Tullian Tchividjian is our new doctrinal master

So, according to R. Scott Clark if you have any criticism of Tullian Tchividjian on law and gospel you are hanging out doctrinally with Norman Shepherd.

This is what Marxists do. In any major discussion they always take the option they don't want people to adopt off the table. During the 20th century, for instance, Marxists would tell you you have two options: Fascism or Communism (right or left). Well, what about the people who were fighting both fascism and communism? You know, those people who were for that thing called liberty? Oh, liberty was taken off the table. Same in economics. Marxists even today say you have a simple choice: totalitarian communism or socialism of one form or another. Well, what happened to free markets and free enterprise? Oh, they take that choice off the table.

So R. Scott Clark is taking something off the table too. You either side with him and Tullian Tchividjian and their radical grace, or you side with Norman Shepherd and the neonomian movements like Federal Vision. Clark has taken away the choice of the middle, historically where the power of Reformed Theology has resided.

They don't like tension, these people. Tough. On-the-mark biblical doctrine has a lot of tension in it.

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A simple explanation also of why Tullian Tchividjian has received such a response from Reformed theologians is this: Reformed Theology has to be defended also against facile constructions and presentation. Tullian Tchividjian's construction of law and gospel is simply facile. And he's presented himself as unteachable. He's also called his critics stupid and angry. He's a bit of a juvenile delinquent in all this. Part of the juvenile aspect also is he is forcing his critics to feel like if they ever talk about grace then they are actually conceding influence from Tullian Tchividjian. "See, without Tullians' efforts they wouldn't even mention grace!" Tullian Tchividjian and his followers would shout. I.e. it's a ridiculous situation when a narcissistic celebrity who is a bit of a dim bulb regarding the finer yet very important distinctions of biblical doctrine has been let into the club mistakenly and now has had to be kicked out of the club but still carries with him the capital of that club.