Testimony From the Heart

Everyone knows testimony from the heart when they read it. A young lady just left the following comment on “Diary of a Pirated Church”; please read it:

Ophelia Moonstone said . . .

I went to EPC as a child. Michael Marshall is my father. We were part of the renegades that left. I was so young at the time I only knew what my father told me. Burke Shade influenced my father in many dangerous ways. He encouraged what he called “spanking” but what was more like beating with a belt. He approved of this being used even on teens.

I never liked him as a child. He was pushy and disingenuous. Families with children in regular school were put under tremendous pressure to homeschool. Clothing for women had to be unattractive from any angle, or it was looked down upon.

Wives were expected to be mindlessly subservient and obedient. My father had told my mother not to go to the library with me and my younger brother and she went anyway. Because of this, Burke Shade came to my house and “chastised” my mother. He ganged up on her and verbally harassed her. I listened from another room. I was 13 and very very angry.

We finally left due to a disagreement with the Akins and the Bankesters. The Akins were under the impression that I had gotten their teenage daughter, who had been a good friend to me in childhood, into promiscuous sex and drugs. This was not true. Because of the rumors, however, my scapegoat status was secured.

Our departure was an ugly one. I hope Burke Shade melts in a pool of his own excrement. He made me hate church.

I cannot substantiate her testimony but I believe every word of it for two reasons:

1. Everyone in Moscow can confirm the part about Stepford Wives who wear parachutes as they homeschool their children to insure that the colony of mindless clones will walk in lockstep like lemmings to the cliff (most Kult members do not know this, but the Kult elders ridicule home-schooling mothers as “Prairie Muffins” behind their backs; Wilson wants the children in Logos where HE can control their minds).


2. By now everyone knows that the Federal Vision is a euphemism for power-hungry pastors who hold ultra-high views of the sacraments while they split churches and beat sheep — it’s code for “Canis Lupus Vision.” So even though she was in Illinois, Wilson’s boilerplate left the same impression on her as it does everyone else. I haven’t even got near the subject of him driving people from the Church and from the faith. But Ophelia said it better than I ever could.

Thankfully, however, Wilson, Shade, and all the CREC wolves will face that great shepherd of the sheep. And if they had any brains at all, they would realize that all their hateful deeds will come back on them a thousand fold — only then it will be too late. These brutes should expect to reap in eternity what they sow in time.

Thank you.

Canis lupus 3

Continuing with a few thoughts on our Lord’s warning to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing, here is another video of a wolf pack hunting prey. Like the previous video where the pack sought to isolate the caribou calves, this video shows the pack isolate a buffalo calf (at the 4:45-minute mark). However, unlike the previous video where the herd abandoned the calf to its fate, here we see healthy bison rescue their calf from the wolf pack. In this respect you could argue that the herd functioned as a healthy body that protected itself from predation. Sadly, however, the protection only went so far because wolves will be wolves, and they must eat. Consequently, they successfully isolated a weak bison and brought him to a slow painful death.

Of course, there are many analogies we could draw here, but I want to go another direction. As you watch this poor beast die, remind yourself that our Lord warned us against wolves who dress as sheep. So in this case, consider the awful damage these wolves would wreak if they looked like buffaloes. They would have had the calf and more because none of the other herd would have suspected them. According to our Lord, this is how wolves operate in the Church.

Finally, make careful note when the narrator says, “killing quickly is not a choice.” The kills I’ve seen are every bit as agonizing as this one — with one difference: The prey never knew they faced wolves until the predators bared their fangs — and then it was too late. This is because the wolves looked and acted like sheep. In short, they were wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Thank you.

Canis lupus 2

Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have polluted the sanctuary,
They have done violence to the law. — Zephaniah 3:3, 4

We have lifted the following article and picture gallery from OutdoorLife.com. It furnishes us with another profound lesson in predatory behavior taken straight from the wolf.

Again, in the Sermon on the Mount our Lord Jesus Christ did not choose the metaphor “wolves” to warn against false teachers because He thought it clever or colorful. It is a real-life term that we see play out every day in the Church. This fact is especially true as it applies to Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow. Over the years one family after another has bore witness to the same identical testimony regarding Wilson’s sadistic cruelty. The circumstances for each family varies, but the narratives are all the same — Wilson will stop at nothing to exact vengeance against those members who catch him in sin and then try to leave. In every single instance the sin is always lying, because Wilson lies like the devil, and when caught the hunt begins. He pursues his prey (preyishioners) to silence them or utterly ruin them forever, depending on his appetite. He targets their livelihoods, their careers, their character, their public reputation — you name it — he will stop at nothing.

