Letters From Down the Road

There are exactly 37 ways to balk at the professional level, but only 36 at the high school level. Shall I name them all?

Andy, high school umpire

Can you suggest a book that was helpful for you in your journey to becoming a Presbyterian? Specifically one that addresses the debate on baptism. And perhaps one on the argument for pedocommunion too? And, while we’re at it, any suggestions on a book related to church polity? Just trying to keep up!
Thank you.

Travis

As I read through “On Bringing Things to a Marital Head” a number of things were eerily familiar. I am one of three children to parents married about 40 years, we grew up in a decent Christian home, and we definitely knew our parents’ marriage was not that great. Tyler’s wife’s behavior sounds a lot like my mother’s, except my mother has no taste for the sticky-sweet sentimentality of Eat Pray Love. My parents attend a reasonably solid Baptist church, but I could see my father (who reads your blog) following your advice to break her control in some other context (for example, regularly going out to visit friends or family when she would want to stay home).
In Ephesians 5 Paul instructs wives to submit to their husbands, and husbands to love their wives. My mother (like Tyler’s wife) certainly does not submit to her husband, but neither does my father love his wife. He no longer is willing to sacrifice much, if anything, for her, and he doesn’t grieve the brokenness of their marriage. My concern is that my father would act in accordance with your advice, but absent love; that he would “disobey” not hoping for that “germ of respect” but rather a) for the exhilaration of self-autonomy after years of living in what he would describe as a stifling marriage, and perhaps even b) to spite her.
Appreciate your advice,

B

You emphasize in various writings that authority naturally flows to people who take responsibility. Years ago, I took that to heart and began to act on it. It led to many good things.
I don’t think you meant it this way, but at times, I applied the teaching as “pick up all possible unclaimed responsibility you see lying around.” I maxxed out, got overwhelmed, and found myself responsible for things I had no inclination or natural talent to do—at work, around the house, etc.
What if part of taking responsibility is being responsible to see where something should be someone else’s responsibility, and acting accordingly? If the eye takes on the responsibilities of an eye, and leaves the footwork to the feet, everyone is a lot happier. Of course, sometimes something is so urgent, it needs to be done even if it’s not your “gifting,” but ideally, things should be delegated to the people best suited for them. Am I on the right track?

Douglas

Our family has been listening through your Surveying the Text sermons and I have been using the accompanying blog posts to make some notes in my Bible. We have been finding both valuable. It has occurred to me on a few occasions in this process that I would love to have all your outlines and brief notes in book form, especially laying out the chiasms. Anyway I am not sure if such a project has occurred to any of you, but I figured I wouldn’t hurt to suggest it.
Cheers,

Carla

Not related to a recent post, but related to the serrated edge concept. Is there a place for “talking s***” or “trash talk” or any such thing for a Christian? A favorite quarterback of mine talks about how he leads his team by trash talking at the defense, riling them up, and getting them to make mistakes. (His off the field life is a Christian who by all accounts if a faithful husband, father, so forth).
It made me wonder if that’s something a Christian could do outside of war. Is football too small potatoes? When do the potatoes get big enough?

Thomas

A reply to your blurb quote: “I am not bound to accept a prophetic utterance from a charismatic friend the same way I am bound to believe the book of Romans.”
Concise and to the Point, p. 45
No reliable charismatic/pentecostal speaker of the supernatural word gifts makes such a claim as you are denying—which must be a straw man, except that there are fools among us. To my point, the first century had supernatural prophets, such as called for a collection because of the coming famine, or that Paul would be bound with a belt like the one he held.
We charismatic prophetic speakers (the ones I know anyway) strongly hold to Paul’s caution, King James Version
19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
The most thorough, yet short, study of how we are to use the supernatural word gifts that I know of is the essay by the late Derek Prince, How to Judge Prophecy, here:
Thank you for your work! I often rely on your wisdom and experience.

Bruce

Given the recent Saints in Genesis series on Canon+, I thought you might appreciate this joke:
After their sister was defiled by Shechem, Jacob’s sons came to him to ask if he had any ideas for how they could take vengeance. Jacob thought for a moment and then replied, “Dinah might.”

