False Charges of Icon Worship
Mark Horne argues against using icons in worship and is upset that Woodfuff Road Presbyterian Church claims that Federal Vision adherents promote the use of icons in worship. Some how an unpublished book by Guy Waters serves as the source.
Before continuing, I should point out that I am a former member of Woodruff Rd. PCA. I was there under Dr. Rod Mays, and briefly there for the current pastor, Rev. Carl Robbins. That being said, I have to agree with Rev. Horne. I have never run across the promotion of iconography in worship by any of the Federal Vision blogs or books. I have not read them all, but I have read enough. I do not have the context for Guy Waters’s remarks, so I will withhold judgment, but the session of Woodruff Rd. has to take that statement down. If they believe they have proof, they should produce it. If their only proof is Guy Waters, then they need to take it down. Rev. Horne did not allow comments on his blog post concerning the subject, but if he did, I would have urged him to bring Woodruff Rd. up on charges before the GA or whatever court is appropriate.
Don’t get me wrong. I am against the Federal Vision, and I think it heresy. However, it can be argued against and defeated without making up false accusations. I sincerely hope that Woodruff Rd. will remove the claim of iconography or back up their assertion.
2 Comments:
Actually, someone pointed out Mark can't be sure Waters is the particular source, and I notice Mark altered the entry. The source comment was that Waters was responsible for the "quotations." But that particular comment contained no quotation so that attibution isn't perfectly certain.
So maybe Waters isn't at fault here.
I also notice, Mark originally included a complaint about manuscript distribution. That is now gone too. Probably decided to narrow his focus to one and only one concern.
Here is the problem: Various people who have been in Federal Vision circles have moved on. There used to be references in FV blogs to people going into, or investigating Eastern Orthodoxy, and similar movements. Then there is the case of Jeff Steel http://meam-commemorationem.blogspot.com/ formerly a Louisiana PCA pastor and involved with the Auburn Ave crowd. At what point do these people cease being Federal Vision, and how is it that their Federal Vision interest in ritualism took them into the icnolatrous direction?
On the other hand, some Federal Vision people, James Jordan most notably, have been as firmly and as clearly opposed to the abuse of icons as it is possible to be, and outspoken on the topic as well.
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