If you have been checking the comments, you will notice that the original Gospel Coalition Foundational Documents were taken down. Here is what I wrote in one of the comments:
I checked other website and blogs that linked to the same documents, and they are not available either. A couple of them have edited their portion to say something like “the final version of the documents will be made available on the Gospel Coalition website” which is unfinished at this time. Seeing the PDF no longer available and the editing of other bloggers, I am led to think the document was not supposed to be made available at this time.
I remember when the T4G statment came out, and some took the time to type out the entire document to be the first to make it available online. Several such “unauthorized” versions were made available before T4G actually provided their document online.
The chance of me posting it would be only after the approval of the Gospel Coalition guys. Out of respect for their work, that I feel is the least I can do at this time. Should permission be given, I will make a new, updated post with a downloadable PDF.
Well, I noticed this afternoon Justin Taylor was posting a portion of the second foundational document. Soon thereafter, I saw in my reader that Steve McCoy (because he’s cool like that) got the real, final version of the Gospel Coalition Foundational Documents. According to Steve, there are changes though they are minor.
To download the final version of the Gospel Coalition Foundational Documents, click here.
For what it’s worth, I have been juxtaposing the last three gospel-centered confessions/statements of faith (The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration [1999], Together for the Gospel Statement [2006], and the Gospel Coalition Foundational Documents [2007]) and hope to provide a little commentary on the strengths, weakness, similarities, and differences of these documents. All three are excellent, although each have emphasis on various points.
way to stay on top of things, brother! i really wanted to go to that conference, but serving in the sbc missionfield of mid-michigan means no $. thanks for the great blogging.
blessings,
john
Thanks John. I really like this statement, but as I hope to write about soon, there is one thing in particular that I would realliy like to have been in the second document that isn’t there. In all, this is one of the finest articulations of the gospel I have read. And the application of the gospel to the fields of episteomology, hermeneutics, contextualization, and ministry are excellent.
Last week I also posted what I’d been spotting on a few blogs, thinking it to be the legitimate, okay-to-post version of the G.C. Foundational Documents. But D.A. Carson emailed me, pointing out that I’d posted an obsolete early draft of the documents and giving me the final, approved draft to post on my site. I’m guessing this is the same draft that McCoy posted.
Justin,
Yeah, I think the documents are the same. BTW, I enjoyed your live-blogging of the conference. I have it linked on an earlier post.