Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible

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I hadn't seen until you linked to it. I thought it was funny.
 
I don't think anyone on our side is subtle enough to pretend to be rabid FV and carry it off, do you?
 
The site bothers me greatly. There are many layman who, like myself not long ago, found the FV issues confusing. It would be easy for some people to read a site like this, and think this is a real anti-FV site. Maybe worse, they might actually agree with what is posted. Especially because the posts mix true and false ideas.

The site is a parody of anti-FV views. But a parody necessarily starts by building or copying the original ideas, and then exaggerates them and mixing them with humor or sarcasm. However, sarcasm is often conveyed by tone of voice. Text intended to be sarcasm is often mistaken for serious thought.

The sarcasm of this site is too subtle to be clearly conveyed. There are no cartoons or disclaimers. I think the site will potentially mislead people who are seriously trying to learn about this issue. And the site is getting notice and showing up on Google searches. I'd like to see more genuine anti-FV bloggers warning others about the site, so the Google searches that find the site, will also find the warnings.
 
Here is how Lane reacted to the site . . .
Oh, it's a totally FV site. They just accused me of advocating a faith that is alone.

Here is what Lane was reacting to . . .
As you know, the Reformed faith is under constant attack by the Federal Vision and other heretics, but we can be thankful for our friends over at Greenbaggins and especially the Grace Evangelical Society (love their web address – faithalone.org!). Together, these stalwart defenders of the Reformed faith are fighting to make sure that faith is always alone.

Yikes! I tend to agree that the site is not only posted by FV proponents, but that it represents a mean-spirited anti-Reformed message at that. However, people unaware of the details of the FV position, unlearned in theology, or just plain gullible (so why is Doug Wilson taking it at face value???), could have their brains scrambled a bit by this site. What a waste of sarcasm.
 
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More evidence that the the Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible is fooling people:

Jeff Meyers has posted on the Corrigenda Denuo blog the following:
I've been reading and thinking carefully about these studies lately and am pretty much convinced that I need to ask to have my name removed from the Federal Vision Joint Statement (available here). The arguments presented at the Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible site are devastating to our cause. It's Lent, so I repent.

link

Meyers is being sarcasitic. That is clear. But it still implies that the AFVBS is a legitimate anti-FV site.
 
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FYI: I've added this comment to a few blogs where they refer to the AFVSB:
WARNING: The Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible site is a parody of the arguments against Federal Vision. The site itself is a strawman set up by an anonymous FV proponent. Do not be fooled.

-- Anthony Coletti
But I still hope more FV opponents will also add a post warning people about the site. Hopefully, when people do a search on "Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible", these warnings will show high in the results.

I would post warnings directly on the AFVSB blog, but it does not allow comments. :think:

P.S. At this time (2/6/08), when doing a Google search on "Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible", this very thread on the Puritain Boards is at the top of the results. :D
Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible - The PuritanBoard
Have you all seen this blog? Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible Read a few posts and you'll start to see the problem. This blog figured it out: Federal.
www.puritanboard.com/f77/anti-federal-vision-study-bible-28965/
 
Here is how the site characterized Lane . . .
Oh, it's a totally FV site. They just accused me of advocating a faith that is alone.

Here is Lane's response . . .
As you know, the Reformed faith is under constant attack by the Federal Vision and other heretics, but we can be thankful for our friends over at Greenbaggins and especially the Grace Evangelical Society (love their web address – faithalone.org!). Together, these stalwart defenders of the Reformed faith are fighting to make sure that faith is always alone.

Yikes! I tend to agree that the site is not only posted by FV proponents, but that it represents a mean-spirited anti-Reformed message at that. However, people unaware of the details of the FV position, unlearned in theology, or just plain gullible (so why is Doug Wilson taking it at face value???), could have their brains scrambled a bit by this site. What a waste of sarcasm.

Dennis, are ya sure you don't have my response and their charge a bit mixed up? ;)
 
More evidence that the the Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible is fooling people:

Jeff Meyers has posted on the Corrigenda Denuo blog the following:
I've been reading and thinking carefully about these studies lately and am pretty much convinced that I need to ask to have my name removed from the Federal Vision Joint Statement (available here). The arguments presented at the Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible site are devastating to our cause. It's Lent, so I repent.

link

Meyers is being sarcasitic. That is clear. But it still implies that the AFVBS is a legitimate anti-FV site.

Is Jeff Meyers a pastor in St. Louis?
 
Dennis, are ya sure you don't have my response and their charge a bit mixed up? ;)

Duh! That's what I get for doing posting on PB while watching election returns!

As any competent redaction critic could tell you, utilizing the same tools as they employ with the Synoptics, the original post (ipissima verba Dennis) citing the blog and the good doctor lacked the explanatory comments and they were evidently scribal interpolations by a dyslexic nitwit sometime after the fact. Indeed, if you compare the lexical data on word usage, you will find that the person who placed the comments above each of the quotations could certainly not have been the same individual who penned the final paragraph (beginning "Yikes . . ."). While I believe that the confusing sentences were added a few minutes after the original post, they are clearly secondary. Perhaps we should simply dismiss them from the argument, unless you wish to focus on the final canonical shape of the material. In that case, I will simply have to say that the trajectory of interpretation leads me to believe that since the text means whatever it means to me, it really doesn't matter if the sentences are logically backwards.

