Can You Split Over What You Don't Know?

In my Sunday School class today I posited that the Federal Vision controversy will not split the PCA because most don't understand it. They will pick a camp and be done with it. Further, it seems to me that the younger guys appreciate the "attempt" at scholarship on the part of the FVers. Traditionalists spit back a one sentence confessional quotation, must as is preferred during ordination trials. To me this means that the traditional church becomes a frog in the kettle. Over time it will become more influenced by the FV as more young guys get into church positions.

Personally I think that the FV is Covenant Theology on steroids AND HTH. Trying to explain God through one lens of any kind gives one tunnel vision. I think that this stuff would have been refuted long ago if we in the "traditional" church would get serious about theology instead of memorizing parts of the catechism. For example, the padeocommunion issue is one we are losing. We lose because we have, for years, misinterpreted the "discern the body" (and the related examination) provisions of I Cor. 11:27ff. The exegetical work of the FVers shows this up easily. Then, once they display our poor exegesis, they move quickly to say that our interpretation of this passage is ALL that stands between accepetance and rejection of padeocommunion. Hence, if it falls, so does rejection. Smart guys like Jeff Meyers argue just that way.

As Lee Corso might say on ESPN, "Not so fast, my friend!" If "body" means church as the FVers show, and I have always taught that it does, it does not follow that padeocommunion is right. To discern the body means to understand principles of community in the church, which means understanding how the church came into being, which means understanding the gospel. So, no padeocommunion. (This seems a lot like the Ex. 12 discernment suggested at the passover.)

Because the traditional positon seems closed to conceeding anything, I think we lose the support of the young guys. So, look around in five years and see how strong the controversy is. Maybe we will be more FV than we think just by time passing. Sad.