Despite an Obvious Opportunity to Do Better in 2021, We Still Haven’t Fixed the Letters Problem

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Of Course. The Election

“This is normally just a formality, but this time it will include ratifying that greasy black cloud hovering over Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Arizona. ” I just want to note that you’re speaking of two states decided by 80,000 and 150,000 votes and two others completely controlled by conservative Republican administrations. And that Trump would need both of the Republican-run elections AND one of the 80,000/150,000 margin states to switch somehow, despite the Trump campaign not having filed a single lawsuit to date that showed any meaningful degree of fraud in any of those states nor any other irregularities that would shift the vote.

I suggest you read Senator Ben Sasse’s letter regarding the election. He not only points out that there’s no evidence of a fraudulent result in any state, he also makes the crucial observation that not a single Congressional Republican he has spoken to privately actually believes that the election was fraudulent. You’re following the lead of hypocrites.

Jon

Jon, and what would your response be if a senator told us publicly that Sasse had told him (privately, of course) that he knew the election was stolen, but that disputing it was only going to make everything worse? It would mean nothing. And as I have noted before, I am not basing my conviction that the election was stolen on any conspiracy theories, or secret facts known only to me and Alex Jones. I am reading the big picture. And if Biden is the hot shot surfer zig-zagging in front of a blue tsunami, then I’m a Hottentot.

Thank you for this blog, “The Bat Guano Chronicles.” I truly enjoy your writing. Like many Americans, it is hard for me to get a clear picture of truth. This helped.

You mentioned the Bible instructs us on how to deal with “illegitimate” rulers. Could you point me in the right direction on that?

Thank you, I appreciate your time.

Bryan

Bryan, that will be coming soon, here in this space. Perhaps as soon as tomorrow, but soon in any case

Re Bat Guano “When February 1 rolls around, the White House will not be sitting there empty. Somebody is going to be living there, and it will be Biden or Trump.”

Or Pelosi, don’t forget. Whichever of the geriatric three, what are the odds it’ll be the same living fossil for the next four years? And if it is, what does *that* signify for the country?

John

John, what that signifies is something along the lines of gggrrkk!

Re: Bat Guano Election stuff, etc. I honestly don’t know what you’re looking at. Yes, there have been assertions, allegations, videos, statements, accusations, etc. However, and thankfully, unlike in just about every situation we’re dealing with, there has been an opportunity to adjudicate such matters. In other words, Trump simply doesn’t get to impose his will on the world by virtue of his adamant and repeated claims, as he is accustomed to, while also having the good fortune of having the completely lacking in credibility Democrats and media as his opponents. In court, it has been the case that such assertions of widespread fraud haven’t been made, or, to the extent they have been made, they simply haven’t been supported, and certainly not in any way sufficient to overturn the election. This has been the findings of state and federal judiciary at every level, without equivocation, including Trump’s own appointments. Anything said outside of such venues is quite frankly worthless nonsense. Andy McCarthy has been doing an excellent job at National Review chronicling all this. Consistent with such judicial findings, Barr’s DOJ concluded there was insufficient evidence of fraud to overturn the election. If you think Sasse is a squish (which I don’t believe is the case), certainly no one could accuse Tim Cotton of being such. Regardless of what people may believe or intuit or have some vague sense of, the evidence to actually reverse the outcome of the election simply has not been presented under rules of evidence before any court fit to adjudicate such matters. The President and his supporters must accept the results as they are. We have no other choice. What’s been absolutely remarkable is how brazenly selective all of this objecting has been, as if this widespread fraud only took place in the presidential part of the ballot where Trump lost in those states targeted by him and his acolytes. As Cotton points out, based on such methods, there’s nothing to stop anyone from raising these kinds of objections and seeking to impose their will by any and all means on any future elections, ad infinitum. Re Cruz, Hawley, etc., it could be the case that they’re simply making a political calculation, especially with an eye on 2024. Besides, neither of them is actually alleging evidence of fraud sufficient to overturn the election.

John

John, thanks for a reasonable and a thoughtful letter. But see my earlier response. Look at the Trump rallies v. the Biden soirees. I am being asked to believe in invisible teeming hordes.

A brother referred me to your blog and I’m indebted. Thanks to him and to you. The church, I increasingly fear, has become so neutered in the face of society’s mounting evil that it’s become incoherent. It flew past the cowardly stage some decades ago.

A professing believer I know says he personally is opposed to abortion, but will not oppose Democrats who demand it as a “right.” He says he will draw the line when they force him and his wife to have an abortion.

This accommodation of evil amounts to a surrender, not a witness. It’s the last stage of conforming to the fallen world before the final stage, which in his case would be, “OK, I’ll abort our baby if you insist.”

Mark

Mark, yes. Cowardice is never at a loss for “reasons.”

I am not dismissing the possibility that Lin Wood is a Democrat plant to make the whole election challenge movement look ridiculous.

But January 2021 may prove to be the most interesting month for American politics in a long time. I’m popping some popcorn. I do believe Trump has a January surprise, it will be interesting to see what it is, or maybe he’ll just torch the executive branch on his way out. Either way, the throne of heaven will be laughing at the schemes of man as He always has. The unending pandemic lock down is waking a lot of people up to the fact that we do not live in the free republic that we thought we did. That could have some interesting consequences going forward.

Elwin

Elwin, yes. And you may be referring to that old Chinese curse, “may you live in interesting times.”

My wife and I have learned much from you and your family’s ministries over the last several years. We have been truly blessed by it. So it pains me very much to see some of the things you’ve been writing lately.

I think the meme posted in the Cluster Muster on Thursday wraps up my concern succinctly so I’ll focus on that alone for the sake of brevity. The meme alleges that people who were supposed to be monitoring the vote counters were being locked out of the building and therefore nefarious things were happening inside. Now it took me < 5 min on the Google machine to find this meme to be misleading at best and false at worst. The picture originates from the Detroit Free Press monitoring the situation at the TCF Center. The Detroit Free Press reports that before the election it was agreed that Republicans and Democrats could have 134 ballot challengers in the building. However 227 Republicans and 268 Democrats made it in due to a lack of good security and was making the situation crowded and untenable, so the doors were locked. There were both additional Democrats and Republicans that wanted in after the doors were locked. So if that’s the kind of evidence you want to posit as proof of a grand conspiracy to steal the election, you’re using false info.

Now misleading information is dime-a-dozen on the interwebs these days. You could say, “it’s just a meme, don’t get all bent out of shape about something like this.” However, we as Christians MUST have the highest possible commitment to the truth in everything we say/write. When you post things like this I must assume one of three things. A) you know this meme is misleading and choose to post anyway. B) you know this meme could be misleading, but you’re too lazy to do a quick fact check. Or C) it just did not occur to you to fact check what you are posting. I do not believe A or B to be in your character. So I’ll just implore you: do some basic fact checking. Stop making certain claims about things like rigged elections without solid evidence to back it up. And in the absence of solid evidence, don’t use misleading, false, and/or dubiously sourced information instead. It is not permissible for a man who is a Christian, minister of the gospel, and a public figure to be doing such things.

