What is the Federal Vision anyway?

I've tried to explain the Federal Vision several times to people and I've always failed to do so to my satisfaction. Hopefully, creating a wiki may help. After all, wikis, in my opinion, are one of the best ways to carry on dialogue - much better than blogs. (And now that PBwiki released version 2.0, it's an even easier service to use.) As for getting a good community of wiki contributors, I hope the Facebook group will help with that.

Where I (was) Coming From (in Aug. 25, 2007)

by Evan Donovan

I don't think the FV is heresy; I don't think it's necessarily good for the Church either. I think that many people associated with FV views have been unclear in their presentation. However, I also believe that is because they were under attack from the beginning. Just recently, Doug Wilson, on his blog, has been explaining things quite lucidly and temperately. I still question some of the company he keeps (not to mention his abhorrent views on some political/social issues), but I don't think he's a heretic, or even counter-confessional.

Where I Am Now (Aug. 15, 2008)

(still by Evan Donovan)

I think the Federal Vision proponents were characterized too harshly at the 2007 General Assembly. However, I think they didn't do a good job explaining their views. I think they tried to interpret N.T. Wright's work in Biblical Studies and the Church History using the theological categories of High Calvinism and failed miserably. If I choose to revive this long-defunct site, I will devote it to the works of N.T. Wright, whom I think is much more worthy of study than are his imitators. I would also like to defend N.T. Wright against John Piper's criticisms, especially since Piper's former teacher Daniel Fuller, from whom Piper derived much of his account of "Christian hedonism," had views on the relationship between works and faith in the Christian life which are much like Wright's.

And I wouldn't speak so nicely of Doug Wilson as I once did.