As you read this narrative, keep in mind that wolves have no moral capacity. This wolf merely acted according to his nature. He was hungry so he took a bite. He was completely oblivious to the doe’s agony. In this respect natural predators are comparable to nature’s psychopaths. They lack compunction and they are violently aggressive. At this point, however, our Lord’s metaphor fails. Natural predators will not give account at the Great White Throne. They kill because they’re hungry. Not so for wolves in the Church. Like natural wolves, they have no conscience but unlike wolves they are without excuse.

The metaphor fails at another point as well. Whereas the wolf was insensible to the deer’s pain and he did not act out of malice, it’s clear that Wilson derives pleasure when he inflicts pain — hence the word sadistic. I have seen him do exactly as this wolf, mercilessly attacking persons whom he already mortally wounded, for no other reason than sick desire. He’s not satisfied unless his prey (the sheep) suffers.

The following is a pictorial account of Wilson serving in the Christian ministry. Read it, and pray for the saints in Moscow:

Eaten Alive: Wolf Predation Captured On Camera
Michael Veine was hunting grouse in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula when he stumbled upon a wolf attacking a doe.


On October 24, 2006, Michael Veine was bird hunting in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula along the Escanaba River when he heard agonizing bellows coming from a long distance away. Stalking in the direction of the noise, he came upon a wolf attacking a deer. At first the wolf chased the adult doe along the riverbank, lunging repeatedly at her and biting the backs of her legs. He kept up the assault until he eventually hamstrung her. Unable to run, the doe was pulled down, and the wolf began feeding on her even though she was still alive. On the opposite side of the wide river, Veine snuck in closer and pulled out his camera.


The wolf fed on the doe as she continued to bawl. Wolf researcher Dr. Durward Allen has recorded that wolves are not the quick, clean killers some people believe. Allen’s research has demonstrated that wolves will typically kill by literally tearing their prey apart. When a pack is involved the killing process is often quick, but even then sometimes takes a while. All that’s required is that the prey holds still enough for the eating process to begin.


The deer tried to escape many times, but with her hind legs ripped up, the wolf easily knocked her back down every time. Dr. David Mech, a wolf researcher from Minnesota, told me that wolves typically attack deer and other prey from the rear in an attempt to immobilize the hind legs. As I watched the struggling doe, I recalled a National Geographic video entitled Wolves: A Legend Returns to Yellowstone that shows wolves attacking and bringing down lots of elk and other big game in this manner.


Whenever the deer attempted to escape her tormentor the wolf would bite her on the face and neck, forcing her back down. The wolf never made any overt attempt to kill her. “Wolves will often pull down deer and other big game and begin feeding on them before they are dead. A wolf’s first concern is his stomach. They do not have feelings like a human and they are not capable of caring if a prey animal suffers,” says Dr. Mech.


The wolf frequently broke off his attack to cautiously check his surroundings. The sound of the deer’s bawling seemed to make him nervous. The area contains a robust bear population and I figured he was afraid the doe’s distress calls would attract one to the scene. Bears have been known to steal wolf kills and even kill wolves on rare occasions.


Several times the wolf left the scene, once for more than an hour. “What you witnessed was rather typical fall wolf behavior. During the fall, deer are in peak physical condition and widespread, making them difficult prey. That’s when wolves will typically hunt for deer alone to cover more ground, although they still share the kill with the pack. The wolf was probably going back to a rendezvous area to look for other members of the pack,” Dr. Mech told me.


During the encounter, I was able to sneak to a position directly across the river. My distance from the wolf was about 100 yards. The camera I used was a sub-compact Canon Powershot G6. This camera has a modest zoom lens, but the 7.1 megapixels camera set on the highest resolution did a fair job of capturing the action. I would have liked to have been able to get closer, but also realize that horning in on a wolf with his kill is not a prudent move.


The wolf finally left and didn’t return, leaving the deer still very much alive. My gut reaction was to put an end to the deer’s suffering. I’m a realist though. By the time I happened upon the attack the deer’s fate had already been sealed. Should the wolf catch my scent around the kill, it might have abandoned the deer for good, which would have been a senseless waste of the resource. Besides, had I interfered, I would have actually been breaking the law. It is illegal to harass a wolf.


