An Epistolary November Moment

Re: “On Aspen the Lost Dog and Other Imponderables”

Pastor Wilson, your restraint is admirable. When the “other side” has a grievance far less valid or documented than your family’s, they never seem to hesitate to whistle up a protest, dox the target of their ire, and test the flammability of public edifices. Since you have not promoted any of these responses, how could anyone call your essay “extreme?”

This is a call for equal application of law and justice, and that’s all. You have my support and prayers.

EM

I continue to be amazed, yet not surprised, at the unjust prosecution and deviant behavior of your local prosecutors. I say not surprised because my family also was exposed to the seedy underbelly of what happens to middle-class folks who run afoul of some minor indiscretion. You’ll just have to take my word for it that our teenage son committed a minor indiscretion that EVERYONE in the local community does INCLUDING the incredulous lawyer who agreed to take the case. Not only did the police act inappropriately, so did the prosecutor. It was eventually dismissed but not before we had spent THOUSANDS in defense.

I still support our LEO’s . . . but our family has been permanently jaded by the experience. I shudder to think what would happen to a young man of color without the means to a defense and how they would be marked for life. Or perhaps they only went after us because we had the means for defense in the first place.

Either way, I’m no longer under the illusion we have a fair and equitable justice system.

Jeff

“I am not going to say too much more about this dog’s breakfast at present . . .” So . . . how “white” was the dog’s breakfast? ; – )

And what a woke breakfast as well!

(Seems like a prosecuting attorney withholding exculpatory evidence would be obstruction of justice? A statute I know for a fact, to be under enforced!)

A Dad

Just became aware of, and started reading, your blog recently. I am greatly enjoying it and learning much, not just from the topics you cover, but from mulling over your thought process and approach to the things you cover. It is very similar to my own, although I think you are much more intelligent and well-educated than I am, so I am learning many things about how to articulate and defend things that I already thought were true. Just wanted to say thank you for the time you take on this. My question is unrelated. I was wondering where I might pick up a couple of “Soviet Moscow” stickers for my collection. I looked in your “store” and didn’t see them, but perhaps I missed them. My daughter just moved back to WA here from Moscow. I had asked her to pick me up a couple, but she never got around to it before she moved. Are they available outside of your local area there?

Thanks!

Michael

Wow. We just wanted to let you know that our prayers for this whole Stickergate situation have echoed Psalm 140:9b . . .”let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!” Seems as though a whole honey-wagon has just been dumped. We will continue to pray for righteousness to prevail (along with justice) and for God’s glory to be revealed to EVERYONE involved.

We are smiling, and waving at you with our whole hands.

Sharon

I’ve been watching the World Series and living in Georgia, being a Braves fan, I get a great thrill out of watching a Braves batter hit one over the fence. But in the first of a No Quarter November article about the nonsense going on about Stickergate, you have hit one over the fence, out of the park and onto the street. Keep the pressure on. I love it.

Tony

Dear Pastor Wilson,

Indeed on reformation Sunday yesterday, my church sang “A mighty Fortress is Our God” from behind masks, while a handful of us sang along, removed to the parking lot, basking in the warm October sun, full throated and loud. A relief to you I’m sure with the stoning hanging over your head and all.

Sincerely,

Preston

Here is a link to a podcast, up here in Canada, which delves into the scriptural teaching of the lesser magistrate. I think your readers would benefit greatly from listening to it, just as we benefit immensely from having your words/podcast and sermons available to us.

Blair

Good day I thank God for the wonderful work you are doing! We are really encouraged here in South Africa by your blog, app, teaching etc.

As I am thinking through the current government tyranny and the so-called inalienable rights/freedoms, I was wondering if you could please point me to a source which proofs the inalienable rights from Scripture?

Kind regards

Joseph

You said that you expected the white babies line to get a rise, but were surprised at how big a rise it got. I submit to you that this is a bigger and more serious problem than you thought. It’s a balled up, screwed up, twisted up, tangled up knot. And what is this knot? It’s our society’s ethics of ethnicity. Our hatred of paternity is cancerous, and at this point it seems to have gone metastatic. It’s reached the point where we can’t even laugh at the absurdity of disliking white people for being white. We also can’t follow the logic that connects disliking white people to disliking white babies. What do babies have to do with people? With communities? With societies? It’s time for someone, in imitation of Vince Lombardi, to hold up an infant, and say “gentlemen, this is baby.”

I wrote you some time ago to point out that mainstream society, in the form of a Target ad, was openly encouraging me to express racial preference (in favor of non-whites) in my shopping habits. There is a zero percent chance of maintaining the old consensus on race and ethnicity being meaningless without the constant mainstream social pressure. Ethnicity will be treated as significant, and this is going to produce a lot of problems we haven’t had recently.

One of those problems is going to be white Christians hating their white Christianity. And another problem is going to be white Christians loving their white Christianity, if you see what I mean. We are not equipped to deal with this. And God help us.