Roger

Roger, thank you for the admonition, and for the obvious good intentions in it. But let me suggest another option, which has to do with how memes work. I posted that meme as a meme, and not as evidence. It is not the same thing as posting video footage of (say) the Georgia suitcases. The latter is being offered as evidence; memes are more like hieroglyphs—pictures of a point you want to make. Now the point I wanted to make, which is that numerous legit poll-watchers were prevented from doing their job on election night, was the only point I was wanting to make. The guy covering the window could have been in a different part of the building, or in another building, for all I know. BUT, if it turned out that that he was a shop-keeper, preparing for a hurricane, I would think the maker of the meme was being dishonest, and I would certainly want to apologize for passing anything like that on. In addition, as things stand with this incident, given how election coverage has gone so far, I wouldn’t want to take a Detroit newspaper’s word for it on who was kicked out and why. So, bottom line, I am not bearing false witness if I make it look like Jenna Fischer from The Office agrees with everything I just said.

Masks Are Another Perennial Topic

Another component of the “faces are important” theme is how we hide our faces due to shame. Someone hanging their head in shame is acknowledging something profound. Now we don’t want someone to remain in such a state, but it is great grace to start out there. In a culture that seeks to eradicate all forms of shame, it’s no wonder that the significance of such postures is lost. I wonder, if you prevent people from hanging their heads in shame, you likewise lose the ability for people to hold their heads high in nobility.

Alexander

Alexander, thanks. Yes. But in addition, I would say that Christians are the people who should have already gone through this process of shame > forgiveness, and not be participating in this, our culture-wide frenzy of shame.

My husband and I are grateful for Christ Church, the content you put out and especially your faithfulness as a church to stay open for worship corporately during the last year.

Our church leadership here is unfortunately not of the same conviction mostly due to the ominous Romans 13 duty (masks, limit of 30 people in the building on Saturday to witness when they record for YouTube, 6 feet between households etc) We are being preached at through the Tube to repent of our hard hearts and bad attitudes about the lock downs we must endure in our homes and churches and to rejoice and seek the peace God grants. After all there is a chance we could meet again in person in the summer! It is not convincing that this yearning to worship corporately is sin in need to repent of. We have been holding on by our finger nails praying and hoping for courage in the church leadership to change their actions but as the months go on it’s becoming clear that is not their MO and besides, it’s a bad witness to the health authorities, police, and media. The only church meeting is Grace Life church in Edmonton (5 hours away) and they say on their website they are not open to non-members. Any suggestions for a family of starving sheep in this pickle would be greatly greatly appreciated. Personally, finding it difficult to wade through Sundays . . .

Thank you for your time!

Nikki

Nikki, I am very sorry that I don’t have any practical help I can offer you. If you know of any like-minded people, perhaps you can meet in homes? I can only say that there are many church leaders who do not understand what all this is doing to their flocks—and in numerous areas not directly related to masks.

I am a mom of 6 children ages 11-2. Three of my children attend Geneva Classical Academy in Lakeland, FL . . . We have sent our children to classical schools for the past few years. We are very happy with Geneva! I am writing to you to get some advice or perspective on children attending school in masks. We are a family (and know many more like-minded families at Geneva) that value truth, critical thinking and even the questioning of the norm. Since that is of such high value to us, attending a classical school, who touts valuing those same things, seems like an easy fit . . . until the “pandemic.” Many of us are absolutely dismayed and discouraged at how the majority of the Geneva board is on board w/the tyrannical laws. We started the school w/masks, but just a few weeks in, many of us wrote letters, made calls to board members and the “requirement” was dropped (not long after the town’s mask mandate was dropped!) and made a mere recommendation! What a joy that our children were privileged to attend a school and live a normal life!

However, the children go back to a school on Tuesday and we were given a heads up that an official email will be going out Monday that masks are now back to being required. No discussions.

Many of us are appalled that our leaders would not only fall prey to the propaganda but also that they’d impose a vast overreach binding our consciences as well as violating parental rights and health choices we make for our own families.

You are so heavily admired by many of our board members and headmaster himself. What say you? What are your schools doing?

Thank you so much for reading my email and taking the time to respond.

Again, Thank you for all you do for TRUTH and CHRIST because one cannot exist without the other.

Neal and Morgendee

N & M, Logos School does not mandate masks. We do take extra measures (e.g. regular cleanings during the day). The board has said that we are going to defer to the parents on this decision, and so if the parents want their children to wear masks, we make room for that But we do not mandate masks, and the school is thriving.

A couple in my church recently inquired about your blog because I wear a Blog&Mablog one to church. I’m required to wear a mask in my church as per our province’s mandatory masking requirement and I decided a while ago that if I’m going to be a walking billboard for something it might as well be Blog&Mablog. The couple asked me to send a sample of your writing and so after church today I spent a bit of time browsing for a few of my favorites. I was realizing as I rummaged that it would be really handy if I were able to see a list of blog titles going back several months all on one page with hyperlinks built into the titles. Kind of like an index categorized by year. Is this something your webpage developers could do? I think it would make referencing older posts easier then searching tags or titles only.

If you’re wondering which I recommended it was: So You Married a Feminist from 2018. It was the first post from you I ever read and it’s still awesome.

Jordan

Jordan, there is something like that already. If you go to the main page, and at the bottom you will see a button that says “See All Blog Posts.” Click on that. Scroll down until you see a button on the right that says, “Select month,” and there you are.

Vision Post?

Will there be a 2021 Vision post this year? I really enjoyed the 2020 Vision post and went back to it a couple of times throughout the year.

Eric

Eric, no, no plans for that. But I think the Vision 2020 post should still work.

Vaccine Challenge

I understand that the directions include to mention the title of the post which is being addressed; however, I do not have a particular post in mind. I do not have Facebook or Twitter, and I am a new subscriber to Canon Press content, so this is the only route I know of so far to submit a question. If this does not preclude my question going through, here it is:

I am a psychiatry resident in –––––––. A colleague and myself are Christians and are considering the repercussions of the pandemic and the vaccine in our own ways. We fear that we may be given an ultimatum: Take the vaccine or lose your residency position, and be left with over $200,000 in debt and forego the ability to be certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. My friend views this issue and objects to any potential vaccine mandate through the lens of constitutional law; however, I believe that this is a preparatory trial for the Mark of the Beast. I fear there are forces at work that are using this pandemic and any potential vaccine mandate as a way to get people accustomed to drastic ordinances. My biggest worry is that if I cave-in to a vaccine mandate because my material security is at stake, how could I possibly refuse the Mark of the Beast? Will not that trial be far more severe? My views on eschatology are rather inchoate; I do not know how well my concerns fit into the postmillennialism you espouse. I do not know if my thoughts on this matter are foolish or not. I would appreciate any reactions you have on this situation. I would be very grateful if you responded, but I ask for anonymity if my question is responded to.

