Letters to Help Us Pass the Time

I’m probably the Christian antheysus of your philosophy. I’m a lifelong Catholic and in full communion with the Holy Father. I find your faith a perversion of the Christian Message. I’m alarmed that you see women as you do. We just celebrated the feast of the Assumption. The only human physically with God as of today, is a woman Theotokos

Dennis

Reading letters from your newfound enemies is sort of like watching a baby try a new food for the first time.

Jennifer

You said something in “The Covenant Household” that grabbed me. It was something to the effect that Jesus took responsibility for the sins of His people. That Jesus “took responsibility” . . . I don’t remember ever hearing it put like this, and with the connotations invoked by “took responsibility”
It was like the lights coming on for me.
Saying Christ “took responsibility” for my sins seems to have a deeper, more personal feeling/connotation than Christ died “for” my sins. (Maybe I’m just now understanding the Gospel??)
And I want to continually think about this . . . Not only regarding Jesus being my example regarding my wife as her head and you describe in the book, but also in regard to my relationship, thoughts, love, sanctification, etc. to Christ.
Pastor Wilson, regarding this, I have a few generally related questions please . . .
Is the understanding that Jesus took responsibility for my sins, contained in the phrase “Jesus died for my sins”? . . . And is this the same gospel that Paul, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, John Bunyan, the Puritans, Charles Spurgeon, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, R. C. Sproul, etc. preached? . . . No offense, but this isn’t just sort of a spin you are putting on it in the context of the covenant household is it?
And sort of a companion question, is it Biblical to understand that God “blamed” Jesus for our sins on the cross? Not “blame” as if Jesus caused me to sin, but blame as in God punished His spotless, sinless, holy son on the cross with the guilt of my sins.
To sort of sum up . . . If I well up with unholy anger over an inconsiderate driver on the road, is it Biblical to think something like “Jesus took responsibility for that sin of mine before His Father . . . God blamed Jesus for that sin on the cross.” . . . with the desired effect on me that thinking in these terms would cause me to have a deeper more visceral understanding of the enormity of my sins and the Gospel and love and appreciation for Jesus Christ.
Would you please set me straight on any confusion or anything unbiblical in my understanding, above?
Thank you, and thank you for your ministry,

Robert

I’m just curious if you can share how Nancy’s writing of Future Women is coming along. I’m raising 3 daughters and look forward to the read! I did follow up with your recommendation to read Five Aspects of Woman by Barbara Mouser and found it immensely helpful—thanks for that.

Casey

I am appalled that you support repealing the 19th amendment. Your idea about voting is misogynist and insulting to women. Last point, I am Jewish. Do you plan on converting or exterminating Jews?

Ronnie

That CNN Report—The 19th Amendment
Well stated argument for enfranchising the covenant family. It brought to mind something I read in Murray Rothbard’s, The Progressive Era. Rothbard says that a main force behind the late 19th century progressive movement was the liberal Protestant church and their social gospel postmillennialism. The idea was to bring in the millennium by the power of the State. Not my postmillenialism though it is the major objection to postmillennialism by my dispensational friends. Rothbard said the women who led the charge were often daughters of liberal Protestant pastors and many were lesbians.
The Roman Catholic community was a major source of resistance to the progressive agenda. Rothbard said the center of political activity in the Roman Catholic communities at the time were the local pubs. Men met there and discussed politics among many other matters. Those discussions usually included input from their wives around the dinner table. Sounds a lot like enfranchised covenant families. Rothbard writes that one of the purposes behind the progressive push for women’s suffrage and alcohol prohibition was to break up this source of Roman Catholic political power. If he is correct, it is more evidence that participation in the political process does not make you free. The Progressives have democratized the Republic to the point where your individual vote is nearly meaningless.

Roger

The CNN interview. Thank you for agreeing to do the interview. Thank you for reminding us of what we sadly tolerate. Thank you for reminding us that Christ forgives and saves!