Nathan

In light of the mission and educational approach of St. Andrews College, are there any law schools in the US (offering traditional degrees) that you might particularly recommend to a believer who wanted a distinctly Christian and Bible-based approach to the study of law?

Caleb

One of the things I love is seeing is C.S. Lewis’ prescience applied to our modern day problems. I just recently finished reading That Hideous Strength again and I was floored by the parallels to our current situation, right down to the torture of animals in the name of science.

As a fellow—and much more intelligent—admirer of Lewis, I would love to read an article to that effect.

Tyler

“Well-written, fair minded letters may be interacted with in featured posts.” I was not born with the gift of writing well, and I crumble at public speaking. But I do have a fair mind, I believe . . .

So here goes.

The reason I’m reaching out is because I’d like to share something with you. I’ve spent the last year with an insatiable desire to help people read their Bible. So in the evenings for the past several months, I’ve worked on software that analyzed thousands of biblical sources to create a modern-day topical Bible resource. I turned this software into a topical Bible website.

I would love to hear your honest thoughts. You can find my website at: HelpfulScripture.com.

In Christ,

Matt

In your series of letters on homosexual desire, you mention obeying, among other things, Scripture and the Western Tradition by becoming a man. Could you please elaborate as it relates to the Western Tradition?

I’m having a hard time grasping what is going on in the modern West with its self-hatred and narcoleptic wokeness. Would you say the divide between East and West is as big as the whole crowd makes it out to be? For instance, that “Western colonialism” is to blame for world woes on nearly all levels, and things of that sort. The reason I ask is, that, it seems to me that the divide is not really between East and West, but between Heathen and Biblical. Would you say this is a fair summation? And if so, do you think there could possibly be any connection to the layout of the Tabernacle and Temple—that God’s presence resides in the Westernmost end? Perhaps this is a stretch, but it does come to mind.

One confusing bit for me as well is, that, such a stark divide between East and West seems to be, as far as I can tell from personal interactions, to be a modern Western thing itself. Just like how you’ve said before that wokeness is a white thing, could East-West be a western thing that’s been exported?

To distill a coherent question: in your letter on homosexual desire, what do you mean by the Western Tradition; is it an essentially Biblical heritage in the way you mean to use it; and how can I become more familiar with this our heritage?

Thank you kindly,

Jake

I’m the long-haired fellow you spoke briefly to on Sunday from Illinois. I was a rank sinner for many years but I was saved by our Lord on Jan 6, 2019, and baptized 7 weeks later into new life. Our faithful Lord has revealed so much to me since re-birth and has chosen to bless me richly. One of His sweetest blessings was to bring me safely to Moscow to hear your message. I attend a more contemporary church back home and it was refreshing to worship with your congregation. You all filled nearly every moment with praise and worship. Well done. Our God was glorified! Your message filled me with joy and strength and I want you to know I will never forget my time at Christ Church. I hope we will meet again but until then I will be praying for you and your team and learning what I can from you and others like you to reform and strengthen the church of Jesus Christ our Lord. God bless you and all your people.

Thane

Re: 7 Reasons Mike Stone Ought Not Sue Russell Moore. Don’t your arguments presuppose that Russel Moore is a believer? If Russell Moore is a pagan then the suit is a believer attempting to get justice in the same way that Paul used his Roman citizenship to avoid being beaten. Regards.

Rolen

Regarding “7 Reasons Mike Stone Ought Not Sue Russell Moore” I’ve been blessed by your writings going back to the 90’s when I was a young man worshiping at Dr. Sproul’s church in Florida.

Question; how can there be justice for the injured, slandered, defamed, etc Christian, in instances such as what may have occurred with this current SBC controversy when the Protestant church or catholic (small “c”) church remains so divided governmentally by denominational and non-denominational barriers?

In simple terms; if a Christian can seriously sin against another Christian, and merely slip out the back door and leave to a “different” church, perhaps even a “conservative” one, there is then no justice for the injured party thanks to modern day church hopping, no?

I’m still every bit as Reformed as I was as a teenager 25 years ago, but perhaps in part due to having read nearly every Martyn Lloyd Jones sermon I could get my hands on for the past couple decades, I’m ever more convinced the Protestant church is seriously erring by not declaring a worldwide council and prayerfully duking it out until the Holy Spirit brings us all back into ‘governmental’ (i.e. church governmental) fellowship.

As a church layman, I’ve been encouraged by many a sermon with the exhortation of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:3, but please pray tell where are the leaders of the denominations (of thoroughly orthodox Christian denominations) obeying Paul’s exhortation to do all to preserve the unity of the brethren?

I appreciate conferences as much as the next person, and have been humbled to have been asked to speak at many throughout the course of my life.

Yet with all due respect, having Baptist John MacArthur and Presbyterian Sproul speaking at the same lectern over the course of a weekend, or yourself and Piper talking publicly for a few hours on stage is clearly NOT the fullness of Paul’s exhortation in practice, since I believing in padeo-baptism and paedo-communion would likely not be given church membership and may even be refused the Lord’s Table if I were to visit either Piper or MacArthur’s churches (this is not a knock against either of them, since I appreciate their commitment to God) .