:think:
 
Dennis, are ya sure you don't have my response and their charge a bit mixed up? ;)

Duh! That's what I get for doing posting on PB while watching election returns!

As any competent redaction critic could tell you, utilizing the same tools as they employ with the Synoptics, the original post (ipissima verba Dennis) citing the blog and the good doctor lacked the explanatory comments and they were evidently scribal interpolations by a dyslexic nitwit sometime after the fact. Indeed, if you compare the lexical data on word usage, you will find that the person who placed the comments above each of the quotations could certainly not have been the same individual who penned the final paragraph (beginning "Yikes . . ."). While I believe that the confusing sentences were added a few minutes after the original post, they are clearly secondary. Perhaps we should simply dismiss them from the argument, unless you wish to focus on the final canonical shape of the material. In that case, I will simply have to say that the trajectory of interpretation leads me to believe that since the text means whatever it means to me, it really doesn't matter if the sentences are logically backwards.

:think:

:rofl: You crack me up.
 
I hadn't seen until you linked to it. I thought it was funny.

Yeah, why did God sovereignly choose to give the FV'ers a disproportionate amount of clever humor? Faith is never alone when it enters the party with a blonde joke in its arms. See? I can't do it–not even a courtesy "lol" funny.

Maybe this is a good FV test:
Presbytery: "Do you find the writings set before you to be humorously satirical?"
Member on trial: "Are they... um... supposed to be... uh..."
Presbytery: "Alright, you've passed the first test. Now for the second: Could you tell us your best joke."
Member on trial: [tells his best joke which involves Calvin, Luther and Michael Bolton entering a bar with a red wagon in tow]
Presbytery: [loud groans, horribly contorted faces] "Ok, you're safe."
[large rubber stamp hits pile of paper containing the charges leaving behind the large red word, O R T H O D O X. Then everyone jumps up and starts cheering and dancing to the song "footloose."]

At least that's how I imagine the Presbyterian church works, forgive me for being Baptist.
 
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I hadn't seen until you linked to it. I thought it was funny.

Yeah, why did God sovereignly choose to give the FV'ers a disproportionate amount of clever humor? Faith is never alone when it enters the party with a blonde joke in its arms. See? I can't do it–not even courteously "lol" funny.

Presumably this is part of the judgment on us.
 
I hadn't seen until you linked to it. I thought it was funny.

Yeah, why did God sovereignly choose to give the FV'ers a disproportionate amount of clever humor? Faith is never alone when it enters the party with a blonde joke in its arms. See? I can't do it–not even courteously "lol" funny.

Maybe this is a good FV test:
Presbytery: "Do you find the writings set before you to be humorously satirical?"
Member on trial: "Are they... um... supposed to be... uh..."
Presbytery: "Alright, you've passed the first test. Now for the second: Could you tell us your best joke."
Member on trial: [tells his best joke which involves Calvin, Luther and Michael Bolton entering a bar with a red wagon in tow]
Presbytery: [loud groans, horribly contorted faces] "Ok, you're safe."
[large rubber stamp hits pile of paper containing the charges leaving behind the large red word, O R T H O D O X. Then everyone jumps up and starts cheering and dancing to the song "footloose."]

At least that's how I imagine the Presbyterian church works, forgive me for being Baptist.

:rofl:
 
This was interesting. I posted my "warning" message on Jeff Meyer's Blog Corrigenda Denuo. It was noticed by the second commenter (Travis) who said:
Say it ain't so, Jeff. I did read only one post over there. The one on Psalm 119 where David extoles the Law and his love for it. Incredulous!! Is Coletti right? Is it a parody? It surely make sense b/c that post was cry-able.
Now I figured Meyer's saw how terrible the arguments were so to make fun of them he said it convinced him to remove his name from the Federal Vision Joint Statement. The Jeff's blog post said:
I've been reading and thinking carefully about these studies lately and am pretty much convinced that I need to ask to have my name removed from the Federal Vision Joint Statement (available here). The arguments presented at the Anti-Federal Vision Study Bible site are devastating to our cause. It's Lent, so I repent.
Yes. Very funny. (Note the blog post had links to the AFVSB blog.)

But I still did not want to assume that Meyer's realized the site was a parody and wanted to keep it quiet. I assumed he thought that the site was a legitimate Anti-FV site, and Meyer's was simply making fun of it. That's fine. The humor is clear. He's not going to ditch FV over the AFVSB blog. I get it. Ha ha!

And so I posted a warning message in the comments section. It was the second comment on the blog post.

But now if you go to Meyer's blog post on the AFVSB - you will notice my warning message has been deleted. Apparently, Meyer's doesn't want other people to know that the site is a parody. He deleted my warning!

Later James (Jim) Jordon himself joined in the fun to add his comment:
Jeff, I agree. The arguments on this blog are pretty devastating. I mean, I've heard all these arguments before from the anti-FV people, but somehow they did not strike home until I saw them all together like this. I don't know who's doing this, but he or she is doing a real favor for the Church. Like you, I'm removing my name from the FV statement.

