On Takeovers & Evangelism: Wilson Sacks the Palouse

Doug Wilson, pastor of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho

Posted at The Truth About Moscow:

"Doug Wilson cared about evangelizing lost souls only to the extent that he could persuade others to buy his southern history, which he shackled to the gospel. He wasn’t “taking” Moscow & Pullman for Christ. To be sure, he’s the first deride this kind of Bill Bright–Billy Graham terminology. For him, this was war, and he planned to exact retribution against his enemies. ..."

For the next blog post I compiled a large body of quotations from Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, regarding his stated objective to “take” the cities of Moscow & Pullman. However, before we go there it’s important to disabuse readers of the notion that the words “take” or “takeover” are metaphors that refer to converting the community. This quote controls, because it was the first time he stated his goal:

In the 60s, my father wrote a small but enormously influential book called The Principles of War. In it, he applied the principles of physical warfare to what he called strategic evangelism. This idea of warfare is necessary in order to understand a central part of what is happening here, and by this I mean the concept of the decisive point. A decisive point is one which is simultaneously strategic and feasible. Strategic means that it would be a significant loss to the enemy if taken. Feasible means that it is possible to take. New York City is strategic but not feasible. Bovill is feasible but not strategic. But small towns with major universities (Moscow and Pullman, say) are both. (Douglas Wilson, The State of the Church 2003, December 28, 2003)

At the end of each year Douglas Wilson preaches a “State of the Church” sermon wherein he assesses the state of Christ Church, and 2003 was a disaster for the Kirk — especially when he preached this sermon. For five months, from October 2003 to February 2004, one subject occupied Mr. Wilson’s agenda: His defense of race-based slavery in the antebellum south as a biblical institution.

Read more here.