Letters Intended for the Edification of All

The link here is the apology/acknowledgement of Stated Clerk’s office of PCA.

Jerry

It’s going to be an interesting letter day on Tuesday…

Melody

On your “Let the Healing Begin…” post, I would be most interested to know how you found out about the “an apology that had apparently been scrubbed and sanitized by three PR firms, and two white shoe law firms.” Do you have some kind of inside source?

Lane

In re: Bryan Chapell
Pastor Doug:
Reading the various evangelical blogs & websites in the current time is like reading the old “Tabloids.” But what planet is this guy living on? He left your name off. Seriously though, as a PCA church member I’m not amused.

Jerry

Brother Doug, I must confess I was a bit taken aback (and offended for you) not to see your name on Bryan Chapell’s scandal list. Maybe you were on the flip side?

John

In response to your message to Corey Mahler. I appreciate you reaching out to him with strong encouragements to repentance. It is long past time for you to discontinue publishing Stephen Wolfe’s book on “Christian” nationalism. Show us, Corey Mahler (and more importantly, the Lord of Glory) that you understand how truly evil this is.

Judy

I have been interested in acquiring an encyclopedia set for my family to encourage looking things up there rather than the internet. Do you have recommendations? It seems like it’d be difficult to find non-evolutionary encyclopedias for example, and modern ones probably have other issues (though it looks like only World Book even still issues physical books!)
Thanks!

Cole

You answered a letter I wrote you back in January about how to handle my husband’s somewhat mild drinking problem. Your advice was that I ask him to make an appointment with the pastor and if he wouldn’t then I should see the pastor about it myself. I drug my feet on this advice in fear of what the outcome would be. My husband’s drinking is mostly done in secret so it really doesn’t affect our day-to-day lives. He’s rarely visibly drunk but he drinks more than he ought, habitually lies about it, and drives intoxicated at times. He is adamant about me not telling people at church about it. Says he wouldn’t go to church anymore if I did. This would be a much greater disturbance to the day-to-day lives of me and my children than the drinking currently is. I’m even more concerned that it may lead to ugly behavior from him at home or divorce. So I’m writing you again to ask what the expected outcome is of taking this problem to our pastor. Is the goal to kill the sin at any cost?
Thank you for your time.

CS

We have a pastor with a son (16) that has yet to profess faith in Christ. I haven’t asked him personally, but from what I’ve heard the son is honest about where he’s at. He’s also well behaved . . . just unconverted. This same pastor also has a daughter (14) who has professed faith in Christ and who is a member of our church—she seems to be walking faithfully with the Lord but occasionally wears booty shorts to the prayer meetings. All that to say, my husband and I have been wondering about what does it mean for children of elders to be believers and managed well. Our church has 5 pastors. We attend . . . a healthy and good church that we do love and the Lord has done sweet works here. But elder qualifications regarding children has come up a lot in fam discussions and we are trying to figure out what the Scriptures teach. In my online perusing I came across a Desiring God article that references your Credenda Agenda (9 Douglas Wilson, “The Pastor’s Kid, Again” in Credenda/Agenda, vol. 2, no. 5.) but I cannot find it online. I know you have a book on this topic which I’ve listened to via the Canon app. But I was hoping to find your old stuff because what was copied in the article seemed really clear and I’m after that.
Thank you for your time!!

Christy

I had a question regarding your recent conversation on YouTube with Rigney and Longshore on the Woke Right. During the discussion you mentioned your “Apostolic Study Bible” project you did years ago (this being the second time you have mentioned it as far as I can recall). I have listened closely to the steps you followed and have begun searching my own Bible. But I have several questions: (1) Is it not sufficient for an NT verse to show the OT reference? How is it any different for the OT verse to also do the opposite? (2) I have found that my KJV Scofield, to some extent, will give NT references in the OT books, though inconsistently. Are you aware of any study Bible that does this completely; or not? Thus, explaining why you had to do it yourself . . . (3) What specifically was the ‘trouble’ you got yourself into for doing this? I can’t imagine you were the first person to do this. Does this exercise yield a Post-mil, covenantal, and/or Calvinist interpretation? Or is this part of what caused the whole FV controversy?
I am keen to see this through for myself but I feel it would help knowing what the outcome should be . . .
P.S. P.S. A helpful link for anyone else who’s interested doing the same:
Much thanks,

Jonathan

This could be considered an “Ask Doug” question. What counsel and encouragement would you give to a wife who is much more zealous for the things of God than her husband? Her husband accuses her of “taking things too seriously” or “exasperating him” when she comes to him with biblical convictions and desires for their home. Even getting him to pray with her on a regular basis is considered above his abilities and beyond what he is willing to do. She earnestly wants to keep away from taking charge and usurping his authority and role, but his lack of zeal is leaving her exasperated and burdened for the state of their spiritual life and need for training their children in righteousness. How can she continue to seek wholly after the Lord, gaining wisdom and growing in godly affection, while also being a wonderful helpmate and wait for her husband to catch up in his own zeal for the Lord?
Even if this question is never published, I would deeply appreciate a response. Do you know how difficult it is to find solid biblical instruction? Of course you do. This is also a very specific issue that I haven’t found anyone talk about, so whatever counsel and Scripture you can point me in would be so helpful! This has been a struggle for many years and I am often so very discouraged.
Thank you and God bless you!