Best regards,

D

D, with regard to eschatology, I don’t think it is the mark of the beast. But I do think it is arbitrary and unaccountable government, and that Christians need to think through these things carefully. But I am hear reports in different quarters that numerous health care officials are refusing the vaccine, for various reasons.

Fake Poster

I have profited much from your writing over the years and am thankful for your willingness to speak hard truths. I was going to write alerting you about the poster in “Make Hate Speech Great Again”, but I see others have beat me to it. However, in the spirit not of accusing you but of humbly entreating you, I am troubled by what appears to be a lack of basic caution against furthering false rumors, which would violate the ninth commandment. The image immediately looked suspicious to me, and a 15-second Google search reveals that there is no such organization as the “Trans Rights Campaign”.

As wicked as the intentions and propaganda of the sexual revolutionaries are, is it not still possible to commit slander against them? Their actual words and actions are evil enough that we do not need to attribute invented ones to them. I don’t have a problem with creating satire, but the image was originally presented as genuine to your thousands of readers, most of whom won’t end up seeing your follow-up note. I recognize that its genuineness or lack thereof doesn’t change the basic thrust of your article, but I desire that you remain blameless and avoid bearing false witness against our neighbors—even the most depraved of our neighbors.

Your brother, in the spirit of appeal,

Philip

Philip, I don’t think it is slander if it is indistinguishable from their actual position—which is why I made that mistake in the first place. See the next letter. But it does go to show how difficult it is to be a satirist in these troubled times.

Re: Hate Speech

The satirical trans-dating propaganda wasn’t far from reality.

Thanks,

James

James, thanks. And I had seen a serious complaint along these lines before.

In your post “In Defense of Hate Speech”, the image you used just might be satire. A search for the image reveals no organization called the Trans Rights Campaign, but there is a claim on Reddit that this image was created on 4chan to discredit transsexuals.

Besides, there are studies indicating that, unfortunately, the number is not as high as 98%:

Anyhow, I thought you should know, and you may want to add a disclaimer to your otherwise wonderful post.

Ray

Ray, thanks. The disclaimer was added as soon as I heard from you all.

Okay Then

RE: Make Hate Speech Great Again Western Culture, 1960-2019: I’ll become a monster demon baby the likes of which you’ve never seen before!

Douglas Wilson: Fine, time for No Quarter November

Western Culture, 2020: Very well then, here I am 10x more depraved than before! Graaah!

Douglas Wilson, 2021: link

Patrick

Patrick, there you go.

Writing Skills

What resources do you recommend for a 31 year old who is looking to sharpen his writing skills? The Canadian public school system has woefully under educated me in the area of grammar. I appreciate any feedback and understand if you’re unable to respond.

All the best

Matthew

Matthew, I would start with my book, Wordsmithy. After that, you can get a video course on writing from Canon Press that my son Nate offers.

Courtship Challenge

I’ve recently read your book “Her Hand in Marriage” and Voddie Baucham’s “What He Must Be: . . . If He Wants to Marry My Daughter,” and very much enjoyed and agreed with both books.

I was wondering what your advice would be to a young man(I’m about to finish my undergrad at 21 years old and, Lord willing, will be attending NSA in the fall for an MA) who has been increasingly convinced of biblical courtship. I don’t know of Christians living near me that put into place biblical courtship, so I’m not really in a position to apply it. Besides that most college age girls seem to believe the sort of “soft” feminism that’s become so prevalent in evangelicalism, making options nearly non-existent even if I wanted to attempt dating.

I would like to get married before I leave to go overseas for missions, as no doubt my ability to get married then will be more difficult than even now, but in my current situation that does not seem likely. I know that in the Lord’s providence He is able to provide for me a wife in any situation at anytime, but I don’t want to use this as an excuse to be idle and just hope for a wife instead of doing something about it.

Thank you in advance,

Colin

Colin, I would simply urge you, when you come here for your MA, to keep your eyes open.

Amen

RE: Make Hate Speech Great Again” Thank you for this article Pastor Doug.

No comment, I just wanted to share this excerpt from one of Elie Weisel’s books as your piece reminded me of it.

The Just Man

One of the Just Men came to Sodom, determined to save its inhabitants from sin and punishment. Night and day he walked the streets and markets protesting against greed and theft, falsehood and indifference. In the beginning, people listened and smiled ironically. Then they stopped listening; he no longer even amused them. The killers went on killing, the wise kept silent, as if there were no Just Man in their midst.

One day a child, moved by compassion for the unfortunate teacher, approached him with these words: “Poor stranger, you shout, you scream, don’t you see that it is hopeless?”

“Yes, I see,” answered the Just Man.

“Then why do you go on?”

“I’ll tell you why. In the beginning, I thought I could change man. Today, I know I cannot. If I still shout today, if I still scream, it is to prevent man from ultimately changing me.”

Source: Quoted in Wiesel, Elie. One Generation After. NY: Schocken Books, 1982.

Jeff

Jeff, exactly.

Elder Quals

Elder qualifications/ask Doug

Do unbelievabling adult children living outside of their parent’s home disqualify a Pastor/ elder/ deacon?

Angela

Angela, there are odd situations here and there, but in the main I believe that it is a disqualification, yes. My book on this topic is here.

KJV & NKJV

Hello Mr. Wilson, I have a question regarding your article entitled KJV 400. You mentioned that many of the new translations have been irresponsible in their work and production. You also said that the word of God is committed to the church. It belongs in the church’s hands and should be translated by us within the church. But isn’t this true of some of the new translations? Wasn’t the NKJV for example translated by a group of conservative Baptists and Presbyterians? All of whom were proficient in the original languages? Isn’t this the church doing the work of translating the Bible and making it more accessible? What would it take for a modern translation to meet the proper criteria? Does it need to be done by one denomination of Christians with one confession? I’m trying to understand your argument and I don’t see how the translators of the NKJV don’t meet the criteria. I was hoping you could further elaborate on this. Thank you and God bless

Eric

Eric, I don’t really have any big objections for those who use the NKJV.

But They Don’t Want You to Read That

Doug, thanks so much for this post. It reminded me of author Abigail Shirer’s Twitter post last night: “If you’re interested in reading IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE, you can buy it here, directly from my publisher at 50% off, while Amazon refuses to allow U.S. sales of the hardback.” I know it’s old hat that Amazon is blocking something that doesn’t align with their “Great Reset” worldview, but it’s getting REALLY OLD.

Mark

Mark, right. Old hat, but really old hat.

CRT Stuff

You have written a number of times about Critical Race Theory and its creep into the evangelical world. This past summer the Session at my church (Knox Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, MI) wrote a Pastoral Letter to the congregation and then several months later a FAQ document since the letter raised a stir among some in the congregation. Both can be seen here: https://knoxannarbor.org/race-grace-justice-update/. A number of us think that the Pastoral Letter clearly embraces many of the tenets of CRT and wrote Session to inform them that we were more than disheartened by the letter. In the FAQ Session denies that they were influenced by CRT but were rather following biblical patterns of justice.

