Anonymity Excursus: The Kult Police State Part 2

Today I want to continue our series considering Douglas Wilson’s denial that Christ Church, Moscow, is a totalitarian organization that uses its front as a Christian church to conceal its true nature. A few days ago we considered Christ Church’s secret police when we saw that unless it’s common for pastors to participate in telephone wire-tap sting operations to entrap members of their congregation, then it’s safe to say that Moscow has Orwellian tendencies. And unless Scripture obligates wives violate their marriage vows and their conscience in order to submit to the elders, then we have Jonestown situation developing. Today we want to consider propaganda.

PROPAGANDA DISSEMINATED THROUGH STATE-CONTROLLED MASS MEDIA
Most of the people for whom I write already know that Douglas Wilson is a master of spin. To be sure, he has more spin cycles than a Laundromat. And half the time he doesn’t bother to use detergent. He’s satisfied as long as he concocts something for his disciples to believe. So he’ll finesse a point world without end until he lands a story that sticks and then he’ll propagate it to the four corners of the earth, making sure everybody hears his version of events, which usually bears no resemblance to the truth. But spin is not quite the same as propaganda, though they certainly intersect at many points. Accordingly,

Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of large numbers of people. Instead of impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or gives loaded messages in order to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the cognitive narrative of the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda.

Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist. — Garth S. Jowett and Victoria O’Donnell, Propaganda and Persuasion

Working from these two definitions, we want to consider how the Kult uses propaganda to indoctrinate and control its membership and how they use propaganda to shape public opinion in a manner not consistent with the truth. Let me start by noting that Wilson has four primary audiences whom he targets with propaganda at any given time:

1. Members of the Kult


2. Loyalists Outside the Kult


3. Potential Recruits for the Kult


4. Outsiders

And he has four primary Kult-controlled media outlets that he uses for propaganda, since he cannot control the media proper, though not for a lack of trying.[6] They are

1. “Grace & Peace” emails


2. Blog and Mablog


3. Credenda Agenda


4. Paid Advertising

1. Propaganda to Members of the Kult
Douglas Wilson sends a weekly email to the Kult membership that he titles “Grace & Peace,” which is usually a 200- to 300-word vignette and, depending on the circumstances, any particular “Grace & Peace” could be entirely benign, addressing ordinary issues that Christians face from day to day, or it could be total brainwashing propaganda designed to shape his disciples’ thought processes. For example, Wilson sent the following two emails as part of a “Grace & Peace” series during his Southern Slavery scandal of 2003–2004:

----- Original Message -----
From: Christ Church
To: christkirk@moscow.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 3:08 PM
Subject: Grace and Peace

GRACE & PEACE
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

Controversy, Part 2
One of the great temptations that comes with controversy is that we would like everything to be clear and tidy. But this is not how battles go. Battles are chaotic, and it takes wisdom, long experience, and discernment to detect any order in the midst of it. It takes even more of these characteristics to shape that order to your desired ends. This is where our faith in the sovereignty of God comes in He sees, knows, understands, and directs all the various details which appear to us to be chaotic.

So in the midst of apparent chaos, it is not our responsibility to usurp the “generalship” of God, but rather to serve as faithful foot soldiers. We do not have to fully understand the big picture; we have to understand what we were given to do, and we should do it with a cheerful and humble demeanor. When everything erupts around us, this does not necessarily mean we have done anything wrong at all. We should perhaps think about it the way a faithful soldier would, “Everyone is shooting at me because they see that what I am doing is a significant threat to their cause. Well, praise God, let’s hope so.”

Douglas Wilson

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chris LaMoreaux, Administrative Secretary
Christ Church - Anselm House
205 East 5th Street P.O. Box 8741
Moscow, ID 83843
christkirk@moscow.com
Voice: (208) 882-2034 Fax: (208) 892-8724
Credenda/Agenda: (208) 882-7963
www.christkirk.com

The first thing you have to notice is that this was the second installment in a series of emails. In other words, it belonged to “a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of large numbers of people.” The second thing you have to notice is the series’ title: “Controversy.” And the third thing you have to notice is that the email assumes a state of controversy in the Kult while it completely ignores the reasons for the controversy.[7] In other words, he doesn’t say, “I co-wrote a wildly fantastic revision of Southern slavery that defended the Peculiar Institution as a biblical practice and since we live in an academic community the locals are understandably disturbed.” He doesn’t state these facts because “Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or gives loaded messages in order to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented.” He needed to re-orient his disciples’ minds to contradict the almost-daily headlines and the countless letters to the editor that they’d been reading in the News.[8] Notice his three points:

1. Since God was in charge, no one else had to fully understand the big picture,[9] which meant that members of the Kult should not expect the Fearless Leader to account for his ungodly behavior.


2. Members of the Kult should be cheerful and humble through this controversy (despite the absence of cheer and humility in him; his tantrums on 20/20 were unbelievable).
   
3. The Kult posed a significant threat to the community.[10]

But his primary objective was to keep the Kult together in the midst of this scandal by leading them to believe they were in it together, according to God’s will, when it was really his scandal that he generated.[11]

He wrote this “Grace & Peace,” as part of the same series, a couple weeks later:

----- Original Message -----
From: Christ Church
To: christkirk@moscow.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 11:29 AM
Subject: Fwd: Grace and Peace

GRACE & PEACE
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

Controversy, Part 4
In any public controversy in the church, there is a fine line that those who are not “in the know” must walk. On the one hand, a slavish acquiescence to whatever the elders or pastor might say is clearly a mentality more suited to a cult than to a Christian people. On the other hand, often controversies arise publicly in a setting where all the reasons for the controversy cannot be made public. If every person in the church must decide on the facts of the case before making up his mind, we soon have scores of courts and judges, and the results are a form of ecclesiastical anarchy.

This is why the elder qualifications set forth in Scripture are so important. The people of God do not have to know all the details their elders know, but they must know what kind of men they are (1 Pet. 5:1–4; 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Tit. 1:5–9). This prevents the blind trust of the cult member, and it also prevents the chaos of individualism. And in addition, this explains why slander is such an important weapon in the arsenal of antagonists. Slander aims to unsettle the trust which makes this kind of decency and order within the church possible.

Douglas Wilson

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chris LaMoreaux, Administrative Secretary
Christ Church - Anselm House
205 East 5th Street P.O. Box 8741
Moscow, ID 83843
christkirk@moscow.com
Voice: (208) 882-2034 Fax: (208) 892-8724
Credenda/Agenda: (208) 882-7963
www.christkirk.com

As before, this propaganda communicated that he had no intention to account for his scandal: “often controversies arise publicly in a setting where all the reasons for the controversy cannot be made public.” He would not make public the reasons for the controversy because he was the reason for the controversy — unless you can think of another interpretation. But then he pointed to the twelve(?) hand-picked hirelings whom he appointed to the office of elder as proof that, even though they would not reveal anything to the membership, the members could still trust their leadership:

This is why the elder qualifications set forth in Scripture are so important. The people of God do not have to know all the details their elders know, but they must know what kind of men they are (1 Pet. 5:1–4; 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Tit. 1:5–9).[12] This prevents the blind trust of the cult member, and it also prevents the chaos of individualism.

Strangely, the point of this email was to encourage Kult members to put their blind trust in the misdemeanants running the show — you know, the same men who gave you April Fools and who approved the Fearless Leader’s eavesdropping — men of sound moral fiber. And remember, no matter what anyone else says, you are not in a cult.

Finally, “Grace & Peace” functions as an electronic outlet for Wilson to fill the gossip mill about members in good standing whenever he prepares for their public execution. For example, this family never saw it coming and they never had a prayer. Wilson sent the email at the same time that he began spreading horrible rumors about how the family betrayed him (he appreciates the tag-team approach to gossip) and if you didn’t know who he was talking about when you received the email, it was just a matter of time before his tasty trifle came your way. He needed to prep everyone for the upcoming hate ritual whereby Kult members could publicly detest this family by scowling at them and deriding them on the Lord’s Day.[13] You should also notice that he included this email as part 12 of his “Controversy” series. Controversy indeed.