AVJ

I hope you are doing well. I understand that children are a blessing, and I love my children. However, I hate pregnancy. Shocking, I know. But, it’s not merely because of the weight gain, the discomfort, or the labor process. Those are annoying, but expected parts of being pregnant. The thing which I detest the most is the hormonal/emotional issues. Without going into detail, during my last pregnancy, my thoughts were very dark. I was very unwell, and began entertaining some bad ideas. Thankfully, these dark ideations disappeared after I gave birth, and my husband, friends, church, and the Lord were all with me. I’m terrified, though, of getting pregnant again. I don’t know what this is about except hormones. I’m healthy in every area: physical, mental, social, etc., but I really hate that this happens. Is there any wisdom/encouragement you could give?

ON

It takes two to reconcile, and that will often involve dealing with necessary issues before reconciliation can be realized. How would you recommend to deal with a situation in which one of the parties has refused to engage, and then ends up losing the ability to even deal with those issues due to dementia or other mental illness?

grh

I have a question. It has come up multiple times in our home and I would appreciate some thoughtful guidance. How do we handle pets in the home (or rather the conversation around them) when the “head of the house” and the “CEO of the home” have different views and were raised differently with them?
Thank you!

Sara

Could you direct me to a past blog, podcast, book etc. where you addressed the argument for the current church structure, specifically the traditional Sunday service where a congregation gathers to hear from a preacher. I have several friends that are pushing against today’s structure saying that it isn’t represented in Scripture like we are doing it. For example, books like Pagan Christianity or Organic Church discuss. Have you addressed this idea in the past that I might be able to learn from?
Thank you,

Doug

I am writing you to simply ask some questions about your video “How to Disobey an ‘Erratic’ Wife.” I wrote to you about two months ago or so, and you were kind enough to reply. I’m the Bible professor whose marriage was about to end, and I was struggling to discern whether I was actually repentant or not.
I am writing you again to ask about the applicability of that video to my situation. Does it apply in the sense that it fits what I am going through, and if it does, how do I apply the advice given my situation? You probably don’t remember the details of my letter, so a quick summary: I was actually emotionally abusive to my wife. I swung between cowardice and dominance. I have done my best to own that sin, and I can’t remember the last time I lost my temper on my wife or kids.
My church, however, continues to say that I am unrepentant even though they acknowledge that I haven’t lost my temper in years at this point. In their view, any attempt I make to lead my family in making a difficult decision for my daughter is a species of control, and control captures the essence of abuse. It doesn’t matter what tone or demeanor I use in trying to make this decision. All my wife has to say is that I was coarse with her, and the conversation is over. They have set arbitrary lines in the sand for me, and they have refrained from addressing my wife’s sin, even though there is concrete evidence that she is struggling with being erratic like a hole in our wall for example that I did not make. I want to be clear here that I don’t judge my wife. I understand why she is feeling what she is feeling, but I have been left without help in addressing it and have even continued to be accused of abuse when I try to.
This is where your video comes in. Let’s say for the sake of the question that I am accurately representing my situation. I do think I am, but this whole process with the church has melted my mind. My question is: does the scenario in your video fit mine given the fact that I was indeed abusive in our marriage, and if it does, how do I apply the advice to a church that does seem to fit the church you describe?
Just to add some complexity to this situation, I am quite sure that the church would discipline me at this point because they continue to view me as unrepentant. So, that complicates whether I could leave or not.
I would welcome any help or insight you could offer.
Sincerely,

J

His blood be upon us and our children.
I have a clear memory of my Catholic grade school nun using this verse to explain to us why Jews are to be despised. In Christ, I have overcome that prejudice and see Jews, when I encounter them, as evidence of God’s presence through time. Sadly, I think many Catholics, particularly Poles, carry this opinion forward and feel justified because it seems supported by Scripture. Thank you for a clear presentation of this that I had not heard before.

Jack

There’s a pastor in Vallejo CA that has used AI to make a “digital twin” of himself so that church members can chat online and ask it questions. He just fed it all his sermons, notes, podcasts, books etc. But what cracked me up is that his last name is Lester.
“Just call me ChadGPT”

Alex

I just read your article about overturning the 19th amendment. I want to reply briefly with two “lived experiences,” which I offer in contrast to the idealized thinking I think I’m reading.
I live in a situation of on-going disagreement over politics with my husband. We frequently cancel each other’s vote out, but that is a positive good in my opinion. I wish that we agreed and in some cases (more recently) we do. But over the long haul, my vote helps to preserve conservatism, re-balances the political scale, and empowers me to live freely as an independent citizen with the same rights that my husband enjoys.
Secondly, I unfortunately had to divorce my first husband. I referenced your article “time to walk,“ many, many times as I entered and endured the process. Because no-fault divorce was available to me, many additional devastations were avoided. The church was not supportive to me. I fled to an evangelical Episcopal Church, which, while supportive of my needs, I think had a very detrimental effect on my children. The faithful church would not have dogged me into leaving.
The failure of the church and the extremity of sin on the part of my ex-husband made no-fault divorce a blessing.
As a pastor, I’m sure you have witnessed and overseen many situational applications. I just want to add that often life is not as simple as a conservative, nationalistic Christian might hope. I do not mind considering your premises and I respect that it may be you are developing this theology around what ideally should happen in this world. But I think high-minded theology, like so many perfect things,will not be perfectly known until God grants the new heavens and new earth to sustain them.
Sincerely yours,