I will understand if you don’t have time to read the documents but if you are able I would greatly appreciate your opinion on whether or not those of us who disagree with the Pastoral Letter and see CRT throughout the letter are misreading the letter. To me, and others, if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck and that duck is a dangerous one indeed.

I am an elder not currently on Session and am wondering whether to stay at Knox if Session is unwilling to see the danger of following the CRT path.

I appreciate your many book recommendations and I would point you to one I just finished on this topic. WHY SOCIAL JUSTICE IS NOT BIBLICAL JUSTICE by Scott Allen.

Thanks for all you do for the God’s people in pointing out the foolishness we are surrounded with both in the secular and evangelical community. I have followed you for many years and have been greatly blessed.

Providential Blessings,

Mike

Mike, I read the pastoral letter, and I am afraid your session has got it bad.

Military Service?

I am emailing in to pose a question for Doug and hopefully get a response with his thoughts. 

Backstory: My name is JB, I am a young 24-year-old Marine Officer, just getting started in my career. I have a beautiful wife and daughter, and another child on the way. I have a great passion for disciplining men who are seeking what true manhood is (often in the wrong ways hence many of them looking for answers in the military). 

I am reading your book, “How to Exasperate Your Wife” and recently read through chapter 10, “Warrior Wuss”. This chapter speaks about the problem of a feminized military, and late in the chapter you make the statement, “Christian men who are in the military should get out at the first lawful opportunity, and move to a community where they may defend their families instead of their current unwilling defense of the feminist agenda…”

I highly respect you and have been blessed by many of your books and media. I am having a hard time working through this statement. I know scripture is the ultimate authority, and understand how Deuteronomy 22:5 addresses this exact scenario. I need to understand this however as this has huge implications.

Would the united states military then be better off with no Christian men? Should Christian Men abandon the military and allow it to deteriorate or seek to affect change? I cannot help but hear your statement and align it to the idea that Christians everywhere should withdraw from any organization or career that does not uphold Christian values. 

This argument also has to go deeper than just the uniform. The military that Jim and Doug both served in allowed Women to serve, after all, it has been only recently that they have been able to seek combat positions. In a military today in which even logisticians and motor transport marines and soldiers may face combat, where can the line be drawn? 

I am preparing to begin the Infantry Officers Course and my class actually has three females attempting the course. Most peers and even superiors who are willing to discuss with me agree that women should not be in combat, and the argument around equal weights and measures, in general, resonates with many. This is not an issue that has been fully decided and accepted, but one that I believe could be reversed. 

Again, should all Christian men leave? and what implications does that have for other organizations and companies that Christians work for who do not uphold Christian values, should they also leave? I can’t help but object to this, but I am eager to learn and understand. I hope that you will be able to find the time to respond. I know you are a busy man!

Thank you for your time. 

(Second Lieutenant) Josiah

Josiah, I believe that serving in the military is a lawful occupation, and I commend those who do so faithfully. At the same time, my recommendation is that everyone there, particularly the officers, wake up every day prepared to wreck their career if it is necessary. The military, given its nature, has a greater capacity for mandatory social engineering, and I am afraid that a lot of the brass is woke.

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Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago

Jon’s letter to Doug Wilson elicited this response in part.

“And as I have noted before, I am not basing my conviction that the election was stolen on any conspiracy theories, or secret facts known only to me and Alex Jones. I am reading the big picture. “

I guess by big picture he means, “I don’t like Joe Biden. The only way Biden can win is if he cheats and since he won, he cheated.”

My goodness! That sure clears everything up.

Jeff
3 years ago
Reply to  Clay Crouch

From which of Doug’s post did you pull that? It may be your opinion, but not based in anything he’s written. Do you believe that Pennsylvania violated their Constitution? They did. Do you believe the PA Supreme Court wrote election law to suit their whims? They did. This is only one very big serious issue which was brushed off. It would be very clever for those states to yield to third party forensic examination. Then, after no significant fraud was found, to put a stake in the heart of those tin foil hat conspiracy nuts. Conservatives would have been discredited… Read more »

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff

Jeff,

The first quote is from the first letter above. The second quote, as best I recall it, is from a previous answer to letter from several weeks ago. You can look it up if you care to.

All of your asked and answered questions and your recommended remedy are simply your opinions, not facts. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to be one of those tin foil hat conspiracy nuts. I don’t know about conservatives being discredited forever, but I do believe that a large swath of evangelicals have been.

demosthenes1d
demosthenes1d
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff

Jeff,

The states have done audits to the extent practical. There is much informationt that they cannot legally turn over to third parties.

Unfortunately, I think Clay’s assessment is about right. Doug has trotted out one discredited fraud scenario after another. His response is always that he could tell with his own eyes that Biden’s campaign couldn’t have won. It doesn’t matter what the evidence is – he is set on the conclusion.

Jill Smith
Jill Smith
3 years ago
Reply to  demosthenes1d

Oddly it’s rather like my reaction to the 2016 election. Russia MUST have colluded because there is simply no way that many people would have voted for a candidate I found so repellent. By not doing very much, the Biden campaign kept a white-hot focus on everything Trump said and did. When Trump said that “virtually nobody” had died from the virus as the death toll mounted in the fall, Biden said spoke compassionately about people’s grief and alarm. Even so, it’s not that people were enthusiastic about Biden. He was the only Dem in the primaries who I thought… Read more »

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jill Smith

Jill, the total number of deaths due to the SARS CoV-2 is still no where near the totals that the news is reporting. States keep being caught reporting deaths due to other circumstances — gun shots, car accidents, heart failure — as being virus deaths. So, Trump saying that virtually no one has died from the virus is more correct than the CDC’s constantly changing numbers along with the incorrectly reported deaths from the states which include both death from SARS CoV-2 and those who tested positive but didn’t really die from the virus. If the virus were as deadly… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Dave, as Demo pointed out earlier, the total excess deaths make it clear that Covid’s death toll is actually greater, not lesser, than what the news is reporting.

If you don’t believe us, will you at least believe fellow hardcore conservative Steve Sailer? Your conspiracies cannot explain the graphs of actual total deaths in America.

https://www.takimag.com/article/lets-be-over-and-done-in-21/

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

US death rate for the last 10 years:
comment image

COVID deaths compared to total excess deaths:
comment image

Those two graphs make it indisputable that the excess deaths from this epidemic are undercounted, not overcounted.

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan, if you notice, the end of the year totals are merging. When the totals are out in February or so, there will be a small increase, but not the whopping numbers forecast to us at the start of last year.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Dave, you’re misreading the graph – the 2020 numbers don’t go to the end of the year, they stop in October cause those were the latest #’s Steve had. And they’re not “end of the year” totals converging, those are each week’s total independently, so you have to ADD all those surges together to get the full year’s total.