James Jordan
Ha ha! Lot's of laughs!

Except the brunt of the joke is anyone opposed to FV. They want people to believe the site is legitimate. They want people to go to the site and see the people who are "anti-FV" are the very idiots that the FV people think they are. They don't want to warn people off. It's too much fun trying to make their opponents look foolish.
 
Yes, you are right. The problem is that they are being way too obvious for it to fool anyone who has even a modicum of intelligence. The giveaway signs are just too obvious. All they had to do was accuse me of advocating a faith that is alone, and I knew what they were up to, not that I am tremendously smart. But I do have the requisite modicum of intelligence referred to above. ;)
 
Yes, you are right. The problem is that they are being way too obvious for it to fool anyone who has even a modicum of intelligence. The giveaway signs are just too obvious. All they had to do was accuse me of advocating a faith that is alone, and I knew what they were up to, not that I am tremendously smart. But I do have the requisite modicum of intelligence referred to above. ;)

Well I am embarrassed to say that I was fooled. When I first found the site, I didn't dig very hard. This was when it first started (maybe by the second or third post on the blog). There are hundreds of pro and anti-FV sites and some are better than others. Even on my side (anti-FV), there are some less than excellent blogs.

After the AFVSB popped up a few more times in email alerts from Google (for: "Federal Vision" "), I decided to subscribe to the blog.

Now and then I would read a post and think it sounded almost correct, but usually there was some mistake in the argument. I wasn't even sure that the things he wrote about the FV folks were necessarily true.

It seemed to be a mix of exaggerations, strawman arguments, and sometimes bad theology; but all the while it sounded similar to some other anti-FV sites (yours not withstanding). So I thought the guy was a legitimate proponent of FV who wasn't doing a good job a lot of the time. Maybe he was a hyper-Calvinist? That could explain some of his theological errors.

We all know people who we like, but we wish they would stay out of the debate. This blog was one of those cases. It was embarrassing to me. If I could have contacted the blogger, I would have tried to correct some of his more grievous errors. Clearly they guy was a bit off and he was hurting the cause.

But it did not occur to me that the AFVSB blog was being put on by an FV proponent to make fun of FV opponents. I guess I was smart enough to see the mistakes in the AFVSB posts, but not smart enough to see the unspoken intent of the blogger behind the site.

Then I saw the blog post by Turretinfan. And I thought "that makes sense!" Well, you can see how I was reluctant to admit I had been fooled. And so I started this thread to see if others agreed that the AFVSB blog is actually a parody or "Sock-Puppet" being put on by a FV proponent.

And now I wonder if the intent of the owner of the AFVSB is simply to create an obvious parody of opponents of FV, or if he's intent was to create a Sock-Puppet for FV proponents to make fun of. Since my warning message was deleted from Jeff Myers blog, I believe it is the latter. And in either case, some people have been fooled into thinking the site is just a bad attempt to attack the Federal Vision.
 
I wouldn't want to accuse anyone of being dumb. But you figured it out, is the point. As you said, there are critics out there who argue the way this blog caricatures. That would make it much more difficult, I suppose. And I had an advantage when it claimed that I believed in a faith that is alone. That really tipped me off that something was really, really wrong with this site.
 
And I had an advantage when it claimed that I believed in a faith that is alone. That really tipped me off that something was really, really wrong with this site.
That was one of the nails in the coffin for me also. I'm sure if I looked more closely, I would find lots of nails. But it was painful to look that close.
 
Apparently, Meyer's doesn't want other people to know that the site is a parody... They want people to believe the site is legitimate. They want people to go to the site and see the people who are "anti-FV" are the very idiots that the FV people think they are. They don't want to warn people off. It's too much fun trying to make their opponents look foolish.

I don't think you have to worry too much about it. I think it is pretty obvious satire. I know you charge them with deception saying they "don't want other people to know the site is a parody" and "they want people to believe the site is legitimate." But I think the author of the site is actually pointing out what the site is at the end of the posts. For instance the current post ends this way:

"Jesus did not leave any of his writings behind. He never saw the gospels and did not have the chance to edit, polish, or correct any misquotations... Matthew and the other gospel writers are simply paparazzi who gave us a lot of off-the-cuff remarks and off-the-record statements that Jesus may not have wanted published. For precise theology, it is better to stick with trained theologians like Paul and graduates of NAPARC seminaries."

And the previous one ends like this:
"Unfortunately, this verse has made its way into the Nicene Creed in the line, 'we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.' This poses a problem because no who is truly Reformed can confess this as it stands."

Do you personally know anyone who would be deceived this–that the Reformed believe that the Bible is errant, or that the Nicene creed is unorthodox? I would guess probably not, and if so I wouldn't worry too much about the site. :)
 
I haven't been following the site that closely for the last couple days - mainly looking at sites that have links to the AFVSB site - but it seems like the author is trying to be more obvious than he was before. If you look to the earlier posts, I don't think they are all that obvious. I've come across several bloggers who thought the site was legit - but really bad. I'm glad the author appears to be getting the message.
 
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