Horton’s description of the Anabaptist and pietist streams that has “evangelicalism” in its current state of confusion has infected Reformed and Presbyterians circles so profoundly that our emphasis on covenant theology is disappearing. Evangelicalism does not promote covenant theology. As such, you can’t name a celebrity “Reformed” pastor that tweets or preaches “covenant theology.”

Michael Horton weighs in on Scot McKnight’s discussion of evangelicals current pitting of Jesus against Paul. I thought this section of his blog was very insightful which makes me wonder why the PCA wants to be a “leader denomination” among evangelicals.

Seriously, why? I don’t get it. It seems like it would be better to focus on being thorough-going Reformed Presbyterians instead of trying to assimilate among a loosely affiliated group of wishy-washy heterodox culture-chasers with no confessional solidarity; and group that promotes celebrity pastoring.

Isn’t being covenant theology-driven Presbyterians enough of a task (we can’t even figure that out)?

What do the Belgic and Westminster Confessions have to do with evangelicalism? Nothing. Yeah, I said it. (Hmm, be in evangelicalism but not of it?)

Orthodox Anglicans aren’t trying to be a “leaders” among evangelicals, Missouri-Synod Lutherans aren’t pursuing this, traditional Weslyans aren’t either, so why would covenant theology-focused Presbyterians want to position themselves with evangelicalism formally?

I just don’t get it. It just sounds corporatist and idolatrous. I’m open to being persuaded but I don’t see it at the moment.

BTW, I’m not saying that there’s no room for co-belligerence on important issues like religious liberty, social ethics, morality, or even church planting, like we see with the Manhattan Declaration but de-emphasizing covenant theology in order to be appeal to the heterodox pallet of evangelicalism undermines communions bound by Reformed confessions.

“Gospel churches,” for covenantalists includes baptized infants, for example, not so in evangelicalism. I mean at least the PC-USA baptizes infants.

Horton’s description of the Anabaptist and pietist streams that has “evangelicalism” in its current state of confusion has infected Reformed and Presbyterians circles so profoundly that our emphasis on covenant theology is disappearing. Evangelicalism does not promote covenant theology. As such, you can’t name a celebrity “Reformed” pastor that tweets or preaches “covenant theology.”

Horton’s helpful:

In short, “Evangelicalism is facing a crisis about the relationship of Jesus to Paul, and many today are choosing sides.”

This conundrum shouldn’t surprise us. Evangelicalism–especially its Anglo-American variety–is a confluence of Reformation, Anabaptist, and pietist streams. Even the Reformation is largely mediated through pietism in the land that Bonhoeffer dubbed “Protestantism without the Reformation.” So it’s no wonder that the Reformation gets saddled with all sorts of views that are actually more accurate descriptions of pietism.

Many of us were raised in pietistic backgrounds, where the kingdom of God was basically heaven and you get there by dying. So a lot of younger Christians are reacting against this sort of privatized spirituality. Some are rediscovering the Reformation, but most are drawn toward Anabaptistism–that other stream that has shaped American evangelicalism, at least indirectly.

“While some Protestants seem to let Jesus be Savior, but promote Paul to lord and teacher,” writes Brian McLaren in A Generous Orthodoxy, “Anabaptists have always interpreted Paul through Jesus, and not the reverse. For them the Sermon on the Mount and the other words of Jesus represent the greatest treasure in the world. Jesus’ teachings have been their standard” (206).

The Anabaptist and pietist stream that’s infected Reformed and Presbyterian circles makes both non-covenantal thinkers and Anabaptist-grounded thinkers like James Davison Hunter and Andy Crouch attractive.

“Faithful presence,” (Hunter’s Anabaptist category) thankfully has never been popular for the black church. “Faithful presence” would not have ended Jim Crow racism in America. Covenant theology has a lot to say, and do, about justice and peace while Anabaptism and pietism (James Davison Hunter and friends) tends to leave structural injustice on hold.

Anthony Bradley is an Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics at The King’s College, NYC. This commentary is taken from Bradley’s blog, The Institute, and was also published in the Commentary section of WorldMag.com and is used with permission of the author.