The Heidelblog was born in 2006–07 during the self-described, so-called Federal Vision controversy. Recently I had a conversation with a young man who was not born when that controversy began, before it was it called “the Federal Vision” controversy. Before that it was known as the “Shepherd Controversy,” after the controversial and profoundly corrupt teaching of the Rev. Mr. Norman Shepherd, a former professor in a couple of Reformed and Presbyterian seminaries and minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Christian Reformed Church. These resources are intended as a guide to the issues and to the conclusions about the Federal Vision theology reached by many of the orthodox, confessional Presbyterian and Reformed denominations represented by NAPARC (North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Ecclesiastical Reports and Actions
2. Seminary Statements On The Federal Vision Theology
3. Books and Pamphlets
4. Essays
5. Lectures, Podcasts, Interviews
6. Quotations
7. FV Events and History

1. Ecclesiastical Reports and Actions

1. The URCNA Synodical Committee Report on the Federal Vision and Justification
2. The URCNA Reject Final Justification Through Works (2004)
3. The URCNA’s Nine Points of Pastoral Advice on the Federal Vision
4. The PCA Report on the Federal Vision and New Perspective on Paul
5. The Report of OPC Study Committee on Justification
6. The RCUS Study Committee Report on the Federal Vision’s Doctrine of Justification
7. Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Rejects The Federal Vision
8. RPCNA Rejects the Federal Vision Theology

2. Seminary Statements on the Federal Vision Theology

1. Westminster Seminary California
2. Mid-America Reformed Seminary

3. Books and Booklets

1. R. Scott Clark, Baptism, Election, and the Covenant of Grace
2. R. Scott Clark, ed., Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry
3. Guy Prentiss Waters, The Federal Vision and Covenant Theology
4. Dewey Roberts, Historic Christianity and the Federal Vision
5. Jeong Koo Jeon, Calvin and the Federal Vision
6. Calvin Beisner, ed. The Auburn Avenue Theology Pros & Cons Debating the Federal Vision
7. Jeong Koo Jeon, Covenant Theology and Justification by Faith: The Shepherd Controversy and Its Impacts
8. Gary Johnson and Guy Waters, ed. By Faith Alone: Answering the Challenges to the Doctrine of Justification
9. Guy Waters and Ligon Duncan, ed. Children and the Lord’s Supper
10. Cornelis Venema, Children at the Lord’s Table
11. O. Palmer Robertson, The Current Justification Controversy
12. Cornelis Venema, Getting the Gospel Right
13. Cornelis Venema, The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ

4.Essays

1. For Those Just Tuning In? What Is The Federal Vision?
2. Just In Time For Reformation Day: The Return Of The Federal Visionists (And Their Allies)
3. Explanation of the URCs Nine Points Against the Federal Vision
4. Forty Three Years of Federal Vision Theology
5. Resources on Norman Shepherd
6. One of the Roots of the Current Controversy Over Salvation Sola Fide
7. Resources on the Controversy Over “Final Salvation Through Works”
8. Baptism and the Benefits of Christ: The Double Mode of Communion
9. Baptists and Federal Visionists Together?
10. Children at the Lord’s Table? A Review
11. Rick Phillips, On the Covenant Confusion of the Federal Vision Theology
12. David VanDrunen: Justification By Faith in the Theology of Norman Shepherd
13. Sinclair Ferguson: Critique of Norman Shepherd’s The Covenant Context for Evangelism
14. David VanDrunen, “Justification: What the Debate is All About“
15. Why Is Anyone Still Talking About The Federal Vision?
16. Biblicists and Federal Visionists Together
17. Chris Gordon, A Member of the Synod of Dort Replies to the Federal Vision
18. Chris Gordon, Dort Replies to the Federal Vision (pt 2)
19. For Elders Thinking Of Inviting Arminius Into the Pulpit
20. The Arminius Paradigm
21. A Form For Penitent Ex-Federal Visionaries
22. Was Herman Witsius A Federal Visionist?
23. Shane Lems, Baptism Is Not Faith
24. Theonomy and Federal Vision: Separated At Birth?
25. Reformed and Quasi-Reformed Revisionism
26. Salvation Sola Gratia, Sola Fide: On Distinguishing Is, With, And Through
27. Does Covenant Theology Change Our Doctrine of Predestination?
28. Resources On A Covenantal Approach to the Christian Life (in Distinction from the Federal Vision)
29. There Is Only One Stage of Justification
30. Will We Be Finally Saved Through Faith Alone?
31. We Attain Heaven Through Faith Alone
32. Does Baptism Save?
33. Should I Buy It? (2)
34. Has Doug Wilson Really Changed His Mind About The Federal Vision?
35. A Response To Rachel Held Evans Regarding Wilson And The Definition Of “Reformed”
36. Justification and Vindication
37. What Henk Navis Means To Me
38. A Serious, Treatable Cancer
39. The Moralists Will Be Back
40. In By Grace, Stay in By Faithfulness? (1)
41. In By Grace, Stay in By Faithfulness? (2)
42. In By Grace, Stay in By Faithfulness? (3)
43. How Should We View the Warning Passages?
44. Maybe They Really Don’t Get It?
45. Lane Keister: Wilson Denies Sola Fide
46. In John’s Latitudinarian Garage
47. Speaking A Foreign Language
48. Trent, Sungenis, Shepherd, and the Federal Vision
49. W. Robert Godfrey and David VanDrunen: Reply to Garcia
50. We May Not Be Able To Move On Yet
51. The Moralists’ Catechism
52. It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again: Keister Refutes Moon
53. Contra Leithart: The Reformation Is Not Over
54. Romans 2:13—Justified Through Our Faithfulness?
55. Bob Mattes: Response to the FV Meltdown
56. Surrounded By Constantinians
57. A Brief History of Covenant Theology
58. Richard Baxter on Initial and Final Justification
59. J. V. Fesko’s Review of Wilson’s Reformed Is Not Enough
60. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (1)
61. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (2)
62. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (3)
63. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (4)
64. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (5)
65. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (6)
66. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (7)
67. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (8)
68. Doug Wilson and the Federal Division (9)
69. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (1): the Preface
70. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (2): Trinity & Postmillennialism
71. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (3): Christians in Society
72. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (4): On Scripture
73. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (5): Hermeneutics
74. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (6): Decrees & Covenant
75. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (7): The Church
76. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (8): Justification and Covenant
77. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (9): Bride’s Baptism Revisited
78. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (10): Lord’s Supper and Imputation
79. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (11): Law and Gospel
80. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (12): Justification by Faith Alone
81. Lane Keister Critiques the Joint Federal Vision Statement (13): Assurance and Apostasy
82. Lane Keister’s Federal Vision Index
83. Michael J. Ericson, “Critique of the Teaching of Barach, Schlissel, Wilkins, and Wilson.” (2003)