2. Propaganda to Loyalists Outside the Kult
Blog and Mablog is the familiar medium that Wilson uses to indoctrinate his disciples, and the ongoing Federal Vision controversy demonstrates this point well. For example, after the PCA adopted “Report of the Ad Interim Study Committee on Federal Vision, New Perspective, and Auburn Avenue Theology” Wilson used Blog and Mablog to brainwash his disciples into thinking that the PCA “stacked the committee.” Of course, this is an ad hominem argument, and to the extent that he heaped contempt on the PCA and its committee it was an abusive ad hominem argument, but these dishonest tactics didn’t stop the Fearless Leader from relentlessly pounding the PCA. In fact, he even had a contest to see who from among his loyalists could think of the most creative analogy for how much the PCA “stacked” its committee, calling it “As Stacked As . . .”[14] And you can determine Wilson’s effectiveness on this one point alone by observing the vast number of loyalists who regularly repeat his mantra — “It was a stacked committee!” — without giving it a second thought. And I could cite one example after another (make that one Wilson-generated controversy after another) where he has used his blog to misinform and indoctrinate his disciples.

3. Propaganda for Potential Recruits
Credenda Agenda once served as the Kult’s principal medium for propaganda but the emergence of instant publishing on the web, as seen in Blog and Mablog, has pushed Credenda into the back seat. Nevertheless, Credenda is still an effective tool for propaganda as we saw when Wilson used it to instruct wives to roll on their husbands. Moreover, anyone following the Federal Vision controversy knows that Wilson has used his self-published periodical to peddle heresy. In fact, as I write Pastor Lane of Green Baggins is critiquing an issue of Credenda Agenda dedicated to the Federal Vision.

But I believe Credenda’s primary strength as propaganda is the family-friendly face it puts on the Kult, and by “family friendly” I mean all the columns on husbandry, femininity, marriage, childrearing, etc., where the Wilsons present themselves as authorities on these subjects and they present Kult life as the zenith of Christian culture. In this respect Credenda Agenda constitutes pure unadulterated propaganda. It’s all for show. They want to project an Aryan-like image of Christian perfection in Moscow where their paint-by-numbers formula for federal headship will solve all your Christian problems. But it’s a good thing that Credenda doesn’t represent itself as a news journal because then they might have to report the truth. Drug rings, rampant drunkenness, casinos, April Fools,[15] deadbeat dads, serial pedophiles, convicted child molesters — all these documented historical facts, and more, are sure signs that Christ Church culture is rotten to the core — hence the need to baptize their message with family-friendly propaganda. Appearance is better than substance if you want others to believe that your community fosters healthy family relationships, and they absolutely need outsiders to believe their propaganda for recruiting purposes. Douglas Wilson has completely fried the local population and he has no hope of rehabilitating his reputation, which is to say that he cannot sustain his base by evangelizing Moscow because everyone knows he’s a con artist: he has no credibility. Consequently he has to keep his home base supplied by recruiting loyalists to join the new reformation. And if you read Credenda, they give you the distinct impression that they nurture those things essential for the family. Don’t believe it. It’s propaganda designed to lure the unsuspecting.

4. Propaganda for Outsiders
I really don’t think it’s possible to overstate the magnitude of the slavery scandal. Indeed, I’m on record for saying that Wilson could have averted the whole thing by simply admitting he erred in his thesis and exaggerated his conclusions, and that in hindsight he should not have written the book. Problem solved. There is no story. There is no headline. But things didn’t go that way and consequently Christ Church, Moscow, put itself in the unbelievable position of buying quarter-page ads in all the local newspapers (the Daily News, the Lewiston Trib, the UI’s Argonaut, and WSU’s Daily Evergreen), which they ran daily for about a full month.[16] They wrote two different ads and published them in two-week increments. You can read digitized versions here, or since this is a fully documented anonymous attack blog you may view them below. Here’s the first ad:



There’s nothing subtle here, starting with the politically oriented title that reeks of propaganda to suggest that these men, who censored others,[17] lived in a Soviet-like community: “It’s About Silencing Dissent.” I am not aware that anyone on the Palouse wanted to silence Christ Church and I am not aware that Southern Slavery As It Was represented itself as dissent. It revised American history to put a happy face on the slaves and noble character on their owners. Yes, massa. But since I’m way over my word limit, let me highlight one sentence in this ad for your consideration:

“Christ Church has a deep hatred of war, and our comments against the butchery of 600,000 persons in the Civil War have been opportunistically twisted into a defense of the hell of slavery.”

Sure. Here you see the Kult leadership attempting to capitalize on the ignorance of anyone who never read the book, because if you’d actually read it you would know that this representation bears no resemblance to reality. It’s a complete lie — just like the book. Southern Slavery As It Was was absolutely a defense of the slave-holding South. Even worse, it represented itself as a biblical defense of the slave-holding South.[18]

But the thing I don’t understand is why the Kult leaders refused to admit the obvious. If they had to run an ad, which they didn’t, then why wouldn’t they admit the very point that the Fearless Leader admitted to the Daily News when he started this controversy? He said, “I resolved a long time ago that I would not be ashamed of anything in the Bible.” I don’t recall ever reading about the Civil War in the Bible, but I know God’s Word addresses “the hell of slavery,” which their “comments” described thus:

Slavery as it existed in the South was not an adversarial relationship with pervasive racial animosity. Because of its dominantly patriarchal character, it was a relationship based upon mutual affection and confidence. There has never been a multi-racial society which has existed with such mutual intimacy and harmony in the history of the world.

Where’s the hell of slavery in that sound bite? Who twisted what words? Why did the Kult leaders refuse to admit the truth? Apparently they thought the citizens of the Palouse were as gullible as the members of the Kult. They are not. The propaganda didn’t sell. Therefore Christ Church ran the following ad for two weeks in all the local papers:



If you got past the condescending sarcasm,[19] please notice how this ad subtly changed the subject of the controversy from slavery to the gospel and then called on the community to repent. If you wonder why I call Wilson evil, here is one more example. It is morally perverted to unashamedly write a defense of Southern slavery and call it biblical. It is slander to purchase an ad accusing an entire community of twisting your words, even though you had just unashamedly owned them as your words. But it is evil to purchase an ad that drags the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ into the center of your scandal, so that you could call on believers and unbelievers alike to repent simply because they caught you unashamedly perverting God’s holy word.

As I said, Wilson cannot rehabilitate his reputation on the Palouse. He threw it all away on a dirty little book and then bought a month’s worth of ads to insure everyone got the point. He scorched the earth to obtain his pound of flesh and now the City of Moscow knows him for his true self. As he said, “Sin and guilt make people do weird things.” I note this as a taunt.

Every one of the examples I cited demonstrates a systematic effort on the part of the Kult “to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent” of Christ Church, Moscow, and none of the examples I cited have anything to do with the Christian gospel. As a friend says, “It’s all about Doug.” I could cite dozens of other examples where the Kult resorted to the manipulative devices of deceitful propaganda but these few will have to do. I would apologize for the length of this post but that’s the cost of fully documenting my posts.



Thank you.

---

[6] A reporter from the Moscow–Pullman Daily News told me that when the slavery story erupted, Wilson demanded a meeting with Nathan Alford, owner and publisher for the News, to demand a retraction of the story. According to the reporter, Wilson showed up with 14 officers from the church, but Alford (who is a real marshmallow) didn’t budge. So Wilson threw a fit on Vision 20/20, complaining about the Daily News. He did the same thing when two professional historians from the University of Idaho published a factual rebuttal to Southern Slavery As It Was; he went so far as to write a letter to the governor of the State of Idaho asking him to chill the UI. We saw a similar response from Wilson after WORLD Magazine reported Wilson’s and Wilkins’ plagiarism in Southern Slavery As It Was. True to form, Wilson demanded a retraction and an apology. He even said that they missed the real story — something about a culture war in Moscow (see “Accuracy and Objectivity” and “What in the World?”). He demanded an apology from the Idaho Statesman after they compared Christ Church to “Neo-Nazis” (see “Libel Simpliciter”; I wrote a letter to the editor demanding that they apologize to the Third Reich, but they did not print it). His aversion to bad press is evident, especially when it’s grounded in truth.

[7] The timing of this email is important to note. Wilson dispatched it exactly four days before the Moscow–Pullman Daily News ran this front-page headline, for which the News interviewed him. He saw bad news on the horizon.

[8] It didn’t take long for Wilson to organize a silent boycott of the Daily News — silent, in the sense that he privately encouraged members of the Kult to cancel their subscriptions to the News. Economic sanctions: If you can’t chill ’em, boycott ’em.

