40 Bicycles

The following was contained in a circular e-mail that I received from John Robbins this morning:—

Well, the major 2005 Neolegalist Conference is over.

Held each year in Monroe, Louisiana, under the sponsorship of the Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church in America), the annual conference has featured such stalwart schismatics and heretics as Douglas Wilson, Steve Schlissel, and Steve Wilkins (a minister in good standing in the PCA, but the PCA is not in good standing).

This year the schismatics at the AAPC outdid themselves by featuring Westminster Seminary's own Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. (a Teaching Elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church), co-architect (with Norman Shepherd) of the Shepherd version of the heresy of justification by faith and works, and N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham in the Apostate Anglican Church. According to more than one report, 500 people attended the conference. Many of them were sober.

Barb Harvey, who candidly describes herself as "one confused chick," is a member in good standing of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (a church not in good standing), and she has done us all a favor by publishing her impressions of the conference. You can find them at this address:

http://www.upsaid.com/scarecrow/

Here are a couple highlights from her blog:

"The conference was wonderful in every respect."

"The lectures delivered by Drs. Gaffin and Wright covered familiar terrain and in my estimation, often revealed a commonality in theology albeit occasionally achieved by differing hermeneutics. Perhaps most striking was the shared affirmation of the already/not yet of justification and of justification/acquittal according to works."

Despite the fact that "Enoch's, the premier watering hole in Monroe was closed for the week" (note to Steve Wilkins for next year's conference: Make sure Enoch's is open 24/7), the resourceful speakers and attendees found another place to get well-oiled, which undoubtedly facilitated their profound theological discussions.

(Didn't St. Paul really say, "Take a little wine for your frequent theological infirmities"? I think I read that in Bishop Wright. And, of course, if a little is good, and your theological infirmities are frequent and severe enough, two-fisted drinking is completely in order. It helps makes those paradoxes seem positively logical. Besides, there is a long ecclesiastical tradition of two-fisted drinking.)

While you're on Ms. Harvey's site, please notice also the vast presence of these heretics on the web. The tip of the iceberg can be seen in the sites and links the confused Ms. Harvey so thoughtfully provides for her readers.

Now that you have a better idea who the enemies of the Gospel are, and how wide their influence, perhaps you can better appreciate the work The Trinity Foundation is doing...

I sincerely hope that Barb does not end up getting plagued by militant Robbins followers as a result of this e-mail.