Valerie

I thoroughly enjoyed your interview on CNN last week. I especially marveled at the clip of you getting booed on the street and just chuckling about it, and it made me wonder: have you always been able to let stuff like that just roll off your back, or is your cheerful disposition toward such hostility something you’ve worked at over the years?

Tim

I was watching your CNN interview (or at least the portion that they published) and didn’t understand something from the part where you were talking about “small R reconstructionism.”
You said something along the lines of “When Christ died, the Old Testament law was crucified with him and rose again from the dead with him”.
What did you mean by this; is it just a simplification of a much more complex issue? And what implications does it have for how we apply the law (especially the civil law) to our lives and society?

Matthew

As always, loved the jolly grandpa getting hated on for having eyes in his head and the Bible in his bones. Well done on CNN.
My pastor has just interviewed Dr. David Edgington about abusive wives. It was incredibly enlightening and saddening. Are you familiar with his books? I assume that you pastors at Christ Church, like all churches, have dealt with your fair share of reviling wives and foolish women tearing down their own home. Any nuggets of advice to help these women see their sin and repent?

TW

In your article, “Self-Deception in Business,” you give the example of a person who accepts a job and then accepts a much better offer a few days later. However, the reality is that most employment is “at will.” That means that there is NO contractual obligation for the either the employer or the employee to continue employment. Therefore, the employee has fulfilled their obligation, outside of contractual language requiring a term commitment by both parties. A two-week notice would be courteous, but not required. And continued employment from either side is not an obligation.

David

You said in your self-deception blog
‘A man agrees to go to work for Company A, signs the agreement, and three days later Company B offers him a much better deal. Instead of immediately thinking of Psalm 15, the man starts reasoning to himself that the second offer was “providential,” or so it seems to him. His wife agrees—and so he breaks his word in order to work with “providence.” ‘
So what exactly is the “oath” here? Is it the contract that’s signed, or the agreement that’s made verbally?
When a teacher agrees to work somewhere, they’re usually signing an agreement to work for a year. When an employee signs on with a new company, it’s usually an indefinite arrangement. But the actual contracts almost always include ways out—“employment is at will,” “either party may terminate this agreement with two weeks’ notice,” or “violation of this contract will cost X dollars if the employee quits before certain dates.”
Companies and schools include these clauses to protect themselves. They want the ability to say, “It’s been a rough few months and the economy’s taken a hit, so we need to let you go,” or, “We thought you were more skilled than you are, and we think we can do better in this role with someone else—here’s your severance package.”
In other words, they make an agreement with you verbally where nobody intends to leave or fire anyone right away, but they design the contract so they can walk away if it becomes financially beneficial. “I will work here for a year and let you know if I want to renew by April” “We believe you will be a great addition to this team for years to come.” Yes, but the agreement the parties signed has the structure for opting out included.
So why shouldn’t the hypothetical man and his wife agree to work for Company A, then leave immediately if the grass looks greener at Company B? The company has already written in a clause in the contract to benefit themselves if they find a better candidate. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. It may be a sharp business move to quit days after signing on, but the contract was written that way for a reason. If the company thought they could substantially benefit from letting him go, they would.
In fact, you could argue that contracts with “out” clauses (and almost all have them) are meant to avoid over-committing in a way that one might regret financially or before magistrates (Proverbs 20:25).
So, I don’t see why the man who leaves Company A for Company B after three days is doing anything wrong. I don’t even see why he would need a substantially better offer to justify leaving. Why can’t he quit because he doesn’t like his boss’s haircut? Or only accept Job A in the first place as a way to negotiate a better deal with B? The whole principle behind free markets is that men have a right to negotiate and better their conditions through lawful means. Psalm 15 commends a man for keeping a vow when it hurts, but in many other places in Scripture it commends not making rash oaths at all. Why must the man and his wife act as though he made a rash oath to his own harm when in fact he signed a very non-rash contract with a hundred outs for a hundred reasons?