[9] Wilson makes a similar argument in favor of chaos during controversy here. He creates and exploits confusion for his own ends (cf. 1 Cor. 14:33).

[10] Notice that Wilson arrived at his third point by affirming the consequent: “Everyone is shooting at me because they see that what I am doing is a significant threat to their cause.” More importantly, no one shot at anyone. Douglas Wilson completely scandalized the Palouse with his contemptible monograph and his equally contemptible behavior.

[11] We see another example of him indoctrinating his disciples with a so-called “parable” that he delivered to the Kult three months after the so-called “history” conference and right as two local citizens challenged (and won) the Kult’s property-tax exemption:

The Real Reasons They Left
Topic: Parable

It was the early evening of the day in which Gideon had told his army that all who were faint of heart could return to their homes. A group of soldiers were gathered around their campfire, and they were explaining to one another why they had all decided to return to their homes in just an hour or so.

It was the eve of battle, and so their various explanations rang a little hollow. But they all protested Gideon’s mischaracterization of their motives, saying that to describe 22,000 men as “fearful and afraid” was surely a rash generalization.

One man said that he had decided to go home after he had seen the swagger in the three hundred who were the remaining force that had inexplicably been chosen by Gideon — by methods that were, to say the least, unorthodox and bizarre. “There is not enough humility there,” he said. “We need to have more tears and introspection as we deal with the enemies of God. Those men seemed positively eager to fight.”

“I agree completely,” another man said. “That is why I have been feeding information to the Daily Midianite [the Daily News]. If there is corruption and sin in our ranks, shouldn’t we be willing to have the facts made public? And I know Gideon is a tax protester.”

“Exactly,” said a third man. “I never liked the colors of this uniform either. On top of that, I live next door to one of the the [sic] so-called elite 300, and he has a dog that he can’t keep out of my yard. These are grave concerns.”

But not only was it the eve of battle, but it was the eve of an Old Testament Agincourt, a victory against all odds. And tens of thousands of covenant men were not there because their cowardice robbed them of all sense of proportion.
Posted by Douglas Wilson - 6/9/2004 7:54:23 PM

He has to keep the rank and file together and in this instance he compared his never-ending wars to Gideon’s victory over Midian. Unfortunately for the Fearless Leader, the comparison ended in his imagination. Christ Church surrendered to the community by replacing its “history” conference with the Trinity Fest and the Latah County Commissioners revoked their property-tax exemption. He would have been more accurate if he compared his ongoing battle to Ai, as long as he cast himself as Achan.

[12] This assertion begs the question; Wilson assumes what he has not established. His elders were no better fit for office than him — that’s why he picked them.

[13] Everyone reading this post should stop for a for a moment to consider how this works (though I intend to document a Kult execution in detail). The targeted family knew immediately what the email meant, if no else did yet. I know this because the father forwarded the email to me with a follow-up phone call. Wilson deliberately used the most inflammatory language possible from the Bible to describe the situation, but he cared not a whit about the Scriptures or the family — he wanted to incite terror in that household by invoking the most severe imagery possible to describe his desire for the earth swallow these souls alive. And if you’re curious about the particular sin that incurred such wrath from the Fearless Leader, you won’t believe it: Wilson discovered that the wife called him “papa bear” in a private email exchange that she had with a Kult enemy. As Wilson’s sister-in-law says, “Nobody thinks Doug is capable of doing it, until he does it to them.” She speaks from experience.

[14] More evidence of Wilson’s resolve to corrupt those within his sphere of influence.

[15] Credenda’s clever interpretation of their April Fools’ Day joke that went awry is another good example propaganda. Everyone has a fun time in Moscow, just don’t ask about the illegal activity.

[16] Since most of my readers serve in the ministry, let me run a question by you: Have you ever seen a church purchase two political ads to defend itself against the charge of racism and historical revisionism because they published a book that revised American history in order to defend race-based slavery? This is just one reason why we call it “the Kult.”

[17] Let me remind you that these are the same goons who expect Kult wives to rat out their husbands if they dissent; they require groupthink on the session; they imposed the “Christ Church Commitment to Loyalty” on a godly family who caught Wilson in sin; and Wilson went so far as to write a letter to the governor of the State of Idaho asking him to silence the University of Idaho’s dissent. We shall address their prohibition of free speech later in this series, but it’s important to note their brazen hypocrisy here. These dissemblers leave the false impression that they stand opposed to those who would silence dissent when they are the physical embodiment of political and spiritual oppression.

[18] Here is how Canon Press describes the book:

Book Description
How is it that a pervasively Christian culture could have supported slavery? While opposing the South’s abuses and racism, this essay seeks to correct some of the gross slanders of that culture. It explains Scripture’s defense of a form of slavery against evangelicals who are embarrassed by it. (amazon.com)

I didn’t catch any references to the butchery of 600,000 persons in the Civil War. In fact, if you take twenty minutes to read the book, you’ll see that the authors never made any comments relative to this claim. In other words, not only is this propaganda in the most politically pejorative sense of the word, it’s a big fat lie.

[19] Please note that while the shepherds of Christ Church warned the community to “Guard Your Children from the Humorless,” no one was guarding the children of Christ Church from Steven Sitler. He’d been in town for four months by the time they started their PR blitz, and in the end he had his way with God’s lambs for 18 months while the Fearless Leader instigated one controversy after another. Perhaps he should “Triumph Over Pettiness,” or else be born again.

Anonymity Excursus: The Kult Police State Part 1

This post is the first installment in a series of essays that consider Douglas Wilson’s claim that the Christ Church, Moscow, is not a well-organized syndicate of thugs that masquerades as a Christian church in order to advance its leader’s geopolitical-ecclesiastical agenda.

Douglas Wilson writes,

He wants to defend his anonymity by means of yet another slander — which is that we here in Moscow “haff our vays” of dealing with opponents, with a secret police and everything. Disagree with Wilson, and get a visit from jackbooted deacons in the middle of the night! (“Ninth Commandment Issues”; emphasis original)

First, I want to note that I never made this claim. Wilson is overstating my contention that he has a reputation for retaliating against those who publicly criticize him, and I would like to guess that he distorted my position because he’s interested in honest discourse, but I’m not that stupid.

Second, for this series’ sake I ask you to concede that Wilson has essentially accused me of accusing Christ Church, Moscow, of being a totalitarian state ruled by a ruthless autocrat who exacts vengeance against his critics.

Third, let’s run with it and see if his claim passes the smell test. Let’s take a basic definition of totalitarianism and compare it to the documented facts in Christ Church history. Accordingly,

Totalitarianism is a concept used in political science that describes a state that regulates nearly every aspect of public and private sectors. Totalitarian regimes or movements maintain themselves in political power by means of secret police, propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, personality cults, regulation and restriction of free discussion and criticism, single-party states, the use of mass surveillance, and widespread use of terror tactics. (Wikipedia)

I propose that we use this definition as a litmus test to determine if Christ Church, Moscow, is a normal church by biblical standards or if it fits the profile of a totalitarian state. Therefore, let’s see if Christ Church as a religious organization has the ecclesiastical equivalent of (1) Secret Police, (2) Propaganda Disseminated Through the State-Controlled Mass Media, (3) Personality Cult (this should be the most difficult to establish), (4) Regulation and Restriction of Free Discussion and Criticism, (5) Single-Party State, (6) Mass Surveillance, and (7) Widespread Use of Terror Tactics. Today we shall consider secret police. You be the judge:

SECRET POLICE
While most members of most Christian churches live to glorify God, Christ Church, Moscow, is much different. To be sure, the one priority that all members of the Kult share in common is the duty to protect their Fearless Leader and his interests, and in this respect all loyal members of the Kult operate as secret police against one another, gathering information for the Fearless Leader.

And Wilson is not beyond gathering information himself. For example, he admitted in another forum that, yes, he had interrogated the five-year-old daughter of a long-time Kult member to see if her father had called Christ Church a cult. Wilson questioned the child alone, with no one else present in the room, against the father’s direct instruction. In fact, the father said, “Douglas Wilson, you are in darkness. The light of God is not in you. You are the leader of a cult and I resign my household’s membership from Christ Church. Now please leave my family alone; we want nothing to do with you.” Knowing Wilson’s thought process, he took this as an invitation to interrogate the little daughter and if she confirmed that daddy called Christ Church a cult, then Wilson could trump up ecclesiastical charges of child abuse against the father. And quite frankly, whatever else is true, any pastor that would question a five-year old to obtain this kind of information only proves by his behavior that he fronts a cult.