If you look at the current CDC numbers the 3rd surge is as bad as the 1st one:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

You have not read Steve’s essay or you wouldn’t have misinterpreted the graph:

Hence the official count of 300,000 COVID deaths so far is likely an underestimate, with the real number being between 350,000 and 400,000. Moreover, with a lag of roughly 22 days between cases and deaths on average, tens of thousands more people who are presently infected can be expected to die over the next month.

https://www.takimag.com/article/lets-be-over-and-done-in-21/

He wrote that 3 weeks ago. Since then there’s been ~80,000 more deaths and we’re still peaking. We’ll surpass 500,000.

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

“When the totals are out in February or so, there will be a small increase, but not the whopping numbers forecast to us at the start of last year.”

Please take a breath and stop trying to slam everyone who expresses a different opinion from yours.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

So 500,000 is a small number? It is enormous, more than double what US officials were forecasting last year. When Fauci predicted 100,000-200,000, Pastor Wilson claimed it was so outlandish that he had lost all credibility. Now you wish to imply that a number far greater than that is “small”?

Over 400,000 of that total has already accumulated according to official death records. We’ve already had over 400,000 more deaths than in a usual year. That can’t just go away.

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  demosthenes1d

Demo, the report to the Georgia Senate Standing Judiciary Committee sang a different song and stated the Georgia election “was chaotic and any reported results must be viewed as untrustworthy.” Pg 2 That is legalese and is as close to saying the Georgia election was stolen as can be said by legislators. If you take time to read the court documents from the various states in question, the judges did not really rule on facts. Michigan denied hearing based on how it would appear rather than looking at the facts. Pennsylvania denied tax payers standing when they sued. Consider that… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Georgia’s own Republican officials dispute you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2gFMPh_hTk

You should also read Ben Sasse’s post, where he points out that not only were the suits largely without merit, but even if they had all been decided in Trump’s favor, there weren’t nearly enough actual votes being challenged to overturn the result.

https://www.facebook.com/SenatorSasse/posts/3517705981660655

Micael Gustavsson
Micael Gustavsson
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Sorry, I am not American, so just in order to understand: in what way did Lincoln deny constitutional rights to those who opposed his election? Do you mean that leaving the Union was a constitutional right, or do you mean Lincoln did something else.

Dave
Dave
3 years ago

Hi Micael, Happy New Year and may God bless you through this crazy year. The US is a Constitutional Republic and certain rights are supposed to be unalienable no matter what the government wishes to do. One right is that of habeas corpus which requires that an arrested individual must be brought before a judge to show that there are lawful grounds for jailing the individual or he must be set free immediately. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus claiming that the war required it to stop southern sympathizers in northern states. Closer to the truth was that Lincoln used that act… Read more »

Joshua Lister
Joshua Lister
3 years ago
Reply to  Clay Crouch

“The only way Biden can win is if he cheats”

This misrepresents the premise. I believe it is closer to:

“The only way Biden can win is if he campaigns like a candidate trying to win.”

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Joshua Lister

Joshua,

That quote was from Doug Wilson. I used it only to point out Wilson’s circular reasoning, which I suspect is the sole support of his big picture reading.

Joshua Lister
Joshua Lister
3 years ago
Reply to  Clay Crouch

I wasn’t aware that, “the only way Biden can win is if he cheats” was a direct quote from Wilson. Can you provide a link?

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Joshua Lister

It’s right here:

If Trump wins, then don’t forget you read it here. If Biden wins…Americans will have chosen their poison with their eyes open, and will deserve everything that is coming to them, good and hard. That is, if Biden wins fair and square, which he can’t. But if Biden wins through massive cheating, then we will still deserve what we are getting. That is because the cheating will have to be done in broad daylight, and that means that we would have to put up with it.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

https://dougwils.com/books-and-culture/s7-engaging-the-culture/7-reasons-to-expect-a-trumpslide.html

I just noticed that’s the same article where he praised Kristi Noem for “covering herself in glory” in her pandemic response….the same Kristi Noem presiding over what appears to be the worst-hit state in the country this fall.

Reminds me of when he suggested that Fauci had lost all credibility for predicting 100,000-200,000 Covid deaths.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Joshua Lister

As I pointed out to Doug and others before, Biden outspent Trump in almost every critical battleground state, in some cases by a large amount. Isn’t that playing to win?

Trump is somehow campaigning harder than Biden…cause he held high-profile rallies in Oklahoma and South Dakota?

The problem is that Doug bases his perspective on “how hard Biden campaigned” from what he sees in his small bubble in Moscow, Idaho and what his followers tell him, without doing any research at all beyond that. And that’s not a solid base to make accusations of election fraud from.

The Commenter Formerly Known As fp
The Commenter Formerly Known As fp
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

If you call a lackluster campaign with frequently called “lids” — often in the morning — “campaigning hard”, then yeah, Basement Biden was the hardest-campaigning candidate in the history of the Republic. Especially when compared to that piker Trump, who held 67 in-person rallies between June 20 and November 2, with three to five rallies per day during the last four days of the campaign. But Biden spent more! Yeah, because as we all know, spending money means “playing to win”. I guess that’s what Mini-Mike Bloomberg had in mind when he blew more than a billion (yes, billion) dollars… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago

Since I don’t have a “leftist bubble” to rely on, I actually base my opinion on hard, publicly available data. You can try to insult the messenger, but these numbers are official public record.

In many cases Biden was spending double Trump’s output in the key battleground states. Mentioning 488,000 people at rallies is a great brag, but when you need 80 million votes to win, that rally number of already-committed supporters really doesn’t get you far.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/blog/meet-press-blog-latest-news-analysis-data-driving-political-discussion-n988541/ncrd1244916#liveBlogHeader

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/15/912663101/biden-is-outspending-trump-on-tv-and-just-6-states-are-the-focus-of-the-campaign

The Commenter Formerly Known As fp
The Commenter Formerly Known As fp
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

No, you don’t base your opinion on hard, publicly available data. If you did, you wouldn’t have tried to characterize “high-profile rallies in Oklahoma and South Dakota” as the only rallies Trump held. The hard, publicly available data says that Trump campaigned harder than Basement Biden. When Trump held 86 rallies in the same period Biden held only 53, that is the very definition of campaigning harder. Trump not calling “lids” on his campaign while Biden called multiple morning “lids” is the very definition of campaigning harder. And your opinion is worth exactly what we pay for it. Jonathan: “…but… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Clay Crouch

Wilson was convinced McCain would beat Obama in 2008, and claimed Romney would win in 2012. He declared “the left” would prefer a close Biden defeat to a win because a close defeat would allow them to riot. He also claimed the left would sow chaos in the streets if the election was close no matter who won. Yesterday he said that Trump isn’t a idiot so his refusal to concede means he has an amazing play up his sleeve. Perhaps Pastor should accept that he’s poor at predictions, rather than assuming that his errors in judgment indicate a grand… Read more »

jsm
jsm
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

I disagree 99% of the time with Jonathan and agree 99% of the time with Doug Wilson. This is one of those 1% times that it is reversed. I have been watching Doug continue to double down on this election fraud claim that I see no credible evidence supporting that claim. I believe it is likely there was some voter fraud, I also see how the media has been completely opposed to the idea of giving anyone who claims there was voting fraud a voice. I also know there were some statistical anomalies in this election based on previous elections.… Read more »

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  jsm

JSM, read the chairman’s report to the Georgia Standing Judiciary Committee. It shows enough of the theft to see what was done. The other states are not as transparent as Georgia, but similar results could be found if it were allowed.