Jeffrey

I skimmed through a couple of the most recent letter to the editor replies and I felt that maybe I could bless you by being a voice of thankfulness amidst many voices of opposition. I assume that by now you have a fairly thick skin for criticism and hatred, but I also know that doesn’t exclude you from needing the love and support of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
I read your book “How to Get the Girl” about two months before I met my wife and found it extremely helpful in our dating phase. I read most of “The Covenant Household” right after we got married and was challenged by it. Though I don’t agree with you on everything, I have found your work over the years both valuable and encouraging. Thank you for all your effort over the many years of your ministry. I pray that God will bless you, your family, and your church. You have a friend and supporter here in Kentucky.
Grace and Peace,

Joshua

Regarding your video, “Are Street Preachers Helping or Hurting,” you implied that a preacher who doesn’t draw a crowd isn’t really helping to spread the Gospel. I understand that pragmatism is a not-whether-but-which kind of thing, so I’m curious where you’d draw the line: how far should we bend over backward to make our gospel witness appealing to passersby, or what standard would you use to determine that one kind of contextualization is wisdom while another is compromise? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Nicolas

The Book of Enoch is getting some air time recently (Rogan). Where does it fit in Christian literature? How would you recommend curious Christians approach it?
Blessings in Christ,

David

G’day mate.
Help . . . Here in the land down under we hail not of rebellion but poor breeding.
Adam indeed kicked off this movement but the British mighty compounded the departure by instituting a largish penal colony, namely Australia.
Whilst I have been daydreaming of a Jacob-like escape to a city on a hill, I may have to settle for a Lot-like existence, as I live in the most far left state of Australia, Victoria.
Looking for a brothers advice regarding online aids for my Grandchildren’s education.
Just listened to your talk “ yes Christian why classical” and also felt a little cheated re my own education( I was also one of the children not educated in phonics that sadly never really figured it out . . . .I truly thank God for the AI revolution which enables voice to text) another sign that postmill thinking is almost definitely correct.
I have 5 Grandchildren, with my Sons (Tom & Jack ) planing on home education.
Do you have any contacts here in Australia?
And now the obligatory praise which men give to men while seeking a return (Joke )
Very thankful to our God for all his work in, through and with you. Would love to see a movement like Christ Church here in Australia and yet I will not despise small things.
Peace and Grace to you and your with just the hint of rattling chains from an ex convict.

Andrew

I would appreciate your thoughts on President Trump’s recent red-carpet reception for Putin.
I was wondering if I would/should do the same if I were in Trump’s position.
I don’t believe Putin deserves red-carpet treatment—far from it.
However, is there scope here for recognising position even if you don’t approve of the person?
Or for flattering someone in this way in order to achieve peace as a greater good?
I’m asking this partly as a civil engineer who has to deal with a lot of corrupt clients.
Thanks

Pierre

Do you have any advice for a wife who wishes her husband would put the phone down and take more initiative with her and the children?

Getting Frustrated

I hope you are doing well. Though I grew up in a time when people freely depicted Jesus in cartoon or live human forms, since I was a child, I’ve been wary of media that depict Him. I either thought that it would be a lot of pressure for an actor to portray Him, or, if poorly done, the actor/company depicting Jesus could be committing heresy. Others in my life have been cautious as well, saying they are concerned that there are some who might create an image of a Jim Caviezel or Jonathan Roumie Jesus in their minds. When I became more Reformed as an adult, I found that the Westminster strongly discourages creating depictions of Jesus. I found it quite funny that my childhood wariness was somewhat justified. However, God’s Word gives physical descriptions of Jesus in Revelation 1. Also, when I read the Bible, it’s difficult for me to imagine certain “scenes” playing out without a male, Middle Eastern adult Jesus. Archaeologists have found depictions of Jesus in certain buildings as early as the 2nd-4th centuries AD, but they have also uncovered early Church restrictions on depicting Jesus as early as the 300s. How ought we appropriately understand the prohibition/warning against depicting Jesus?