But we want to consider the police state of the Kult, so let me share a few eyewitness accounts with you that I’ve picked up over the years. For example, my former neighbor, who is now a former member of the Kult, told me that when he was in Christ Church he restricted certain people from calling him on the telephone at home for fear that one of his children might answer and take a message. He feared that if a person called whom the Kult had identified as an “enemy,” then the possibility existed that one of his children could unwittingly let the name slip while they were playing with other Kult children, which would spell the end of him and his family forever in the Kult. He knew that the other children would notify their parents who would immediately contact the Fearless Leader, who would begin preparations for their public execution.

Another friend of mine, who is also a former member of the Kult, told me that after he had accepted a lateral promotion within the ACCS network of schools, Douglas Wilson sat down with him and his wife to tell him that, since he had accepted a position of leadership, he should not be seen speaking with enemies of the Kult in any context. The Fearless Leader then rattled off a list of persons that he expected this man to shun in public — starting with the Kult’s version of Emmanuel Goldstein — as an expression of his loyalty and he closed his exhortation by saying, “People are watching you.”

I realize that I am not providing documentation for these stories, but that’s okay. We have plenty of documentation below and lots more in the next few installments. The important point that you need to grasp is the climate of fear that pervades the Kult. For example, another friend of mine, who like the others is a former member of the Kult, has said that life in the Kult felt like living in Nazi Germany where you could not confide in anyone for fear that they would act as Thought Police and betray you to the Fearless Leader. This man lost his job at Canon Press during one of the Great Protector’s purges: Douglas Wilson saw him show kindness to an enemy of the Kult in public.[1] One week later he was gone.

Perhaps the best example that proves the Fearless Leader encourages members of the Kult to secretly police one another is the documented instance where Wilson approved of one member of the Kult tape recording a telephone conversation with another member of the Kult. Wilson admitted this in an email to the Kult member whom he had surveilled:

Fourth, Ethan told me after the fact that he had recorded his phone conversation with you, which I had not asked him to do, and did not know that he was going to do. Because he told you that someone was potentially listening at the start of the conversation, I felt free to listen to it. If he had not done so, I would not have listened to it — a standard which you apparently do not share. The line you took in our phone conversation was mystifying to me at the time, but the fact that your companion [Dr. Atwood’s son, Ethan] was listening in unbeknownst to me makes more sense of the situation. The deceptiveness involved is revealing to me. (dougsplotch)

Wilson’s admissions here are disturbing enough, but first you have to notice how he distances himself from the espionage, writing, “I had not asked him to do, and did not know that he was going to do.”[2] He’s implying that he had nothing to do with instigating the surreptitious act, but then he threw his disclaimer out the window the moment he admitted he listened to the tape: “I felt free to listen.” And why did he feel free? Well, he heard it on the tape: “Because he told you that someone was potentially listening at the start of the conversation.” It makes perfect sense. He listened to the tape and heard his spy state that someone was potentially listening, which gave the Fearless Leader license to actually listen. But you can’t miss this point: After Wilson had one Kult member secretly tape record another Kult member on the telephone, he immediately turned around and accused the person whom he had just spied on of “deceptiveness.”

This just kills me. Wilson relied on all manner of deception to accomplish the deed when he encouraged one member to entrap another and then he put his hand with the treachery by listening to the tape. Despite these facts he accused the member of his congregation that he betrayed of “deceptiveness.” Amazing. But the point stands: members of the Kult tape record one another to gather intelligence for the Fearless Leader and he documented this totalitarian fact in an email.

I have one last example for your consideration but first let me remind you that in Orwell’s 1984 the story reached its climax when the Party successfully reeducated lead character Winston Smith to betray his lover, Julia, insuring that Winston would give all of his love and loyalty to Big Brother while he accepted the Party’s version of reality. [3]

Nancy Wilson writes:

But what about when the husband is in sin? This is a very important issue. What if the husband has adopted a wrong attitude and is heading in the wrong direction? Is a wife obligated to go along? It all depends. I have often been saddened that we don’t see more Abigails in the church today. She was not afraid to call her husband a fool and to make arrangements behind his back without his permission. . . . If a man is acting foolishly, a woman is foolish to go along quietly. . . But there are times when a godly wife should beseech her husband not to act in a foolish manner. It may involve doctrine. Perhaps she is alarmed that he is being attracted to heretical ideas, whether it is “openness theology” or Roman Catholicism. She should speak to him respectfully about this, but letting him know she cannot follow him there. If she belongs to a godly church, her elders would support her in this. Perhaps he is plotting to create some kind of stink in the church. Abigail would not stand for it. A good Christian wife should go to the elders and ask them how she can be a good church member and a good wife at the same time. She should not simply stand by, hoping that her husband will do the right thing. Nor should she just accept anything her husband does as though he is infallible. If a husband is bad-mouthing his elders, his pastor, or his friends, a godly woman should refuse to go along. She should speak to him privately first, but if he is not receptive, she should go to her pastor or elders and seek their advice. . . . A wife is to be a helper to her husband not a blind follower, and this sometimes includes going past him to get help. God blessed Abigail when she did this. In her case it was abundantly clear what was necessary. In other cases it might require pastoral oversight. But obedience and submission to a mere man is never absolute. . . . (Nancy Wilson, “Submission,” Credenda Agenda, Volume 15 Number 3)[4]

I’m not sure that you have to read between the lines on this one; the implication is there for everyone to see: “obedience and submission to a mere man is never absolute” because obedience and submission to the Kult is absolute. The Kult’s authority supersedes a husband’s authority, especially in matters of conscience. Like Julia in 1984, you must betray him. As far as the Kult is concerned, Wilson’s intelligence-gathering network creeps all the way into the bedroom. They expect you to report everything.[5]

Now, even if you set aside my handful of stories that I did not document and only considered the ramifications of the two documented accounts I presented, do you believe that they are representative of everyday life in a biblical church, or do they resemble life in a police state? Is it normal for pastors to eavesdrop on their congregation and is it normal for members of churches to tape record their conversations so they can hand the tape to the pastor, or does this look more like the work of secret police operating in a totalitarian state? Or how about the husbands and wives — do pastors normally instruct the wives of their congregation to report on their husbands? What kind of person thinks in these categories? What kind of man obligates the women of his church to submit to him as opposed to their husbands? Can you imagine being afraid to speak your conscience to your spouse about the church government for fear that she might roll on you? Is this normal behavior in Christian churches or is this Orwellian? Do you think Wilson’s conduct and his expectations cater to an environment of love for God and love for the brethren, or do you think it fosters fear and suspicion?

Personally, I think it’s sick across the board; there is no moral justification for this kind of sweeping invasion of privacy. But for other folks it’s just another day in Christ Church, Moscow.

Whatever you may think, however, do not forget this: You must tell the Fearless Leader all your secrets because

BIG DOUGER IS WATCHING YOU.

Thank you.

---

[1] It’s critical to note that these so-called “enemies” are persons identified by the Fearless Leader as enemies because they publicly criticized him. It’s even more critical to note that most of these enemies are devout evangelical Christians.

[2] It really does not matter if Wilson asked him to do it. The fact remains that he did not dissuade the young man from taping the conversation and by participating in the act he approved it. This is more evidence that Douglas Wilson corrupts those under his influence. Moreover, the message Wilson sent to his loyalists by approving of this behavior was loud and clear: Tape recording one another is acceptable conduct in the Kult.

[3] As I reflected on this post, it occurred to me that the similarities between Christ Church’s culture of oppression and Orwell’s 1984 are staggering. But the one similarity that someone needs to develop is the comparison between Orwell’s Two Minutes Hate and the Kult’s imprecatory prayer ritual. It appears that the Fearless Leader’s ultimate goal with his daily imprecations is to sear the names of Kult enemies on Kult members’ brains so that they understand the importance of hating these human beings in public. Along these lines, I had an extended comment exchange with a member of the Kult last week where I noted a chapter called “The Winds of Hate,” in a book titled On Killing, where the author documents the psychological devastation caused by cultures driven by hate. Hate damages the hateful and the hated — but especially the hateful. Can you imagine the injury one suffers when they close their eyes in prayer to beseech the God of all mercy to inflict physical pain on another human being simply because they criticized Wilson in public? These people are really twisted.