D

You seem to have a strong and well-thought-out opinion on the possibility for unrelated men and women to “just be friends.” As such, I am wondering if you can weigh in on the following situation. (I have largely obscured/changed the story, of course, without affecting the tenor of my question).
As an elder in my congregation, I have recently been counseling a young woman who, in my opinion, has a naive view of relationships between men and women. She is upset because a “guy friend” from another church expressed romantic interest in her. Now, from a distance, I had observed a notable chemistry between these two young people. It was a genuine connection. They are also in a similarly high ‘league,’ if you understand my meaning; neither party would (or at least, should) have been thinking “I can do better”.
Not having access to the guy’s side of the story, I can only give the girl’s. According to her, it was a friendship, nothing more. My question to you, pastor, is: is this really possible? Can mere friendships actually exist between a single guy and girl, both of marriageable age, of the same league, who have a notable chemistry?
The reason this is a pertinent question is because my intuition tells me the girl is pushing away a good opportunity for a healthy marriage because, whilst being naturally drawn to the stability of a good man in her life, she has a youthful reluctance to embrace the seriousness of commitment at this stage of life.
Thank you,

Gabe

My kids want me to ask you if you think Adam and Eve had belly buttons.

Jacob

Our family (mom, 5 siblings, and me) has just been rocked by the revelation that our father has been having several affairs for over a year, and he has decided to separate. This is the second time that this has happened, but last time he claimed to repent and reconcile, whereas now, years later, he is not.
What most worries me is that I can understand how he did it. I also struggle with pornography and emotional infidelity, although I have been taking steps to fight it (confession, accountability, seeking to renew proper sexual intimacy). I also understand what my father has now confessed regarding his intellectual assent to Christianity, but the lack of any subjective relationship with Christ. I am not the most emotional person, but I am often worried about my lack of the more subjective, emotional proofs of faith that I think should be present in a believer. What, if anything, can I do to help foster such love for Christ, so that I can avoid repeating the sins of my father?
God bless you and your ministry,

Anonymous

I would like to request Doug and Nancy write a book and/or do a webinar on “Deathbed Hospitality.” My step Dad has multiple myeloma and dementia and is probably in his last year. ( He is a strong believer, praise the Lord!)
My mother would like to care for him at home for as long as possible and there aren’t a lot of helpful Christian sources for the practical of how to do this as well as support for the caregivers /family from a Reformed Christian perspective.
Thank you for your consideration.

Heather

“I get your point, but I would be very surprised if the prophesying that occurs in charismatic circles ever got down to the level of banter or chatting. “Did you get a load of Pastor Bill’s socks?” or “Someone should check the thermostat.” It has struck me as speech that wants to sound like Scripture, but without being held to the standards of Scripture.”
Okay, I’ll bite. My current reading is taking me through 1 Samuel, and I’m again struck by how many prophecies occurred throughout Scripture that weren’t recorded. Once you start to look for it, it’s constant in both Old Testament and New. How many times did Saul and the people around him get struck with a spirit of prophecy? What did they say? It’s not recorded. How many people are identified throughout Scripture as already being known as prophets without us having any of their prior words recorded directly? Clearly there are biblical examples of a category of prophetic that’s not recordable as the same importance as the Scripture that God protects and preserves forever. And when Paul says we prophesy in part, etc, that is completely at odds with the truth of Scripture being perfect and whole—so couldn’t he be talking about this category of prophecy that is not capital “S” Scripture?
But for the more casual or conversational prophecy that you’re skeptical of, I will testify of a recent incident at my church. Praise God that we have been growing – last year we were getting of a size where we believed God was leading us to plant a church to a nearby suburb. One of the elders got a word from God “You are pregnant with twins.” Shortly thereafter our church did a survey to identify which members could help with the church plant in the target suburb, and we realized we had a significant number of members in that location, yes, but also a significant number of members from a specific suburb in the opposite direction – so our church prayed that if God was indeed telling us to do two church plants at once to make it abundantly clear—and we were shortly thereafter gifted a church building in that second suburb.
That “You are pregnant with twins” message seems like a perfect example of conversational prophecy that God gives to guide his church that is staying entirely under the authority of Scripture.