ON

I have a strange question for you, but I think you may be just the man who can give me a biblically-sound answer.
I want to think about the Christian ethical implications of cannibalism. It’s clear in the Bible that murder is a sin, and, therefore, murdering someone to eat them would be a sin.
However, what about passive cannibalism? This is when someone dies naturally, and then their body is eaten. The situation I have in mind is something like a hiking party gets stranded on a snow-covered mountain. One of them dies. The rest of the group runs out of food and doesn’t know when/if they will be rescued. What then?
Should they abstain and just starve to death? Should they eat and ask forgiveness? Should they be more willing to eat a certain type of person first (man before woman before child, or old before young)?
Does the passage where Jesus talks about it being permissible for David to eat the bread of the presence apply here? Obviously, either passive cannibalism is a sin or it’s an extremely undesirable necessity in certain extreme situations. But why?
I’m just trying to think about this ethical issue in a biblically faithful way . . . and hope I never get put in that situation! Thanks, and I hope this genuine question doesn’t get me put on a list somewhere!

Caleb

Thank you so much for your really helpful article on anxiety and worry. I much appreciate your wisdom.
I wanted to make a comment on the ‘chemical rock’, which as you say isn’t to be used to just hit anxiety on the head. However I’ve noticed that there are people who really struggle with physical symptoms, panic attacks, ongoing nausea, etc that don’t always seem to disappear with genuine repentance. Also that there are others who may be consumed with anxiety but don’t seem to ‘feel’ it or show it in quite the same way, e.g. a super-focused and driven businessman aiming for the top of the pile to avoid the poverty of his youth, yet feeling emotionally and physically robust.
I wonder what you think of the idea of chemicals being carefully used to reduce physical symptoms for those who really suffer from them alongside the repentance. Also being aware of the danger of, I feel better so I’m not anxious anymore, although the underlying spiritual issues haven’t necessarily changed.

Eliza

You said, “Whenever you are being what you call “prudent,” do the little thieves of worry creep in? God wants His people to have prudence. He does not want prudence to have His people.”
THIS is where I almost always stumble. But I don’t quite understand what you are trying to say here. I’ve never been very good at subtlety, even when it slaps me in the face . . . .Can you flesh this out or direct me to a book (preferably on Canon+) or article that explains how to discern between prudence and anxiety
Thank you.

Laurel

In observing how businesses operate, I see two common temptations: spin, the tendency to snatch at a minor, less odious aspect of a disaster and present it as the “true cause,” and exaggeration, the tendency to view the fact that I picked a bushel of apples once as evidence that my company is a world-class Applesauce Producer. When it comes to the second temptation, at least one author openly admits the trend, and shrugs it off as “business culture.”
I wonder how much of it is driven by fear, or a subconscious realization that the business may not be offering as much value as the owners wish to believe. To paraphrase Ivanka Trump, everyone wants a piece of the action in the crowded middle, when there is actually plenty of room at the top.

Douglas

I’m seeking advice regarding a wayward adult son who has rejected God and has announced that he is now in transition.
Backstory: our home is a Christian home, and he was homeschooled with the rest of his siblings. He began to be rebellious in his teen years and got into assorted troubles. At 18 he moved out of the house and really began to limit his interaction with us (mom and dad and some of his siblings), and really anybody from his childhood. We would only see him at family gatherings and holidays, and that was usually for a short time as he was often the first to leave.
I have to say we knew he had rejected God and had left the faith, but we didn’t do anything to try to stop the slide. Looking back, I see I should have put more effort in to trying to draw him back to the family and to Christ. We would pray and sometimes read Scripture at family gatherings, but it now seems to have had no effect on his outlook.
Just a few nights ago he came over (no family gathering—just him which he never does) and told my wife and me that he is now a trans woman. He told us he is on hormones; I don’t think he has had any surgery yet, though I cannot be certain.
He explained that he had been dealing with depression for years, even before leaving home. Now that he has found this new identity, he has joy. He said he expected us to rejoice with him, though he also said he wasn’t surprised we didn’t see it that way. He left us with an ultimatum: he would not be back if we wouldn’t affirm his new identity. We explained to him it isn’t possible to change his sex, and that the real issue is his rejection of Christ. I believe we were gentle with him even as we would not assent to his requirement. However, he was offended that we would not support him in this and stormed out of the house.
Honestly, we are at a loss: I have no idea how to approach him or help him, or whatever else I should do. We are looking for solid biblical advice, or perhaps referral to someone who can help us. Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated.
Yours in Christ,