5. Lectures, Podcasts, and Interviews

1. Mortification of Spin: You Might Be A Federal Visionist If
2. Theology Gals on the Federal Vision: A Gospel Issue (1)
3. Theology Gals on the Federal Vision: A Gospel Issue (2)
4. Heidelcast 134: A Federal Vision Primer
5. Heidelcast 131: The Heidelcast Is Back And So Is The Federal Vision
6. Nine Talks on the Nine Points Against the Federal Vision
7. Office Hours: Guy Waters on the Federal Vision
8. Heidelcast 3a: A Gentle Rebuke to Brother John (UPDATED)
9. Heidelcast 25: With Lane Keister On The Federal Vision In The PCA
10. Heidelcast 26: With Lane Keister On The Federal Vision (2)
11. Heidelcast 27: With Lane Keister on the Federal Vision (3): Imputation
12. Heidelcast 28 With Lane Keister: Does The Federal Vision Theology Lead To Rome?
13. Heidelcast 53: The Story of the Meyers Case (1)
14. Heidelcast 54: The Story of the Meyers Case (2)
15. Heidelcast 55: Why We Can’t Move On (1)
16. Heidelcast 56: Why We Can’t Move On (2)
17. Heidelcast 57: Why We Can’t Move On (3)
18. With the Presbycast on the Federal Vision
19. With the Regular Reformed Guys on the Federal Vision
20. With Echo Zoe on the Federal Vision
21. With Covenant Radio on the Federal Vision and Recovering the Reformed Confession
22. With Megiddo Radio On the Current Justification Controversy
23. See It For Yourself: Piper on Wilson and the Federal Vision
24. Adam Kuehner On Doug Wilson

6. Quotations

1. Initial Justification Sola Fide And Final Salvation Through Faithfulness Is Federal Vision Theology
2. Vos Spotted Aspects Of Federal Vision Theology In Pareus And Davenant
3. Postmillennial Constantinianism Drives the Federal Vision
4. Leithart’s Federal Vision Theology Injurious To the Peace and Purity of the Church
5. The Federal Vision Confession on Baptismal Union with Christ and Apostasy
6. Phillips: The Distinction Must Be Maintained
7. Arminius’ Claims About The Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism On Predestination
8. Leithart: Apostasy Happens
9. The Social Crisis is Too Great to Be Arguing About… (Updated)
10. When the Salesman Gets His Foot in the Door
11. When Pastors Don’t Pay Attention
12. A Ruling Elder Pleads on Behalf of the Flock
13. The Federal Vision Theology Is A Denial of the Biblical Doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints

7. FV Events and History

1. The Federal Vision Spreads to Central Europe
2. Another Federal Visionist Popes
3. Greg Looked Behind the Curtain and You Should Too
4. Proposed By SJC: Indict Leithart
5. Now This Is The Way It’s Done
6. Louisiana Presbytery (PCA) Contra the FV
7. PCA Committee Overturns Pacific Northwest Presbytery: Indict Leithart
8. The Struggle Against the Federal Vision in the PCA
9. The Leithart Verdict Is Not Good News For Orthodoxy
10. A Joint Federal Vision Profession (2007)
11. Update on the URC FV Study Committee
12. URC Study Committee Rejects FV
13. The URCNA Justification Report Stands
14. It Takes One to Know One
15. Something Weird in the Siouxlands Presbytery
16. Auburn Ave PCA to the CREC
17. The Cost of Doing Nothing at Synod 2010

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