Finally, wouldn’t the catholic (small “c”) church having a worldwide council and organizing into one governmental fellowship fit into your eschatological framework?

Kenneth

I’m curious how you would respond to this hypothetical line of reasoning from the Stone side,

1) Moore by his actions (or inactions even with regard to the alleged abuses) has proved himself an unbeliever

2) Stone, being a qualified elder has the biblical authority to make that judgment (Matt 16, keys to the kingdom)

3) Therefore, the prohibition of 1 Cor 6 does not apply

Basically taking a similar approach to divorce and 1 Cor 7:15. Thanks

Bob

Good morning Doug,

I enjoyed your blog post, “7 Reasons Mike Stone Ought Not Sue Russell Moore.”

This was very well-written and timely. I’m submitting this letter to the editor as an alum of Al Mohler’s seminary and a confessional Baptist in the vein of Founders (Tom Ascol). From where I sit in Eastern Washington (Spokane to be exact), the SBC is up to its neck in excrement of its own making.

Sadly, Mike Stone’s lawsuit is not the first high profile SBC fiasco to go in this morally wrongheaded direction in 2021. Your blog post brought to mind this bugaboo:

First, McLean Bible Church (David Platt is the lead elder/pastor) in the Northern Virginia area had something occur within the body that led one faction to file a lawsuit. Here are two links—here and here— to review at your leisure:

There’s one more observation that I’ll send your way. Perhaps this is merely the musings of a fellow brother. in Christ noticing things up in the bleachers. From my perspective, the way Ed Litton became the president of the SBC over both Mike Stone and Al Mohler has eerie parallels to how our national election went down with resident Biden. There was controversy over the vote and over how the process went down.

Besides Russell Moore, Ed Stetzer was another vocal advocate of Ed Litton within the SBC. Stetzer is the Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton in addition to. being the current Dean of Wheaton’s School of Mission, Ministry and Leadership. Stetzer is also a current member of the executive committee for the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).

Finally, Stetzer’s colleague at Wheaton, his boss Philip Ryken, who’s Wheaton’s President and a member of the PCA, also sits on the board of directors for the NAE. The executive committee appears to be one layer above the board of directors—source.

Why are the above details interesting?

In that (in)famous Time Magazine article back in January of this year, the author noted that one of the Big Eva organizations that partnered with the AFL-CIO and others “to fortify the election” was none other than the NAE. Is this just a coincidence? Is Steve Bannon right when he says there are no conspiracies and there are no coincidences? If I’m not mistaken, the character V in V for Vendetta says something similar about coincidences.

Anyway, just thought I’d give you some more intel as someone who swam in SBC circles while getting his M.Div at Southern and now is a member of a Harbor Network church.

I appreciate your willingness to speak and publish unpopular perspectives.

Sincerely,

Matthew

I am a young Christian man thinking about joining the US military. What advice do you have regarding this decision? Thanks

Hunter

Thanks for your blog. I have enjoyed it over the past year or so, and I’m hoping you can either shed light on this question or direct me to a post of yours, or another book or source, that can answer this question. I’ve been having conversations lately with a few people about discretion in entertainment. As of right now, I divide the question into two parts—assessing the value or worth of the film/book/TV show, and then assessing the questionable content. My question relates more to the second part—where should one draw the line in terms of ‘skippable’ material? And how does the skippable material overall affect whether one should even turn on the movie at all? Should the presence of a good number of scenes to skip mean that I shouldn’t turn on the film at all? So I guess I’m wondering whether the accumulated filth makes something not worthwhile, even if you genuinely intend to skip the worst moments. And what if that film is otherwise a great film?

And then more importantly, where should we draw the line? What makes something skippable? My contention is that we shouldn’t view others’ unclothed bodies except in a spousal relationship (excluding same-gendered encounters such as changing rooms, of course). But I don’t have a solid biblical argument for that. And I also want to say that we shouldn’t view sex on screen, but again, I’m wondering if that is more of a gut reaction than a thoughtful biblical position, because sadly I can’t think of anything compelling—especially because some people will say, “what if I don’t lust while viewing this body/sex scene?”

So I’m really looking for a robust biblical view of entertainment. What makes unclothed bodies, or sexual encounters, things that need to be hidden or protected from outside observers? And what about non-explicit sex scenes? And is there a difference between a sex scene between two married people vs adulterous?

Thanks!

N

Appropos of nothing recent: Do you have thoughts on non-Christian classical school model? Would that be a hard no?

Nathan

Do you have any thoughts regarding the trend of positive discipline? Must a parent spank in order to discipline biblically? Is it okay if parents never spank their children?

Ken

What are your thoughts on John Piper’s view of works and final justification? Quite a few folks have criticized him, usually mentioning his forward to Thomas Schreiner’s book on the topic and his article on the DG blog, “Are we really saved by faith alone”. At the very least is he unclear or careless with his wording?

John