[4] Rosemary Huskey’s exchange with Wilson on Vision 20/20 says it all; she is brilliant. But the important point you need to note is that Wilson initially denied that the Kult teaches this standard, writing:

First, Rose simply made up the stuff about making a stink “about the church,” and questioning “decisions of church leadership.” That was not in the column at all. Perhaps Rose has taken a course in research study methods from Quinlan and Ramsey. Oops. I really am trying to live up to certain exacting scholarship standards I just found out about recently — make that Rinlan and Quamsey.

These last two sentences are stabs at the two University of Idaho historians who put the lie to Southern Slavery As It Was. They’re the same men who refused to debate the subject with Wilson. I’m sure it was because of his kindness.

[5] Nancy Wilson’s Credenda column is especially ironic in light of the two emails written by A Christ Church Wife. This godly woman — this Abigail — understood that her husband was fallible and that her pastor was evil. She recognized that a cult leader had blinded her husband’s eyes and was holding her family hostage. She, however, had no recourse. She could not go to her elders and she could not go to her husband.

Anonymity Excursus: Context of A Christ Church Wife’s Email

I firmly believe in the importance — indeed the responsibility — to keep things in context. Whether it’s an historical event or a four-sentence paragraph — it behooves us to keep it in context.

With this in mind, here is the fully documented historical context of A Christ Church Wife’s email:

After
A Christ Church Wife sent her email to Vision 2020 about thirteen months after Wilson sent this email to the Kult, essentially notifying the membership that he found “the mole” — a traitor in the Kult (interestingly, I recall seeing an email from the Fearless Leader to this family where he noted that they needed “pastoral encouragement” or something to that effect; a few months later he held a public execution); one year after Credenda Agenda hosted its so-called “history” conference that completely scandalized the Palouse; eight months after the Latah County Commissioners revoked the Kult’s and NSA’s property-tax exemptions; three months after the Fearless Leader began sowing discord among the brethren at Church of the King–Santa Cruz (notice the words “two years”); five weeks after the Fearless Leader drove a family out of the church because they refused to sign the Christ Church Commitment to Loyalty; two weeks after three former members of the Kult filed a zoning complaint against New Saint Andrews College, which the Moscow City Council sustained (Wilson positively vilified the complainants in the press and on the Internet).

Before
A Christ Church Wife posted her email to Vision 20/20 one month before the day that Wilson discovered that a serial pedophile had raped several lambs from his flock for the past 18 months; five weeks before he wrote “Three Stumbling Blocks” where he declared the Church was on the verge of a new reformation; roughly 10 weeks before the Fearless Leader strutted uphill to threaten the Latah County Commissioners that they better not revoke any more property-tax exemptions from the so-called ministries where he sat on the board; three months before WORLD Magazine reported the story that Douglas Wilson and Steven “Machen” Wilkins plagiarized enough body text in Southern Slavery As It Was to cover the Mississippi Delta; four months before “A Labor of Love” received broad circulation on the Palouse; one year before Patrick Poole Kut His Losses on the Kirk Kult; and seventeen months before the Fearless Leader took precious time from his strenuous blogging schedule to stroll downtown and file a frivolous police complaint that named five of his neighbors as possible suspects in a federal offense.

I’m sure that if I gave it more thought I could document other highly recognizable dates in Kult lore; but perhaps it’s best to think of A Christ Church Wife’s brilliant emails as just another day in the busy life of a petty self-absorbed tyrant.



Thank you.

Anonymity Part IX: “A Christ Church Wife”

Today I want you to consider Douglas Wilson’s claims vis-à-vis Christ Church, Moscow, from another point of view — that of a member in good standing. Before we get there, here is the Fearless Leader’s quote for your consideration:

So here is the summary. I believe that men like Mark T lie as as [sic] fast as a dog can trot. And when I say “lie,” I mean that in the old-fashioned sense that would get you into a fight in a bar. He wants to defend his anonymity by means of yet another slander — which is that we here in Moscow “haff our vays” of dealing with opponents, with a secret police and everything. Disagree with Wilson, and get a visit from jackbooted deacons in the middle of the night! That’s why he has to attack without any accountability for himself. We, by our evil, have forced him to it. Now I don’t fault anonymous critics in cultures where there are Gulags, racks, stakes, and more. But is anonymity really necessary when what would happen is that the man’s pastor (assuming with a long shot that he has one) would get a letter? (“Ninth Commandment Issues”; emphasis original)

It’s possible that at some level Wilson actually believes that I lie as fast as a dog can trot, but as I asked a few days ago, Where’s the proof? Where’s the evidence? Where’s the documentation that contradicts anything here? There is no proof; there is no evidence; there are no documents to contradict anything here or else he would have produced it faster than a greyhound chasing a hare at the track. So they have resorted to abusive ad hominem arguments against a complete stranger — a ghost, a phantom — an invisible entity that uploads documents to the web for the world to see. Despite this fact, I am an anonymous accuser. I’m a slanderer. I’m a liar. Not only am I a liar, I’m an old-fashioned liar. My lies are so egregious that they would get me into a bar fight, whatever that means. But for all his vivid rhetoric, the Fearless Leader has yet to substantiate one accusation against me. Honestly, if you’re going to call a man a liar, it behooves you to support your claim. To be sure, even though I don’t frequent saloons I’d really appreciate knowing where I lied. A guy never knows when he might find himself in a watering hole and it would be good to know what not say. But they won’t even afford me this courtesy that could save my life some day. Perhaps it’s one of those imprecatory things: “Kill him, God, and his documents too.”

And there’s an irony here that they don’t see. I have maintained that Wilson and his disciples are cruel, malevolent, and deceitful people, and they have replied to me with cruel, malevolent, and deceitful answers. Well, maybe irony isn’t the word. But the point of today’s post is to let you read the testimony of an “anonymous accuser” whom Douglas Wilson validated as a legitimate witness.

On February 9, 2005, a woman who identified herself as “A Christ Church Wife” appeared on the local listserv Vision 20/20 to offer her testimony of life inside the Kult. She never revealed her name and to this day I am not aware of anyone who met her. Her two posts speak for themselves — straight from the heart — and her testimony was compelling for two reasons: First, her evangelical faith and her love for God were obvious; you could see it in every word she wrote. Second, she confirmed the community’s worst fears about life inside the Kult. And you have to admit that outsiders would be a little curious about the inner workings of the Kult, especially after the Southern slavery scandal of 2003–04 when Wilson asserted his presence in the community with the same gusto that he has shown during the FV controversy. Prior to the slavery scandal, Wilson was just an arrogant blowhard who pronounced his opinions ex cathedra on the list. After the slavery scandal, the local population was genuinely curious about what kind of people would sit under Wilson’s toxic indoctrination, which is a reasonable curiosity when you think about it. What kind of person would attend a church where the pastor was so delusional that he wrote a book championing the cause of the antebellum slave owners? The answer to this question seemed evident by the way Wilson’s disciples crowded Vision 20/20 with nut-job posts. And I emphasize the words “nut job.” They really got behind slavery and if you check the archives from that time, you’ll see the exact same phenomenon taking place there that happens every time someone challenges the Fearless Leader’s character on a blog — flying monkeys everywhere — which piqued the community’s curiosity even more: “Why are his disciples so rabid?” It’s safe to say that A Christ Church Wife confirmed what everyone suspected about the Kult.

A second thing you need to know is that after A Christ Church Wife thanked the community listserv, someone named “Christian Burns” and his “wife” answered her with counsel that essential said, “Submit to your husband and drink the Kool-Aid.” I will not post their emails (you can read them here and here) because the important thing is that A Christ Church Wife was much too savvy to let them manipulate her.

Three other housekeeping issues: First, she references the word “kirkers,” which is a term coined by members of the Kult to identify themselves in the community; it’s a play off the Kirk. Second, you’ll notice that she thanked Daily News columnist Vera White for withstanding Wilson; you can read one of Vera’s columns from the slavery scandal here. Third, we inserted the hyperlinks in her email for your assistance:

----- Original Message -----
From: ChristChurch Wife
To: vision2020@moscow.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 7:22 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] Message from a Christ Church Wife

Dear Visionaries,

I am a Christ Church wife. Of the many of things I could write, I decided in the end that what I’m about to write is the most important. I realize there’s no reason why you should trust an anonymous posting like mine but it’s my hope that somehow you’ll decide to read it anyway.