Diane

Thank you so much for all the work you have done. My family and church have benefited immensely from your writing ministry. I am the associate/youth pastor at a congregational church. The head pastor is looking to step down in a few years and would like me to take over for him. Our church was historically paedobaptist and around fifty years ago someone changed that, and we have been strictly credobaptist ever since. My convictions have recently changed and I am now paedobaptist while the head pastor and the majority of the congregation is credobaptist. I am exploring the possibility of us becoming a dual practice church, especially if I were to take over for him.
What do you think of churches who are dual practice? And what are some things that I need to be aware of in making that transition as smoothly as possible? Is it even a good idea for me to take the head pastorate if my beliefs differ from the majority of the congregation on baptism?
Thanks so much for your time. May God continue to bless you and your family.

Caleb

I enjoy and am often encouraged when Pastor Wilson works through an article published online. He often breaks down the fallacies or inconsistencies, pro’s and cons, etc in the writing. Mark Zuckerberg just published an AI manifesto I thought was interesting. I find myself agreeing with some of the content in the article, but I am skeptical of my own reasoning. Would Pastor Wilson be willing to do a blog post interacting with that article?
Thanks

Chris

I appreciated your article “The American Ethnicity.” My one disappointment is that you forgot American is properly spelled ‘Merican. And the “er” sounds a little more like “ur.” Despite that, it was good.
And your point about the government school system being set against certain elements of what it means to be ‘Merican is also very true. I think that is why Harvard (back around COVID times, if I remember correctly) said that homeschooling was racist. There is a desire to dismantle the nation of ‘Merica.
In Christ,

David

Your take on this hypothetical?
A husband suspects his wife is lying to and about him, and also receiving wicked counsel. He views his wife’s text messages and emails. His suspicions are proved correct, and she is furious, saying that the invasion of privacy destroys trust and intimacy. Legal questions aside, has the husband sinned? Do wives have a right to privacy, and can that right be overridden by a husband’s authority?

Brandon

While arguing why Americans need to more selfishly hoard their wealth for themselves, you state, “There is a point where compassion does not scale, and pretending that it does simply creates counterfeit compassion.”
I’m not surprised that you did not cite the Bible for moral guidance in this piece, because you would not have found support. The USA in 2026 has more wealth than any other nation in world history has ever had. With just 4% of the global population we have 40% of the world’s millionaires, 30% of the world’s billionaires, and briefly had the first ever trillionaire. The amount of excess wealth Americans have sitting around is extraordinary. The same goes for every other excess resource, including land.
So what should Americans do with excess wealth? John the Baptist had an idea: “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
But surely Jesus wouldn’t say that, right? Well . . .”Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
But maybe Jesus still thinks that sharing your wealth with your wealthy neighbors is more important than sharing it with poor strangers. Or . . . maybe not?
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Of course, anyone who reads your blog knows you don’t treat the commands of Jesus as particularly normative. So let’s move on to the early church. Surely they didn’t act on such extreme commands, did they?
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.”
Okay, okay, I know you don’t see the example of Acts as normative either. But you have to trust Paul at least, right?
“I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that there may be equality. “
Our abundance should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply our want, so there may be equality. That is what God wants. Not hoarded wealth.
Never forget that the wealth and luxury of you and many of your followers, right at this very moment, surpasses the wealthiest people that were hearing Jesus’s words in the first century. Should that not make us tremble?
John speaks to us in no uncertain terms:
“But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.”
If you close your heart to the poor who don’t happen to be of “American ethnicity”, despite you having so many of the world’s goods, how does God’s love abide in you?
I’m not even going to start quoting James now because he didn’t even offer hope that the rich could be turned around, he simply condemned them (as Jesus himself did at several turns). Instead I’ll end on a hopeful note. As Jesus said to another man, I think he is saying to you.
“You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Koinonia Love