At one point I thought the doe had died. She lay in the water without moving for at least 10 minutes. Eventually, when the wolf did not come back through, she picked her head up and looked around. I’m not sure whether she was playing dead or had passed out.


Eventually the deer righted herself and surveyed her wounds. I estimated that the wolf had eaten at least five pounds of flesh along with several pounds of hide and hair. Dr. John Vucetich, a Michigan Tech professor and wolf researcher who has been studying wolves for many years, says “Wolves will often feed on the prime parts first. Those would include the hindquarters and other large muscle groups. Next they go after the internal organs and then the bones. They also typically eat the hide and hair which helps them with their digestion of meat and bone.”


The doe began to drag herself from the icy river water. She was unable to stand. Using her front legs, she inched her way toward the bank. Few people will ever witness the feeding mechanics of wolves. It is a gut wrenching spectacle. “I’ve seen wolves take prey down many times and it still always affects me emotionally every time I see it,” Dr. Vucetich told me. The experience certainly affected me.


As her suffering continued and she struggled toward the bank, I wondered how long it would take for her to succumb to her fate. I shared these photos with Brian Roell, wolf coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He was surprised that the deer had not died more quickly from such wounds. “Wolf prey typically dies from shock, which is a loss of blood,” Roell says. From where I sat though, I saw surprisingly little bleeding. It all boils down to luck or chance as to when a wolf happens to bite into a major blood vessel that will cause enough blood loss.


Eventually the deer struggled onto the bank where I watched her for quite some time, wondering if the wolf would return. I’ve witnessed multiple cases of wolves killing more than they can eat, which is referred to as surplus killing by wolf biologists. “Surplus killing is like a short circuit in the wolf and typically occurs when their prey is malnourished and deep snow conditions make them easy targets. Surplus killings rarely happen during the fall,” Dr. Vucetich says.


Eventually I decided to leave. I couldn’t watch any more. When I rose from my hide, the deer spotted me and simply stared. I returned the next morning at daybreak armed with a long-lens camera. The deer was gone. Later I slipped into waders and forged the swift current, but the deer was nowhere to be seen.


A photograph of the tracks that were at the attack site. A wolf biologist that I shared my photos with erroneously identified the predator as a coyote at first glance. The tracks were 3 1/2 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches long. The largest coyote tracks will measure perhaps 2 1/2 inches long. I later recovered the jaw-bone from the doe, which indicated she was at least 2 1/2 years old. In that region, adult does will typically weigh 130 to 150 pounds during the fall. Comparing the size of the deer to the wolf leaves little doubt as to the species of the predator, Canis lupus (Gray Wolf). (OutdoorLife.com)

Thank you.

Canis lupus

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. — Matthew 7:15–20

For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. — Acts 20:29–31

Yesterday’s photograph of the doe nursing her two newborn fawns is a lovely as it gets. Today, however, it’s back to real life and a visual lesson for all the pastors out there following this blog.

Our Lord Jesus Christ does not employ the “wolf” metaphor for entertainment or serrated purposes. Anyone who has seen predators operate in the Church, as I have, knows that He meant it literally. The following video captures a wolf pack hunting a herd of caribou in northern Canada. Be advised it’s not a happy ending:



Here are a few observations off the top of my head:

1. Notice that the wolf pack “shadows” the caribou herd. In other words, they’re hunting.


2. Notice that, when they make their move, they’re goal is to break up the herd in order to isolate prey, which is almost always the weakest or most vulnerable of the herd.


3. Once they isolate the prey, they ruthlessly pursue it and it’s just a matter of time.


4. No one can help the prey. The herd leaves it to its tragic end.


5. When the wolf brings down the prey, it has no sense of sympathy or empathy for its suffering (wolves oftentimes devour their prey alive, not bothering to kill it first) — they only understand their physical hunger.

One final observation: When the elders of Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) learned of Steven Sitler’s horrifying crimes, they immediately warned the flock by identifying him as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” When Douglas Wilson learned of Steven Sitler’s horrifying crimes, he immediately concealed it from the church and labored diligently to insure his safe reintroduction into the flock where he preyed.

These facts say it all for “by their fruits you will know them.”

Thank you.