Federal Vision Theology

Federal Vision Theology. Is there such a thing? If so, what does it teach? Many militate against the idea that there is such a theology. Others do not want to be lumped into a category at all much less this one. It must be admitted that there are a wide variety of views held by those who have been labeled as Federal Vision proponents. Yet, I do not think that is excludes the idea of a Federal Vision Theology. Allow me to outline what I believe are some major pillars of Federal Vision Theology.

1. Justification and salvation are no longer "by Christ" rather they are done "in Christ." This is a subtle but huge difference in the two approaches. The first is forensic, forever, and final. The second is best described as Participationist. It can be forensic, but should not be limited to it. It is possible that it is forever, but it is assured. It is not final until death, but it has a final stage. The Federal Vision men seem to all have a place for falling out of Christ or apostasy. The claims are made that one can truly be "in Christ" and then fall out of Christ. A difference from the "by Christ" traditional view.
2. Sacramentalism. The Federal Vision proponents unite behind an intrinsic grace or objective grace that is given in the sacraments. Baptism becomes our way into Christ. The Lord’s Supper becomes grace we eat, Christ brought to us. This change in the traditional reformed approach often leads to weekly communion and infant communion.
3. Doctrinal development. The vast majority of the Federal Vision men are committed to the idea that doctrine develops. I will let Andrew Sandlin say what this means.

Another perspective from which to view RefC comprises what we might call the contemporary school. John Armstrong, Steve Schlissel and I (others too) are convinced that the semper reformanda principle demands a critically sympathetic assessment and implementation of contemporary (20th and 21st century) theology. (I suspect that Jim Jordan and Peter Leithart often spin in this orbit.) We are confident not only that profound theological insights are around today (e. g., John Frame, Don Garlington, Cornelius Van Til, N. T. Wright) but also, moreover, that those insights need not be mere appropriations of the 15th and 16th centuries. In other words, we believe in substantive, and not merely amendary, theological development.

This is a crucial and critical idea. They believe that doctrine develops, or in other words, the Reformation, the apostles, the apostolic fathers were wrong, and in another century so too will this generation. Notice Sandlin says "demands a critically sympathetic assessment". The church must read new ideas with a sympathetic eye, and a view to implement them. The church must substantially develop new doctrinal positions. It is what their theology demands. Thus one can notice several other idea that permeate the majority of Federal Vision men and churches. The vast majority are theonomic, the Regulative Principle of Worship is often being replaced by the Informed Principle of Worship or at least a higher liturgy, the New Perspectives on Paul are often held, Biblical Theology is favored if not outright replacing Systematic Theology, creeds are held loosely or not at all, and the next round of development will also be implemented according to their own words.

This is what I believe helps define the Federal Vision. All aspects including the doctrinal development aspect needs to be addressed by churches. If not then the crisis will not be resolved and the discussion will not yield the desired fruit.