It’s amazing how God has been so merciful to Christ Church/Trinity members through this forum. Many of you have been such a comfort to me and you don’t even know it. It’s hard to belong to a church whose pastor treats people the way Doug Wilson does, especially those who oppose him publicly. No, it’s not hard, I take that back. It’s horrible. It’s become a nightmare. It’s shame and outrage and grief that no amount of tears can wash away. Part of me wants to write a thousand more words but I won’t waste your time. Why? Because of the glaring question that logically follows: “Then why don’t you leave that church?” I’m working on it as hard as I can. Some day I will get out but when I leave I refuse to go alone. I will be taking my family with me. I will not allow my marriage to be destroyed or my children split apart in the process. Slowly and consistently my husband has begun to heed the words I speak to him regarding Christ Church. The day is coming when his eyes will be fully open and his faith will lead the way. That is the day we’ll leave. I believe that with all my heart. It’s coming. But even then, the road to recovery will be long. That’s okay. I’m not deceived. My marriage will survive and we’ll be fine again someday. Nobody said that only husbands are responsible to protect their families. Wives are called to do the same. Mine is also a rescue and recovery mission and you, on this forum, have been an incredible blessing in this long, difficult process.

My reason for posting today is because I want to say thank you. With all my heart I thank you for how you do your best to help open the eyes of Christ Church/Trinity people. (I dislike that word “Kirkers.”) Thank you for the insight and careful observations you’ve brought to issue after issue concerning Christ Church. I especially appreciate how determined you are in your resolve to speak forth. Thank you for your example of courage, for exposing the tactics of Doug Wilson and refuting them. For remaining vigilant no matter how Christ Church leaders respond to you. Thank you for the humorous statements that have literally made my day so many times. It’s amazing how much strength one can get from humor. Thank you for all the personal time you’ve given in posting. And most of all, thank you for your compassion for Christ Church wives and children and even our husbands that has comforted me time and time again. It’s been overwhelming.

I’ve learned so much about people from Vision 2020. Your service to the Palouse is unquestionable. People who don’t even know me care about me and in their own way have tried to help me. My mind has been stretched. My world has perspectives it never had before. I’ve gained more understanding and compassion for others in ways that have made me a far better person. I don’t have to agree with everything written on a post to be able to say thank you for writing it. I see in you a true desire to make the Palouse a better place to live. I see individuals trying and one by one it’s working. Thank you. Thank you with all my heart for what you’ve done for me as a person and Christian. If I may, I would like to say a special thanks to Tom Hansen for his “Not on the Palouse” site. God only knows how many people have been spared the grief I’ve known because of it. For their lives sake, I thank you.

Because the Daily News, understandably, will not accept anonymous letters I’d also like to publicly thank Vera White for her brave column. She has withstood the vehemence of Wilson’s world for years and done it with remarkable grace. She never ceases to amaze me with her lion’s heart. Vera’s example of courage and integrity in journalism has inspired me more than she’ll ever know. Even if I don’t agree with every word she says, she’s my hero. Thank you, Vera. Thank you forever.

Thank you, Vision 2020, for allowing me to post this.

With deepest gratitude and respect,

A Christ Church wife


----- Original Message -----
From: ChristChurch Wife
To: vision2020@moscow.com
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 3:12 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] thank you

Dear Visionaries,

The intent of my original posting was to thank Visionaries for their kind and helpful postings. I didn’t think I’d be writing again, but here I am. You have my deepest appreciation for your responses to my first letter. I wasn’t surprised or offended that some of you thought I was a phony. Anonymous postings beg for questions of authenticity.

I believe the Burns’ letter were written with the desire to help me although I was left bewildered by many of Mr. Burns’ conclusions. He wrote that he didn’t know Doug Wilson and that he’d never met him. Not meeting or knowing him in no way excludes him from knowledge or study of Wilson’s theology, though nothing he wrote was specific to Doug alone. If Mr. Burns is totally unacquainted with Doug then ignorance of the teaching, writings, and serrated edge ministry of Christ Church could leave him in shock upon perusal of it.

I have a few small suggestions you may want to consider, Mr. Burns. Fundamental to any aid for Christ Church members is a basic knowledge of Doug Wilson’s ways. It is why I find Vision 2020 so refreshing and in it’s unique way, healing. A clear understanding of Doug’s ideas and theology establishes a type of credibility that is impossible for those ignorant of it to possess. If you don’t know what cancer is, you certainly cannot treat it. Having said that, I understand that people do not have to walk through a valley of darkness to be able to minister to those who have. I believe presumption is a great temptation, though, for this kind of counselor. There is no replacement for walking a mile in someone’s shoe.

Presuming that someone left a church because they were “taking the bait of the enemy” is a drastic accusation at best. Assuming you knew their reasons for leaving is a sad thing. I admit that your conclusion of my state of heart and life would have left me shocked had I not witnessed for years the harshness that Christians inflict upon their brethren in the Lord. Unbelievers are not nearly as capable of hurting us as we are of hurting each other and your letter spoke loudly to that condition. Your thoughts indicted me of bitterness, potentially rotting from the inside out, and not submitting to my husband. All of those things are untrue. But your worst offense was the question, “Are you going outside your husbands covering and getting together with others to share your concerns for the church?” which was then followed by your command for me to, “Stop it.” Why did you bother asking the question?

Through your words you have made yourself judge, trial, and jury of my life. You have no authority biblical or otherwise to make such presumptions of me or anyone else. I fear, by your command, that you could be unsatisfied with the submission of your wife alone. You presume to command me?? Perhaps your scriptural interpretation of submission is increasing your appetite for power. If that is the case I urge you to beware.

Submission is not fairy dust that magically turns wrong decisions into eternal bliss for the family. Wrong decisions yield wrong results. They also reap pain and consequences that could have been avoided if husbands had only listened to and followed the wisdom of their “helpmeets.” God said it was not good for man to be alone. He needed help. My husband needs my help, Sir, whether you believe that or not. He needs my protection from a man who has blinded his eyes and I am fully qualified and capable of giving it to him, thank God. I will not allow our family to be swallowed up by the deception that comes from sincerely trusting in the arm of ecclesiastical flesh. Life is very complicated. It is very scary and hard. Husbands and wives need each others wisdom and love desperately in life. Thankfully, my husband is giving me a chance, a chance that used to be a huge part of our lives until we became Christ Church members. I intend to rescue my family in as prudent and peaceable way as I can. I will not allow you nor anyone else twist submission into a decree for silent tooth grinning while a monster is on the loose attacking anyone he pleases. Two are stronger than one and a three fold cord is not easily broken. It is not submission that “never fails,” it is love.

A Christ Church wife

I think she acquitted herself quite well, don’t you? More importantly, at least for this post, she opened her statement by affirming a point I have made repeatedly, though she said it much more eloquently, writing from the position of a hostage held by her captor:

It’s hard to belong to a church whose pastor treats people the way Doug Wilson does, especially those who oppose him publicly. No, it’s not hard, I take that back. It’s horrible. It’s become a nightmare. It’s shame and outrage and grief that no amount of tears can wash away. Part of me wants to write a thousand more words but I won’t waste your time. (emphasis added)

Does anyone really doubt that Wilson has a reputation in Moscow for harassing those who publicly oppose him? She certainly did not and I assure you that everyone who read her email on 2020 had an appropriate point of reference to understand exactly what she meant (she posted one year after Credenda Agenda hosted its so-called “history” conference that completely scandalized the Palouse). It is shame, outrage, and grief that no amount of tears can wash away.

Now let me return to the Fearless Leader’s words when he wrote, “I don’t fault anonymous critics in cultures where there are Gulags, racks, stakes, and more.” Of course, I never made this representation; this is Wilson’s distortion of my position. But that’s okay because it seems clear to me that A Christ Church Wife felt as though she lived in a world surrounded by “Gulags, racks, stakes, and more.” I could be wrong and I don’t want to overstate her position, but I wonder if the Fearless Leader — the only architect of the Kult’s culture of death — faults A Christ Church Wife for anything she wrote or if he faults her for writing anonymously. He built his concentration camp from the ground up and A Christ Church Wife lived behind his barbed-wire fence, witnessing all the malice that he showed to the community. Indeed, she is one more witness in a long line of witnesses who testified to his evil being. And for her sake and her family’s sake, I hope her so-called pastor never located her.


Thank you.

