritual voice in the movement. Conversely, his opponents, rather than sticking to attacks on his theology, attacked him for his political views, as well. Thus, if one were opposed to the progressives who have since taken over the PCA, one would have been inclined to give ear to Wilkins on the theological issues.

Reactions: Like 1


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## W.C. Dean (Oct 9, 2020)

Edward said:


> I was reflecting last night on a variant of the question above (not whether anyone had written on the subject, but why FV/NPP/Auburn Avenue/etc seemed to find fertile ground in the South.
> 
> Wilkins, as I recall, had ties to the neo-Confederate movement of the '90s. As such, he provided a spiritual voice in the movement. Conversely, his opponents, rather than sticking to attacks on his theology, attacked him for his political views, as well. Thus, if one were opposed to the progressives who have since taken over the PCA, one would have been inclined to give ear to Wilkins on the theological issues.


Wilkins was involved with the League of the South, but the group did attain some white nationalist (not necessarily white supremacist) influences. I assume this may be why he ended his involvement with them.


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## Edward (Oct 9, 2020)

W.C. Dean said:


> Wilkins was involved with the League of the South,


I seem to recall some SCV, or at least re-enactor group involvement, as well. That was about the same time as the coup at the SCV.


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## arapahoepark (Oct 11, 2020)

Not sure if it's directly related but, the article linked helps to set up some origins of one of the 'theologians.'




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Tyler, TX, FV and Theonomy?


What is this story surrounding Tyler Texas and the Federal Vision and Theonomy? I can't find anything other than James Jordan was in Tyler and that there was something going on with Federal Vision and theonomy as well.




puritanboard.com


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## Edward (Oct 11, 2020)

@arapahoepark - You might ask Chris about Tyler - I think he knows a fair bit about it.


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