Also, read the court documents as to why judges denied suits, denied admittance of evidence and otherwise used their position to destroy this election.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Did you watch Georgia’s own election official (a Republican) rebuke the tired old claims one-by-one and state that Trump has been intentionally misleading people like you?

Don’t trust me, trust him, he’s on your side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2gFMPh_hTk

If there is a real case that Georgia had its “election stolen”, then why is Trump still pushing obvious lies?

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan, did you read the report I pointed you to?

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Yes, it was the same tired stuff that’s been dismissed before. Did you watch Georgia’s own election official (a Republican) rebuke Trump’s claims one-by-one and state that Trump has been intentionally misleading people like you?

Don’t trust me, trust him, he’s on your side:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2gFMPh_hTk

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/georgia-election-trump-gabriel-sterling-b1782291.html

If there is a real case that Georgia had its “election stolen”, then why is Trump still pushing obvious lies?

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan, the same tired stuff that you dismiss was given under oath. You are saying that the Georgia Senators who compiled the report and all those who testified or gave affidavits (under oath again) lied bigger than Dallas. That is an egregious statement. In two previous elections, the Georgia elections officials exposed themselves to be liars of the first degree. When Georgia counties refused to certify their results, why did the elections officials dismiss it and say it was a good election? Yes, I read Senator Sasse’s statement. He is correct that courts haven’t shown fraud; however, he is incorrect… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

You are missing Sasse’s point. He shows you that EVEN if the court cases had been won, they didn’t deal with enough “fraudulent” votes to change the election results.

I’ve seen zero evidence that the conservative Republicans running Georgia’s election lied. Nor have a seen any reason why they would. They’ve already addressed the errors in your “report”.

The only county that didn’t certify results was Coffee County, an almost entirely Republican county where the recount official appeared to have double-scanned a 50-vote bundle during the recount and then refused to admit it.

https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/secretary_of_states_office_opens_investigation_into_coffee_countys_handling_of_recount

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan, in your efforts to show the world that you are the brightest and wisest man since Solomon, you miss the mark time and time again. Why do you ignore the basics of Christianity and constitutional and legal requirements in America? Why do you support those who hate God? Time and time again, you support those who stand firmly against God. Why? The Georgia report is clear. Even if you don’t want to believe it, Georgia’s election was stolen. In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided that the election law needed to be changed which gave a huge number of… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

You can accuse me of ignorance and no one will bat an eye. But why do you accuse extremely conservative, intelligent, and devout Reformed Christian elders like Ben Sasse of the same ignorance? Why do you accuse Georgia’s own very conservative Republican officials of the same ignorance? Because I’m just repeating what they’re already told you.

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan,

There’s a simple answer. Dave’s unhinged from reality. And what’s his name is hanging on by a thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLMF5GM0Kt8

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

With all the events going on, you felt the most pressing thing to comment on was….me? Jonathan below Yes. You are a bad Christian witness and have been for some time. You demand that everyone follow your lead even though you run straight into the ditch. You pound everyone who disagrees even when they are correct. That is not a Christian mannerism. You continually type accusations of Wilson; yet, you do not allow any reason to enter into the argument. You don’t even have the worldly politeness that one would exhibit to a preacher. Nope. Just bash, bash, bash. Jonathan,… Read more »

Kathleen Zielinski
Kathleen Zielinski
3 years ago

Re The Bat Guano Chronicles: The problem with Trump burning down the house on his way out the door is that Americans will then have to live in a burned out house. A big part of the reason I did not vote for Trump is that I’m tired of having an arsonist in chief. I don’t want the next four years to be taken up with investigations and special prosecutors; I want that time and money and energy devoted to doing things that will make the lives of Americans better. I want whomever is president to succeed because I want… Read more »

Nathan James
Nathan James
3 years ago

Not only do I not expect Biden to do anything good for America, I can hardly even conceive of expecting it. But my take on this is less about Biden the man and more about the evil and wrongheaded agenda of the Democratic party and the near total corruption of the American political scene.

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Nathan James

Nathan,

Time will tell. Wouldn’t you love to be surprised? In any event, for the majority of Americans it would be hard to imagine anything worse than the last four years.

I wholeheartedly agree with Ms. Zielinski’s comment as should every American.

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Clay Crouch

Clay speaks well for those who hate God and the Bible.

You don’t follow scripture. You defend those who violate biblical laws. You call others liars without proof and mock those who point out your errors.

Why do you call yourself a Christian?

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Dave, has President Trump failed to follow Scripture, defended those who violate Biblical laws, called others liars without proof and mocked those who point out his errors?

Why does he call himself a Christian? Why are you so much more obsessed with Clay than you are with the president you so steadfastly support?

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Clay Crouch

Nathan,

We’ve just witnessed the fruits of Trump’s labors in the most unimaginable way. You still wish he had four more years?

Dave
Dave
3 years ago

Kathleen, the well being of America does not include murdering even more babies than we do now. It does not include the destruction of the middle class. It does not include interpreting the Constitution so that preaching from the Bible is hate speech. It does not include the destruction of Christianity.

The DNC/CPUSA/Democratic Socialists have already stated that they intend to destroy Christianity. They planted the flag out that Little Sisters of the Poor will have to supply instruments of abortion.

Why is any of this in America’s best interest?

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

How would Trump “burning down the house on the way out the door” save babies from abortion or preserve Christianity from destruction?

I do think you misread Christian history if you think Democrats can destroy Christianity. In any established, faithful community, a corrupt Christian leader has always been a far greater threat to the faithful than a antagonistic persecutor. It is aligning with evil that has almost always caused the ruin of Christian communities, not the process of fighting it.

JohnM
JohnM
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

On the other hand Trump *can* destroy the Republican party. Turn on the news right now and watch it live.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  JohnM

According to Pastor Wilson that isn’t Trump’s fault, it’s the left’s fault. In Pastor Wilson’s world Trump hasn’t been encouraging and applauding his supporters’ violence since 2015. In Pastor Wilson’s world constantly fanning the flames of insurrection isn’t what led to this, it’s BLM’s fault. In Pastor Wilson’s world the protesters are secret left-wing antifa in disguise.

It’s strange how quickly he defaulted to the exact excuses that he condemned when he heard them from the other side.