Anonymity Part VIII: When Documented Facts Constitute “Slander”

I want to continue my examination of the Fearless Leader’s claims yesterday, where contra the serrated edge that has defined his ministry, he suddenly adopted the Golden Rule as if he really conforms his behavior to it, and where he claims that those of us who document his vindictive acts are “liars” and “slanderers”:

So here is the summary. I believe that men like Mark T lie as as [sic] fast as a dog can trot. And when I say “lie,” I mean that in the old-fashioned sense that would get you into a fight in a bar. He wants to defend his anonymity by means of yet another slander — which is that we here in Moscow “haff our vays” of dealing with opponents, with a secret police and everything. Disagree with Wilson, and get a visit from jackbooted deacons in the middle of the night! That’s why he has to attack without any accountability for himself. We, by our evil, have forced him to it. Now I don’t fault anonymous critics in cultures where there are Gulags, racks, stakes, and more. But is anonymity really necessary when what would happen is that the man’s pastor (assuming with a long shot that he has one) would get a letter? (“Ninth Commandment Issues”; emphasis original)

Notice that he says he believes men such as me “lie as fast as a dog can trot.” Clever line, but where’s the proof? Where’s the documentation to support his claim? Where’s the documentation to refute all of my documentation? Yesterday we uploaded 3 pages of his police report — two of them handwritten and signed by our neighbor — to demonstrate that when he retaliates, it’s forever. And by that I mean that that public record will remain in the City archives forever and anyone can put in a FOIA request at City Hall to see the sewers where his mind wanders when he has a vendetta.

Moreover, yesterday I linked to a post that documented one of Doug’s Thug’s attempt to silence a University of Idaho employee (professor?) from commenting about cults on the local listserv. This was just one out of dozens attempts by Wilson’s disciples to silence members of the community. It took exactly 18 minutes from the time the original email posted on the list for Doug’s Thug to fire a complaint to the man’s superior seeking disciplinary action. I realize the Fearless Leader thinks this was a harmless act, but the target of this attack — Wilson’s neighbor — saw it differently, writing,

“While there are explicit laws applicable to contacting someone’s employer or supervisor with the aim of undermining the employment or status of an individual with regard to their employment. . .”

He understood that Wilson’s disciple had just made a move on his job. And don’t forget that this particular incident took place only two days after Wilson’s personal assistant Mike Lawyer asked forgiveness from Bob Mattes for his despicable email attack on Bob.

And as long as I’m on it, I anticipated Wilson’s attack on Bob Mattes (I would call him “Mr.” but I assume he’s an officer and I think it would sound disrespectful) last August when Bob called Wilson on his sin. Here’s the thread from Green Baggins:

Douglas Wilson said,
August 17, 2007 at 5:07 pm

Lane, then what you are saying is that it isn’t over, and that the courts haven’t spoken, and that Chris Hutchinson was asking my friends to move along prematurely?

greenbaggins said,
August 17, 2007 at 5:45 pm

No, it isn’t over. The study committee report is a shot across the bow, shall we say. It indicates what direction the guns of the PCA are directed. If the FV ships wish to avoid the broadside that is coming, then they will leave.

reformedmusings said,
August 17, 2007 at 6:18 pm

Cute analogy, Lane, and appropriate.

I guess it depends on what one considers “over.” None of the PCA officers who signed the joint statement have come before their presbyteries since the 35th GA. That changed the landscape significantly. Even before that, one presbytery examination committee admitted that they didn’t have time to adequately study the individual’s views. Listening to the recordings of proceedings in another presbytery sounded more like a meeting of a “good ol’ boy” club than a serious ecclesiastical examination, even loaded with apologies to the examinee.

I personally expect the landscape in the presbyteries to continue moving with the 35th GA vote, accelerating as we go through the coming year. As I’ve said many times, it’s a shame that a few men believe that it’s OK to drain the precious resources of the church away from spreading the gospel to require contentious and divisive trials.

Douglas Wilson said,
August 17, 2007 at 9:59 pm

. . . Reformedmusings, you said:

“As I’ve said many times, it’s a shame that a few men believe that it’s OK to drain the precious resources of the church away from spreading the gospel to require contentious and divisive trials.”

To which someone might reply, “Why are you wasting my time getting beat up like you are? What are you doing lying on the ground like that? Why do you think it is appropriate to get blood from your face all over my knuckles?” I like that — the people bringing charges, making accusations, creating controversy, and so on, then turn around and accuse those they are attacking of wasting their precious time. You really ought to know enough about this controversy to be able to state who is on offense, and who on defense.

reformedmusings said,
August 17, 2007 at 10:26 pm

DW,

Cute, but WAY off point. This is not an arbitrary or trivial situation like the one you posit. Please see comment #57. Since you aren’t in the PCA, I guess that I shouldn’t expect you to honor our denomination’s rulings, though as a Christian brother you probably should not aid and abet those who defy them. Your call. However, I do expect PCA officers to submit to their PCA brothers since they swore an oath in that regard.

As for creating controversy, the PCA was generally doing well until the Auburn Avenue conference in 2002. The PCA, RCUS, BPC, OPC, OCRC, RPCNA, and URC didn’t start anything. That distinction belongs strictly to those who are trying to redefine the Westminster Standards and 3FU over the objections of the overwhelming number of their brothers in seven denominations (so far). Not your denominations, but a Christian brother shouldn’t be inciting or aiding dissent within other ecclesiastical bodies. Again, your call.

Douglas Wilson said,
August 18, 2007 at 6:48 pm

I just wanted to note for the record how much I appreciate the manner in which Lane, Vern, Grover, and R.F. White are discussing these things. I thank you.

Mark T. said,
August 18, 2007 at 8:13 pm

Notice that Wilson’s expression of gratitude did not acknowledge ReformedMusings, did not thank him, and certainly did not answer him — and this is not because ReformedMusings has not been gracious and it’s not because he has not been any less charitable than the others. It’s because ReformedMusings held Wilson accountable for his irresponsible behavior when he wrote,

“. . . but a Christian brother shouldn’t be inciting or aiding dissent within other ecclesiastical bodies. Again, your call.”

Of course, Wilson is the so-called “Christian brother” inciting and aiding dissent within the PCA, most likely because he holds dear the peace and purity of the church. Regardless, the point is that if you want to get along with Wilson you have to ignore his sin. . . .

This was classic Wilson endeavoring to split Bob off from the rest of the list — silently singling him out, just as he tried to isolate Dr. Clark. Wilson established this pattern for everyone to observe; I’ve seen a million times and when I saw it this time I nailed him. Sure, he backed off and threw Bob a bone after I flagged him (just as he threw Pastor Lane a bone yesterday); but his bones don’t displace his enmity. In Bob’s case Wilson waited three months until he found an opening and then he struck, like a wolf, coming out of nowhere to pounce on his victim. But the predator underestimated his prey. Bob’s no lamb; he’s a true shepherd, like David who killed a lion and a bear, and feared not the uncircumcised Philistine. Bob taught Wilson that his Moscow tactics only work in Moscow. So they hugged & kissed and everyone will live happily ever after. Not likely. He’ll be back, which doesn’t matter because Moscow is still Moscow and Wilson is still Wilson. Nothing has changed.

That’s why I pointed to two documented proofs, i.e. two witnesses, that Wilson exacts vengeance against those who criticize him in public — an attack on an employee’s job at the University of Idaho and an attack on the reputations of five law-abiding citizens in Moscow. Wilson responds, however, by calling these facts “slander”:

“He wants to defend his anonymity by means of yet another slander — which is that we here in Moscow “haff our vays” of dealing with opponents, with a secret police and everything.”

Did you notice his misrepresentation about “secret police” and all? I never said he does it in secret (though he definitely operates surreptitiously): I’ve been pretty clear that Wilson and his thugs do their dirty work outside in public for everyone to see. Wilson bullies and harasses people in public on purpose — he wants to send the signal that he will make you pay if you speak. This is his reputation in Moscow. This is the reputation that he carved for himself, in Moscow, with a serrated edge.

But please do not miss this point: THIS IS THE REPUTATION THAT HE WANTS IN MOSCOW. The police report states, “Wilson said he did not want to pursue the incident, but wanted to have it documented.” Wilson wanted to document the names of five neighbors in Moscow as persons he thought may have committed a federal offense. He did this without ever contacting them. HE SIMPLY WANTED IT DOCUMENTED. That’s right: Write it down with an iron pen because Wilson shows his love for his neighbors with a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow — “A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow” (Prov. 25:18).

