Origins
Proponents of Federal Vision theology view themselves as heirs of the Reformation, especially those responsible for drawing up the Westminster Confession. They see their work as a self-conscious effort to return to the theology of the original Protestant Reformers, which they believe Reformed and Presbyterian churches have drifted away from. They argue that the emphasis on subjective, personal experience popularized by the First and Second Great Awakenings caused a shift in thinking about conversion and covenant theology. While they believe personal conversion is important, in their eyes, the emphasis on personal conversion over covenant membership was a deviation from what the Bible, the Church Fathers, and the original Reformers taught, and they seek to return to pre-Great Awakening theology. Most Federal Vision leaders still consider themselves to be broadly evangelical.
They argue that their theology is not limited to the work of pre-Awakening writers, however. They find precedent for their beliefs through the Awakenings and up to the present day. The original Reformed concepts of covenant, justification, and conversion were for the most part preserved, Federal Vision proponents argue, through the Dutch Reformed and Old Princeton traditions. While differing in some areas with the men of Old Princeton, proponents of the Federal Vision find their views of the covenant similar to those of Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge, B. B. Warfield, and Lyman Hotchkiss Atwater.
They see additional support for their position in the Dutch Reformed tradition, citing, among others, the works of Y.E.P. De Jong, Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, and Klaas Schilder. Kuyper and Bavinck influenced Christian philosopher Cornelius Van Til, who was also raised in the Dutch Reformed tradition. An influential Christian thinker of the 20th century, Van Til has influenced contemporary evangelical views on such things as apologetics, political theory and philosophy. Van Til particularly influenced R. J. Rushdoony and Greg Bahnsen, who founded the Christian Reconstructionist movement. Several leaders in the Federal Vision began their theological careers in the Christian Reconstructionist movement until differences in methods and interpretations led to their exodus from Reconstructionism. Peter Leithart and James B. Jordan are two notable examples.
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