JohnM
JohnM
3 years ago

Josiah asks an interesting question, and a good question. As he notes, the military has not only recently started down the road in question. It is, along with the rest of culture, it is further down that road than 50 years ago, or 20, and maybe that makes a difference, but the fundamental problem that prompts Doug’s recommendation has been a problem for decades. The problem is beyond just specifically the question of women warriors. Like Doug said: “The military, given its nature, has a greater capacity for mandatory social engineering and I am afraid that a lot of the… Read more »

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  JohnM

John, our current military is rotten through and through. For those considering joining the armed forces, they must realize that it is a mission field and they must be willing to die for homosexuals who do not care to know how to fight and do not want to win.

-BJ-
-BJ-
3 years ago

I love Josiah’s question. I am also an officer in the military. I am a Chaplain in the Air National Guard, so not the same position as him, but I understand it. The military is weird in this regard, and I totally disagree with Doug’s suggestion. Not simply because (1) the military is unique in this regard, but because (2) it is a move that has not worked in other organizations, and in this regard simply cannot work. (1) The military is still very traditionally minded and is a place where huge numbers of the lost boys (young men who… Read more »

-BJ-
-BJ-
3 years ago
Reply to  -BJ-

Josiah, if you happen to read this, reach out to me.

https://kirkmont.org/staff

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  -BJ-

BJ, I disagree that the military is traditionally minded. In my years of commissioned service and time before that, there was a steep decline in tradition, following standards, following regulations, following law or even being able to accomplish the basic job of being able to destroy enemy combatants as directed. At Osan AB, it took NCOs three tries to put the stairs up to my plane and two tries to get the K-loader in position for offload. Travis, the gateway to the Pacific has difficulty with rusty net hooks, cupped and cracked pallets and loading in a timely manner. Europe… Read more »

-BJ-
-BJ-
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Dave, The overwhelming majority of military folks come from the Bible Belt South, the Midwest, and the conservative inland of California. Ask any recruiter, and they will let you know that traditional and conservative portions of the country carry the vast majority of the military weight. That doesn’t mean that they are all traditional Christians, but they are ripe for a harvest. And, they know that men are not women. You simply cannot paint the military as some kind of leftists filled organization. The leadership is even fairly traditional. They just refuse to stand up for their values, because they… Read more »

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  -BJ-

BJ, I worked unit level to MAJCOM level positions interfacing with commanders on a daily basis. The leadership is rotten to the core and it is not because they are playing politics. They are rotten through and through, lacking moral character. One of my AC-130 friends stated that in the gunship world, no one believed anything majors or staff sergeant and above said because they were all lying. I cannot even tally the number of illegal orders I had to short stop and take the heat for doing so. It is not a matter of politics or just trying to… Read more »

demosthenes1d
demosthenes1d
3 years ago

Doug,

You should probably anonymize young Josiah.

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago

Dave,

Your friends are too polite to say anything, so I will. You are not helping anyone with your manic rants. I’m guessing even what’s his name is worried about you. Please, I implore you to get back on your meds.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago

Pastor Wilson, I’m sorry I neglected your question. Sasse spoke of Congressmen who were challenging the election and a Senator is not usually referred to as a Congressman. If a Senator who was not challenging did speak to Sasse with concerns, that is probably why Sasse specified “Congressmen”, and their hypocrisy remains unchanged by what one senator happens to think. You fail to address Sasse’s analysis showing that the votes weren’t there and his honest opinion that Biden won. Do think him anything less than an intelligent, informed, and deeply Christian man who honestly knows more about this topic than… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago

In another failed Pastor Wilson prediction, he said numerous times that Democrats would riot in the streets and cause chaos if the election was close no matter which direction it fell, while Trump supporters would do no such thing.

Yet it appears to be the Trump supporters who are fighting cops in DC.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13660033/maga-fans-protest-washington-dc-trump-biden-win/

https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/protesters-clash-with-dc-police-on-eve-of-trump-rally/

https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer/status/1346881968819105792

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Douglas Wilson

Douglas Wilson,

If your two most recent posts are any indication of your intentions, then no thanks. You, sir, are trying to have it both ways and there is nothing cute or funny about any of it. You should spend your time in repentance of what you have written in your support of Trump and repudiation of Trump and those who have followed his lead. Your first step could taking down those last two posts. Have you no shame?

JohnM
JohnM
3 years ago
Reply to  Douglas Wilson

Doug, if you want to head off violence, propagating an inflammatory stolen election rumor is not the way to do it.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  JohnM

I just now noticed that Pastor Wilson quoted directly from 1 Maccabees 2 as his “Final Encouragement” in this morning’s essay. 1 Maccabees 2 is literally the celebration of righteous violence against the unrighteous government. He directly quoted Mattathias’s words after violently purging the unGodly from the land: “give your lives for the covenant of your fathers. Remember the deeds they did in their generations, and great glory and eternal fame shall be yours.”

demosthenes1d
demosthenes1d
3 years ago
Reply to  JohnM

John is right… using your platform to propound unhinged conspiracies to your large audience, all while opining that the “elite” and the “experts” are a illegitimate and actively trying to destroy them is a pretty odd way to try to head off violence.

A commitment to truth and charity would work A LOT better!

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Douglas Wilson

Declaring that the election was stolen and Biden will lead an illegitimate and evil government is not “an attempt to head off violence”. That’s like claiming Trump’s video was an effort to get the rioters to go home.

You have affirmed violence and insurrection as at times acceptable responses to a government. You have defended the violence of Confederates as a Godly response and declared they were more in the right. You call government by Democrats evil, the election stolen, and the Biden Administration illegitimate. Trump and Trump supporters like yourself did this.

Grant
Grant
3 years ago

Jonathan and Clay Crouch seem to really love Doug Wilson. If they didn’t they probably wouldn’t be commenting on his blog every time there is a chance to. Not liking someone usually takes the form of indifference, which is clearly not the case here.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Grant

With all the events going on, you felt the most pressing thing to comment on was….me?

Reflecting your own logic back on you, you must be an admirer. Not as strong as Dave and FP and JP, of course.

Grant
Grant
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

I was simply stating some simple observations I have noticed on these comment sections. Yes, I think people who comment about Doug Wilson on his blog, either positive or negative, tend to like what he says or at the very least are intrigued about what he thinks. When you and Clay comment almost obssesivley on this thread then yes, I become interested in what you are saying, and conclude that you really, really like Doug Wilson and want his approval.

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Grant

Grant,

You either haven’t read many of my posts or you have poor reading comprehension. I hope it’s the former and not the later. I have made my disdain for Douglas Wilson abundantly clear. If you have any doubts, just scroll down a bit.

Grant
Grant
3 years ago
Reply to  Clay Crouch

It’s spelled with two t’s. Latter.

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Grant

Grant,

Of course it is. But I’m sure you caught my drift. So which is it, unfamiliar with my comments or poor reading comprehension? I know where I’m placing my bet.