Ian

Thank you for your recent answer on tithing. I came across a great resource on the subject by Rich Lusk, in which he makes use of the work of men like North, Rushdoony, Bahnsen and Jordan on the matter:
On inheritances, he agrees with your assessment that tithing would not seem to apply (footnote 33). And that tithing is not on capital, but on increase. However, he also gives an example of a farmer buying a field for $1000 and selling it for $5000, indicating that a tithe would be due on the rise in value of that capital asset.
So a question remains: what about tithing on capital *gains*? For example, if a house triples in value over the last 30 years from £100k to £300k—a capital gain of £200k (due to the mercy of market forces, not due to renovation/improvement), then when you sell it do you tithe on this gain in capital? This is complicated by:
1. Knowing how much of the increase in value is simply due to general inflation. E.g. if the cost of living has approximately doubled in the last 30 years, that £200k capital gain over that period has already had half its purchasing power wiped out, leaving you with only £100k effective gain in terms of what goods you can actually purchase with it. Do you tithe only on £100k?
2. If you happen to be using the sale proceeds (£300k inc. £200k capital gain) to buy/move to a different house, and if house prices have all roughly tripled over this 30 year period, the £200k capital ‘gain’ might be zero gain at all relative to any other house you are considering moving to. But if it is your second house, and you want to buy a different kind of asset (perhaps a car or a field) then this £200k might equate to a genuine increase in purchasing power compared to other assets that have not undergone such rapid inflation. So the gain involved seems to depend on what you are buying. Should tithe be affected by choice of asset?
3. Returning to the original question, if I am receiving an inheritance of a house worth £300k which has the capital gain (£200k) already baked in, must I sell this family home in order to pay a tithe on the capital gain? Or do you only pay the tithe at the point you come to sell the asset? That could be a huge bill for my great-grandchildren!
Somebody really needs to get the theologians & economists to sort through these questions clearly for us.

Henry

My wife and I have recently realized that our sex life is not as robust as either one of us would like, and so we have started being intentional to have more sex, and to be more intentional during sex. As part of this, the subject of cursing during sex, as well as the use of more alluring pet names, has come up. What bounds would you put in place in these areas? Is cursing during sex wrong? Is using more objectifying terminology as a pet name wrong? Can it be done rightly and wrongly? I want to lead her into a great sex life, but not at the cost of greater Christ-likeness.
Sincerely,

Anon

I wrote you several months ago about being baptised as an adult in an Anglican Church, giving up on the woke Church of England and finding a very good Reformed Baptist Church in my area. You may recall to become a church member the pastor told me I’d have to get baptised again. You suggested I keep going to the church but not get baptised again. I took your advice.
Anyway, I’m technically not a member of any church now. The pastor at the Reformed Baptist Church has politely told me I can’t partake in communion anymore because I’m not a church member and I’m no longer a member of my old Church of England church.
Do you have any advice? I’m pretty limited when it comes to options in this part of England. Most churches are woke Anglican or woke Methodist.
Best regards,

John

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing your grandson, Rory, about his StickerGate case at the U.S. Supreme Court, the Hamas demonstrations at Columbia, and the life of a Christian in the Ivy League. If you’d like to share this, folks can watch our interview here.

Bill

Thank you for your post on the White/Mahler debate. I agree with most everything that you said. The one part I take issue with is your understanding of Titus 1:12.
The full context of that passage is Titus 1:10-16. In that passage, Paul is tasking Titus with fighting against the false teachings of the Judaizers. These false teachers are insubordinate and have rejected the gospel. “One of them, a prophet of their own” refers to these false teachers, these Judaizers. What this false teacher is saying is that “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” In other words, he is claiming that they are unclean, and their baptism is not enough. That is why Titus must “rebuke them sharply that they might be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables” like what this false teacher is saying. That is why this passage ends with “To the clean, all things are clean, but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is clean.” The word I translated “clean” is usually translated “pure,” but it ties into “purify” in Titus 2:14.
If we trace the antecedent of the pronoun “one of them,” it would be wrong to think that it is “one of the Cretans.” Must it not be “one of the insubordinate false teachers who are especially of the Judaizers”?
Sorry to hit you with my one critique on such a great article! I particularly liked the section that you addressed to Corey Mahler himself. So many times in the Reformed world, we argue with people to discard them. We want our mic drop moment so we can write them off. But you did not. You argued with him “to exhort and convict those who contradict” the gospel (Tit. 1:9).
Thank you!

David

One of the struggles of being finite is it’s hard to be content. The now feels like the forever, and getting to the end of the affliction (real or imagined) is like a 6 year old trying to sleep on Christmas Eve.
This effect is exaggerated if you know, or at least think you know, that whatever you’re waiting for is the right thing. I’m not exactly talking about waiting for marriage, although that is relevant, but rather correctly waiting to get somewhere in your career.
There’s not a ton I can find on being content while still striving to excel (pun intended). How do you balance being content with where God has you, and yet still work hard, with a big end goal in mind, while avoiding pride or envy marring your pursuit?
If I would like to do X with my life, and I think God has made me capable of doing X, such that I would feel like I wasted my life if I did not do it, what is the right way to pursue X? And do so for and in God’s glory, not for and in my own?
How do you keep “being content” from being a fancy way of throwing in the towel, sitting back, and saying, “God’s will be done, I’ll just be content here.” Don’t you need to have a goal, and also need to chase it hard?
Confused, fogged, at a lost, but grateful for your time,

J

Would you consider it lawful to participate in an adventure race that starts early on a Sunday and continues all through the week until Saturday? This would mean missing both worship services, and I am of the conviction that the Lord’s day is the new sabbath. But if it’s not lawful, would all races/competitive sports that continues for longer than a week be unlawful? If it is lawful, should we try to incorporate more rest on the Sunday and just worship together as a team as we find opportunity?
Thank you,

Willem