“Honest Process”

Douglas Wilson has raised quite a stink about judicial process and the presumption of innocence. And when you read the man, he really pours it on, leaving the impression that these matters constitute first priorities for him. But it’s important for folks to know that it’s all an act. Douglas Wilson loves justice no more than he loves the truth.

Consider, for example, the case of Michael Metzler, who was a member in good standing at Christ Church for almost a decade. Mr. Metzler wrote columns for Credenda Agenda, he was a Greyfriars’ student, and by his own admission he was a Wilson loyalist. But one day Mr. Metzler rose from his stupor and realized that he had been living in the land of DUMB. And you have to hand it to the young man, because he immediately started blogging his day-to-day experience in the Christ Church cult, matching Wilson tit for tat. Put another way, he followed his pastor’s example and he kept his membership in good standing at Christ Church.

Mr. Metzler posted all of his correspondence with the Kirk elders on his blog, as he received it, which really threw Wilson for a loop because he had no way of controlling the young man. The archives at Pooh’s Think (from January 2006 to June 2006) are an absolute riot and I encourage everyone to read them. But the point here is how Wilson dealt with Mr. Metzler.

Did he visit Mr. Metzler and his family, seeking reconciliation? Of course not; Douglas Wilson doesn’t pay visits, he requires his sheep to come to him. Did he apply discipline? Of course not; Mr. Metzler would have had a field day with it. Did the Kirk elders charge Mr. Metzler with sin and put him on trial? Of course not; charges would remove any presumption of innocence. In a nutshell, Mr. Metzler had Wilson in a real pickle. Accordingly, Douglas Wilson and the Christ Church elders sent a letter (scroll down) to Mr. Metzler informing him that they released him from the membership role “not in good standing.” Just like that.

So much for Wilson’s “honest questions” about “honest process”; he threw a sheep overboard, “not in good standing,” rather than conduct an “honest trial” that granted the presumption of innocence to the accused.

Thank you.