The thing I don’t understand is why he doesn’t want to admit these facts on his blog or to Pastor Lane. Why does he call it “slander” when people infer the most obvious conclusions from his terrible behavior? Why doesn’t he want people to visit my site so they can see his police report written with his own hand? After all, he did this in real life to real Christians who are his real neighbors in Moscow. This is how Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, loves his neighbors. Oh, and did I mention that one of the persons he named in the report teaches Sunday school at the local Baptist church? Yes, that would be the same church that prohibits Wilson from performing marriage ceremonies on their property. (They have a wonderful building whereas the Kult meets on a basketball court.) But I digress. The point is that he has gone out of his way to make a reputation in Moscow for striking back at those who criticize him but for some inexplicable reason he refuses to admit it. I would think he’s proud of it.

And I wonder why he didn’t think what any normal person would have thought when he allegedly discovered the unclean contraceptive — this is a college town and teenagers commit sin. I remember visiting the Arboretum last summer and seeing a used condom on the gravel in the parking lot. It was disgusting. But we live in a college town. Teenagers drink in their cars, commit sin in the cars, and toss the unseemly evidence of their act out the window. That’s teenagers. But you know what? — I never thought to file a police complaint alleging that Wilson may have placed the condom in that parking lot to continue his pattern of harassing me. After all, Wilson and his hooligans uploaded a website to persecute leading citizens of the community who took offense at that worthless monograph Southern Slavery As It Was. He called it hatesplotch.net. He used it to verbally abuse Christians and non-Christians alike. He insulted them, called them names, and ridiculed them — including me because I signed the “Not In Our Town” petition and hatesplotch.net targeted everyone who signed that petition. It follows therefore that he would soil a prophylactic and leave it in the Arboretum parking lot to continue his pattern of harassing me and Moscow. Sound stupid? Of course it does, but that’s his argument.

And you have to ask yourself this: Why would a so-called Christian pastor who just yesterday wrote 2,205 gushy words expositing his obligation to love his neighbor — including his enemies — upload such a reprehensible site? Here, let me frame the question another way: Why would any Christian, pastor or not, upload a highly offensive website that he specifically designed to insult about 20,000 of his neighbors? The vitriol on that site is so damaging to the Kult that they killed the link in archive.org so that no one can see the truth about them. But that does not change the site’s intent. Wilson put it up to intimidate an entire community into silence. He sent the message loud and clear that if you criticize him, he will ridicule and humiliate you in public. But the Fearless Leader is too much of a coward to admit it now. As I predicted a few days ago, he revised his story. Suddenly he’s a kind-hearted Christian who loves the Golden Rule and I am evil slanderer for publishing his documented record.

Now I ask you, am I lying when I present these historical facts? Am I slandering that Son of Belial by publishing the fruit of his ministry? Or did he slander thousands of his neighbors with that hate-filled website? Did he slander five of his neighbors when he identified them as possible suspects in a vile federal crime?

Maybe I’m just too sensitive. Maybe I don’t understand the Golden Rule. Maybe I don’t understand the hidden gospel message of hatesplotch or the Christian compassion of Doug’s Thugs’ acts of harassment or the pastoral example of filing a police report to stain five of his neighbors’ reputations. I invite Beelzeblog to account for these things.

But whether he accounts for himself or not, this much I know: he may dismiss these documented facts as “slander,” which completely befuddles me; he may accuse me of countless absurdities while he refutes nothing here; he may laugh it all off as one big April Fools’ Day joke — indeed, he can laugh till Judgment Day, and I’m sure he will. But he forgets that the Scripture says, “and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Rev. 20:12). He doesn’t understand that these documents and the works they represent are the fruit of his ministry, and if they’re written down on a silly blog, easily accessible for all the world to see, then he should rest assured that they’re written down in God’s holy books for that dreadful day. Only then it will be too late.

Thank you.

Anonymity Part VII: The Chilling Effect

I read Wilson’s response to Pastor Lane and I have to admit that he really knows how to pour it on as though he really believes the Scriptures. But you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t join the love fest just yet, because I want to isolate one comment from his long, flowery exposition of the Ninth Commandment and demonstrate that while he knows what the Bible requires of him well enough to put it in writing, in real life — in real-life Moscow — he somehow forgets what the Bible commands.

Here’s the comment:

Keith, I think we are actually under more stringent requirements with regard to our enemies. But I agree that Mark T does not think so.

Douglas Wilson — 4/18/2008 11:59:07 AM | Report Comment

I think that comment fairly summarizes his recent discovery of the Golden Rule. I call it a “recent discovery” because less than two years ago he sauntered down to the Moscow Police Department to file a frivolous police report that named five citizens of Moscow as possible suspects in a crime that no one ever established was committed. The police never confirmed it or investigated it (unlike his April Fools’ Day joke, where he was one of the criminals) and he produced no evidence — fraudulent or legitimate — to demonstrate that it actually took place. Furthermore, while four of the possible suspects were (are) Christians, he did not bother to confront any of his suspects with his baseless suspicions pursuant to Matthew 18; he went directly to the police to put their names on public record.

That’s bad enough. But I think the most insulting and disgusting thing about this sordid incident is the crime itself. He specified by name four brethren (all members in good standing in their respective churches) and one law-abiding citizen as persons who possibly put a used condom in his mailbox. Let me spell this out for you just so you can feel the filth. He identified four of God’s children as persons he believed may have taken the time to soil a condom (you do the math) and drive across town to leave it in his mailbox.

Not satisfied with that, he continued to say that they may have spread a “foul-smelling substance” on his windows and sabotaged his driveway with screws & nails. Interestingly, he omitted the part that he was remodeling his home and had all sorts of construction vehicles on his property (I know this from his neighbor whom he regularly harasses).

Here’s the kicker: He used rightful legal complaints that law-abiding citizens in the community had filed against Christ Church and New Saint Andrews College as the pretext for his police complaint. I call it the kicker because the Latah County Commissioners and the Moscow City Council affirmed every one of those complaints, which means he was the one breaking the law. Despite this, he called those lawful complaints “harassment.” Yes, he was the one breaking the law and yet he accused those law-abiding citizens of harassing him. I’m sure it makes sense to him in an April Fools’ sort of way. Regardless, I point that out because those legal complaints have no connection to this invisible crime. None, zip, zilch, nada. The people he named were persons who at one time or another had publicly noted his sin, hypocrisy, or evil deeds, which he characterized as “public animosity.” And he repaid them — all five of these his neighbors — by putting their names down on the public record as suspects in his mind to this vulgar and smutty crime that I personally believe never took place.

This is real-life Moscow. Criticize Wilson and Doug’s Thugs are on you in a heartbeat. Effectively call him on his sin, and he’ll sully you in a police complaint. It’s all designed to chill his critics; it sends a signal far and wide that he’ll come after you — and he obviously has a creative imagination when it comes to dragging others through the dirt. But the message is clear: you will pay if you speak. One thing for Wilson, at least he signed his name to it, just as he signed those forged minutes.

Here is the police report, and as you read it please keep in mind all of his gooey language about “neighbors” and “enemies” and the Ninth Commandment. Maybe you can reconcile his words with his deeds, but I cannot:

My name is Douglas Wilson & I am the Minister at Christ Church here in Moscow. Over the last three years or so, there has been a small group of people harassing our ministries by means of various legal complaints — tax exemption issues, zoning, boarding, etc.

In the last few weeks, it appears that this pattern has gotten more personal & is getting closer to home.

1. On June 26, I discovered a used (or doctored to look used) condom in my mailbox.
2. Over the last two weeks, we have had a rash of flat tires at our house (4 on 4 vehicles). My son-in-law found a screw in the tread of his, & I just came from Les Schwab where they repaired the damage from a nail and screw, dug into my left rear tire.
3. This morning I had to clean our living room window because someone had thrown some foul looking substance at it, creating a mess @ 4'' by 8''

Other than this evident public malice expressed in other settings, I have no evidence to say that the following people are responsible. But these are some of the foremost people involved in displaying public animosity

1. [Deleted]
   
2. [Deleted]
3. [Deleted]
4. [Deleted]
5. [Deleted]

I certify that this statement, consisting of 2 page(s) is true and correct, to the best of my knowledge:

Douglas Wilson

Thank you.