by Angus Harley

Why would a person deny the evidence before his own eyes? Why would a spouse refuse to accept the stark evidence that the other spouse is having an affair? Why the delusion? Sometimes the truth is just too much to handle, and the individual retreats into denial. Perhaps there is still a blinding love there, because ‘As long as there is even a crumb of hope, I’m going to hang on’. It is said by some that delusion is a form of limiting internal grief.

For some reason, people familiar with the Reformed Baptist (RB) position have avowed to me (an NCTer!) that RBers will never accept Progressive Covenantalism (PC) into the fold of Covenant Theology (CT). How many NCTers think that PC will never join CT? More to the point, why are some NCTers utterly convinced, to this very second, that PC is NCT?

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Brothers, sisters, PC is with its new partner, CT. I have even more bad news: there’s been a divorce of PC from NCT. Worse still, PC has actually married CT. I understand your delusion, your grief, but I want to help you through it. There’s no more point of running from it; you have to face the truth.

There is the starkest of evidence that some RBers and NCTers have been blind to for at least a decade. There are PC’s numerous writings, speeches, conveying what is essentially a CT hermeneutic. There is the open divorce of NCT by PCers in casting off NCT and distancing themselves from it. And, most horribly, PC is now married to Mr. CT, taking his name, but keeping her own maiden name for vocational purposes. There is a website that states very openly that PC is a form of the RB model.1 Add to this plenty online interviews, presentations, and discussions that have promoted an online union between PC and CT, culminating in a theological ‘wedding’ panel on “Covenant Theology”, in which Stephen Wellum was welcomed by the other CT branches as the PC branch of CT.2 Two of those other CT speakers were from the RB group. It’s over, guys; she’s with another.

I know, you’re asking, ‘How did this happen?’. Let me explain part of how this seemingly impossible union of PC and CT happened. As said before, PC was always a theology that owed more to the CT hermeneutic than it did an NCT one. It was a matter of time before this was recognized by CTers themselves and discussions ensued to bring PC into the CT house. Facilitating this was the flirting of CTers with PCers online, a tryst here, a meeting there. Of course, they were wed in the church of academia. For PC has high academic credentials, as demonstrated in its flagship seminary, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). This opened the door to ongoing discussion with scholars from the other forms of CT. And, the bond between them, the wedding band that unites these groups together, is Covenant Theology of a Biblical Theology (BT) nature. Through the works of Vos, Murray, Kline, Ridderbos, and others, the various groups in CT have shaped their theological/confessional content in coordination with the findings of BT. This has led to more and more areas of common theological ground, and a growing love for one another. Let me take a different example of this process, leading to a different relationship. In SBTS, Progressive Dispensationalism (PD) lives alongside PC, both of which are heavily reliant on BT. They are both, in my opinion, getting closer and closer to one another due to BT.

This relationship has not been without its dissenters in CT proper and in the RB group. Some RBers swear an oath against PC. Even standard presbyterian CT is at war with itself. What is going on? There is a divide in CT and in RB between those who are traditionalists and those who are, what I would call, progressives. Both sides utilize a Vosian-BT model. It is not a case, therefore, of confessional/Systematic Theology vs BT.

It is the difference between a confessional/theological approach that utilizes BT to enhance its traditional views versus an approach that melds together BT with confessionalism/traditional theology to create, what is essentially, a new, BT, form of confessionalism and traditional theology. So, traditionalism/confessionalism is very important to both sides, and BT is exceedingly important to both. Yet, one side gives vastly more importance to confessionalism, and the other relies very strongly on BT.

In the world of RB, I find it is the ordinary RBers who are inclined to be traditionalists, and its scholars are the progressives. However, in presbyterian CT, there is a major split between those who are traditionalists and those who are progressives within both local assemblies and in academia.3 Having said this, it is apparent that in both CT proper and in RB, the progressives are in the ascendancy, given that in the video spoken about before, Wellum was welcomed by all (academic) participants as representing a version of CT. This surely implies that every contributor to the panel was progressive rather than traditionalist.

There is more bad news for the traditionalists. With PC joining the wider CT fold, I think it but a matter of time that the majority in CT go down the progressive route, and we will begin to see the traditionalists take their own path, separating from the progressives. I personally would appreciate any info if and when this happens.

Now, why has this happened? Why has PC wed CT? It is because they love one another, and PC has no love for NCT. PC felt spurned by NCT, and leaned weeping upon the shoulder of the strong, male, presence of CT. It was all over at that moment. Sure, there are memories of NCT, imprints, vague recollections. Yet, it was all so long ago, in a different lifetime!

There is also potential bad news for some sensitive souls. Those few academic NCTers that there are, which do not mix with the NCT grassrooters, are heavily influenced by PC. How long will it be before they, too, latch on to CT via PC? Will PD attach itself to CT in the same manner, via PC? Seems impossible, right? But they said the same back in the day about PC!

My beloved brothers and sisters, it’s time to move on, to get on with your life as an NCTer. No point in living in the past; build for the future, for the Lord sees all things.

1Angus Harley, “Comments on ‘Christ Over All’, a Progressive Covenantalism site”, All Things New Covenant, February 28, 2023, https://allthingsnewcovenant.com/2023/02/28/comments-on-christ-over-all-a-progressive-covenantalism-site/.

2The London Lyceum, “Covenant Theology Roundtable”, YouTube, September 12, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu7O2YbmSFM&t=1052s&ab_channel=TheLondonLyceum.

3Angus Harley, “Vos Versus Vos, Part 1”, All Things New Covenant, March 25, 2023, https://allthingsnewcovenant.com/2023/03/25/vos-versus-vos-part-1/.