Hal

I just read a Substack post by someone named Kaeley Triller Harms that accuses you of saying a bunch of what she thinks of as nasty things about women. Have you actually used these terms that she quotes, and, if so, what leads you to believe that God approves of you typing these words? I am a long-time fan of yours, but some of these terms look amazingly vulgar to me and I just want to make sure of things.
A daily reader,

Samuel

I greatly appreciate your willingness to interact with your readers as they seek to live a Christian life in their own unique circumstances.
I have a painful family situation that has led to partial estrangement with a sibling for more than a year. I once expressed how I miss chatting and received no response. There is obviously a lot that leads to a situation like this. My pastor is aware of the general circumstances, but I am considering asking for more direct guidance, up to and including asking him to contact the pastors of this sibling and another family member for more involved pastoral mediation.
My question is, do I let my family/sibling know my intent to seek more direct pastoral counsel first, in the event that it motivates some effort on their part to work toward reconciliation, or is it better to speak to my pastor first so that I can receive his input from the beginning?

Jane Doe

On the Sign of the Cross Post:
I was raised a Catholic in the 50s and 60s. Went to Catholic school through high school. Pretty much set it aside after college to become a “free thinker.” After a free-wheeling ten years I painted myself into a corner. One night I went to a Catholic Charismatic Bible study where they read through 1st John, where it hit me hard. The study leader explained the gospel to me and I believed it.
I started attending a Baptist Church and listening to J. Vernon McGee on the radio. Eventually I understood why I couldn’t be a Catholic anymore. Yet the Sign of the Cross remains meaningful to me.
There is a scene in “Brideshead Revisited” that portrays the death of a lapsed Catholic, Lord Marchmain. He lived a sinful life, was generally a hardened sinner. In his last moments, while his daughters pray for him, he makes the Sign of the Cross in response to receiving the Last Rites.
In the movie “Katyn” when the Russians are shooting Polish officers, many of them make the Sign of the Cross as their last act before death.
While it can be a superficial gesture, it can also be a powerful expression of faith in Christ.

Jack

Should a wife submit to an abusive husband—not physically abusive, but one who swears at her and her family, and demands control over all the money she earns, calling her unsubmissive if she refuses?
Is there a point where a wife is no longer obligated to submit, especially when the husband’s demands for submission are absolute and controlling? Does verbal and emotional abuse justify setting limits on submission?

AA

Regarding your recommendation that churches adopt a household voting policy, how would you handle the concern that this policy would effectively cut the married members voting power in half, while keeping the single members voting power whole?

Preston

You’ve said in multiple places that, when it comes to reprimanding your kids, you should be entirely calm, and I interpret that as without anger. I’ve also read from other authors (and at a first glance, it checks out) that anger itself is not sinful, just normally pretty mucked up by our sin. But there are examples of righteous anger, both from God (obviously) and from man in the Scriptures. My question is, do you think there would ever be a good time or way to address your children in anger if it were truly righteous? Or do you have a different view of anger altogether? Thanks for your ministry.

Anonymous

I really appreciate your ministry. I have a dumb question, and was hoping you might answer it for me.
I understand you hold to a postmillennial end times perspective, which believes Christ will return after a millennium, a period in which Christian ethics and values are expected to flourish on Earth.
My question is how do you square that with the Scripture, where Lord Jesus says it will be like the days of Lot and Noah at the time of His return? (Luke 17:28, Matt 24:37) As you know, at the time of Lot it was complete debauchery and with Noah, everyone was in rebellion.
I appreciate any information you can provide,
Thank you so much,

Mark