Ken B
Ken B
3 years ago

Brexit – not a subject Americans will warm to, but I think it could have some parallels with what is happening over the election. Whilst both sides were not always squeaky clean, the leave campaign was marked by lying on an industrial scale. Some of it is still on youtube. Whether Brexit is good or bad is not the point. A section of the population voted to leave based on demonstrably false information and an appeal to selfish instincts. The division this has caused still runs deep with little sign of it abating. The propaganda of leave is still being… Read more »

JohnM
JohnM
3 years ago
Reply to  Ken B

I don’t know exactly who said what on the Brexit issue. What falsehoods on the level of “stolen election” did the Brexiters promote? My rough impression, from a distance, is that from the “leave” side the whole thing is seen as a matter of regaining national sovereignty and not having the details of life dictated by a distant pan-European bureaucracy. Like I said, viewed from a distance, and without intense interest. However I have been sympathetic to the Brexiters, in as far as I understand them. Since you seem to be not sympathetic, are of course much more familiar, and… Read more »

Ken B
Ken B
3 years ago
Reply to  JohnM

JohnM – before the vote I would considered voting leave as the UK has never really fitted in with the EU. By the time the vote came I would have been a lukewarm remainer. As non-resident, I was disenfranchised along with about 700 000 others. Since then, in light of the last 4 years, I wish more strongly the vote had gone the other way. I am not blind to the faults of the EU, but the benefits outweigh the weaknesses. The lies spread by leavers would include £350 million a week going to the EU could be better spent… Read more »

demosthenes1d
demosthenes1d
3 years ago
Reply to  Ken B

Ken and John,

The best thing I have read on Brexit is this by Brit theologian and social critic Alastair Roberts: https://mereorthodoxy.com/political-social-earthquake-brexit-future-britain/

It is long, but give it a careful read.

Ken B
Ken B
3 years ago
Reply to  demosthenes1d

demosthenes1d thanks for the link. I like Alistair Roberts, but haven’t read him for ages, notwithstanding having more time due to corona restrictions!

Ree
Ree
3 years ago
Reply to  Ken B

I know families and friendships with strained and broken relationships over Trump, too, but in all of them, it’s been the Trump-haters who have created the rift in their relationship with lukewarm and ambivalent Trump supporters. In other words, the very fact of their friend or family member liking some of Trump’s actions in office has caused the leftist Trump-haters to disengage from these relationships. My closest friend is reeling from having two of her adult daughters, who have become increasingly “woke,” and with whom she was previously close, now avoiding contact because they suspect she might have voted for… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago

What a surprise – Pastor Wilson spends weeks fanning the flames of insurrection, and then when it begins to happen, he immediately blames the left.

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Douglas Wilson could learn a lot from Ben Sasse. But he won’t.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago

Pastor Wilson this morning: So if you were a tidy-minded Christian, wanting Romans 13 to remain simple, plain and clear, that would have been quite the year for you. You would have only been part way through your sermon series on why obedience to Otho was a biblical necessity, only to find out that you were going to be charged with treason for not preaching the biblical necessity of obeying Vitellius. Looking at the above criteria, along with other principles we have previously gone over here, our previous form of government, from the Civil War on down, has been legitimate,… Read more »

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

And after all that, this was the finale:

Final Encouragement

“Arrogance now stands secure and gives judgement against us.; it is a time of calamity and raging fury. But now, my sons, be zealous for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers. Remember the deeds they did in their generations, and great glory and eternal fame shall be yours.”

Mattathias (1 Maccabees 2:49-51)

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

For those who don’t know, these verses immediately precede that speech:

They organized an army, and struck down sinners in their anger and renegades in their wrath; the survivors fled to the Gentiles for safety. And Mattathias and his friends went around and tore down the altars; they forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised boys that they found within the borders of Israel. They hunted down the arrogant, and the work prospered in their hands. They rescued the law out of the hands of the Gentiles and kings, and they never let the sinner gain the upper hand.

1 Maccabees 2:42-48

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago

One more thing Pastor Wilson had wrong:

I mean, look where we actually are—eighteen days to the inauguration of a new president, and the sitting president hasn’t conceded anything yet. The only way I can read this is that either Trump has some really high-level whoa-Nelly stuff planned or, taking another view, that he is a moron. And whatever else we might want to say, he is not a moron.

Now that you see he had nothing planned beyond continuing to incite his followers, are you prepared to accept what has been obvious to everyone else?

demosthenes1d
demosthenes1d
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Bingo! I actually don’t think Trump is a moron. But he is clearly a sociopath and he cares about himself far far more than about his country, his supporters, or the truth. I was somewhat torn about voting for Trump this election. I appreciate his judicial nominations, and his instincts on policy are more in line with my preferences than any other president in my lifetime. But he is a deeply immoral man, and he has inspired a messianic cult like following. Everything that has happened since the election has confirmed my decision to vote 3rd party.

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan,

Wilson knows exactly what he’s doing. He is playing to his base. Whether he actually believes what he writes or not, he’s doing it because it pays well and it feeds his ravenous narcissism. The saving grace: most folks who stumble across him see him for what he is and move on. I probably should, too.

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan, are you ready to accept that you have a bad Christian witness? Bash, bash, bash is your only tune.

How can a state supreme court make a new law to allow millions of mail in ballots that don’t meet existing state law?

How can a state supreme court override a state constitution with a court rule?

Tell us if you can.

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Are you talking about Pennsylvania? The state supreme court did no such thing. The choice to allow no-excuse mail-in ballots was made by the Republican legislature in 2019. The state supreme decision was related to the Postmaster General’s move to allow the mail, it just allowed ballots 3 more days to arrive and affected less than 10,000 ballots.

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan, let me clarify the issue for you and make it easy to stay on track.

How can a state supreme court make a new law for any case before the court?

How can a state supreme court override a state constitution with a court rule?

Jonathan
Jonathan
3 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Why are you still talking about something that has literally nothing to do with what we are talking about?

Whether you are upset at the State Supreme Court’s decision or not, it didn’t affect the outcome of the election. Fewer than 10,000 mail-in ballots came in after election day. The decision didn’t affect the presidential election at all. So it has nothing to do with the election being “stolen”, and even less to do with the comments on this post.

Dave
Dave
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

Jonathan, why are you unable to answer two simple questions?

Please answer the questions.

It is not a matter of being upset as I know God is in complete control. The questions strike to the heart of a matter that you have pounded others with but you are only able to deflect and resist answering.

How about it Jonathan? Or are you unable to discourse without bashing, bashing, bashing and giving a very poor Christian witness.

Clay Crouch
Clay Crouch
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

I wouldn’t waste my time trying to reason with Dave. It’s either something pathological with him or he’s just willfully obtuse.

demosthenes1d
demosthenes1d
3 years ago

Doug,

Trump has (finally!) released his 4 aces:

“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again.”

Do you have your apology ready? If you need a proofreader, let me know!