March Letters to Help Us March on out of Here

You quoted several Old Testament instances where men were covered and women were uncovered. However, don’t you suppose that Christ, the head, the man who entered into the heavens and was exalted to the right hand of the Father could have transformed the symbol for mankind? In other words, perhaps what Paul is teaching here is a shift from the old wine skins.

John

A modest suggestion about the angels. The plan of redemption is carried out while the angels are watching. They’re the audience for it, at least in part (Job 1, Eph 3:10, 1 Pet 1:12). When Paul says a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head “because of the angels,” I take it that our actions should demonstrate the grace of God before angelic eyes as well as one another’s. And some of those guys have a LOT of eyes, which is something to think about.
My ancient father told me about a conversation he had with a county judge who was a Baptist backslider. The judge said he didn’t see the need for going to church because he could worship in his fishing boat, blah, blah, blah. My father told him, “I go to church because I want everybody to know whose side I’m on.” Next Sunday, there was the judge, occupying a seat in church. I suspect that matters like our adornment are not only telling one another whose side we’re on, but we’re also making that declaration in heavenly places. God is much bigger on symbols than we typically are, and maybe this is a matter of symbolism that the evangelical world has forgotten to be intentional about because the audience for the symbols is unseen.
Kind regards,

Bro. Steve

I would mention in passing that the priest, during the trial of bitter water for alleged adultery, would “uncover the woman’s head”—implying some sort of general covering practice, but also a deep meaning in women uncovering their heads beyond mere public prophecy or prayer.
Coincidentally, these are the verses immediately prior to the Nazirite vow, concerning long-haired men.

Michael

On no post in particular, just a curious question:
In various places and in various ways, Pastor Doug, you have talked about how to read the Bible in light of how Christ and the Apostles read and understood it. This particularly peaked my interest after reading your book on Hebrews through Athanasius Press. Do you have a recommendation of works you/others have written on this subject that goes more in depth?

Brandon

I have a dilemma. I read an answer to a letter here, but for the life of me I cannot find it again. It was in regard to heads of household membership. If I remember correctly, you explained that women who are heads of household would be voting members at Christ Church. This would be those women who do not have a husbands. Additionally, at Christ Church if a woman has a husband, but her husband does not go to church or seek membership, the church would accept her as a nonvoting member. I believe that you explained that this is similar to the college student who seeks membership but is still financially supported by his parents as opposed to the one who is paying his own way. Is that correct, or did I just imagine this letter and response because I will never find it now.
Thank you,

Anna

We’ve been trying to raise our kids based on God’s Word, and that convicted us to spank. However, our kids, all under 5, tend to throw fits and have been disrespecting both of us, but particularly their mother. I also know that she and I both get frustrated with the kids, and have both yelled at them and spanked them in anger. I know this is wrong, but I don’t know what to do from here, and need advice on how to steer this ship before it is too late. Can you provide any general counsel/specific direction in this? Thank you for your years of ministry and insight.

Anonymous

Question regarding general parenting:
Do you have any practical tips for teaching little ones table manners? We have two boys, 4 and 2, and a third on the way. Both the boys are messy eaters, though slowly getting better about that. However, while Mom and Dad are talking, they tend to ramp each other up and start making loud noises in an attempt to make the other laugh. It’s frustrating, but at the same time I’m not sure where the line is between getting them to behave well at the table and forcing them to act like little girls instead of little boys. Any help or guidance is much appreciated. Thanks for all you do!

Passer of Potatoes

I stumbled upon your blog not too long ago, and I have learned a lot from it. There is one thing I was wondering about, though, and I haven’t been able to find any other posts of yours about it.
I have been a Christian my whole life, so I know that the Bible is the Word of God, divinely inspired, inerrant, etc. But I’ve been having some doubts about that lately. I’m wondering if you could explain to me how we know for sure that the Bible is the Word of God and 100% true.
I’ve been praying about this and looking for answers in my Bible, but I’m still confused. The best evidence I have been given is 2 Timothy 3:16-17. But when I read this, I think, “How do I know THIS is true? How can I know that what the author of 2 Timothy says about the entire Bible is true?” In my mind, Paul’s statement would be comparable to me saying, “The congregation at my church is made up the kindest people in the world,” and expecting you to believe it simply because I said so. I don’t know if that analogy made any sense, but as far as I can tell, the author of 2 Timothy (which I think was Paul) is making a claim about himself and the rest of the authors of the Bible (claiming that what they say is true and inspired by God), and it seems like he is expecting me to believe it because he said so.
I think there must be more to it than that, though, because the Bible must be true, and surely there are good reasons to prove it. As I said before, I have learned a lot from your blog, and I can tell that you know a lot about the Bible. I was hoping you could explain it to me and set me at ease, because I really do want to know for sure that the Bible is true, but it would be easier for me if I had definitive proof. Thank you so much!

Adah

I have noticed that many churches in my circle have a lead pastor, associate pastors, and deacons. However, deacons seem to have a great amount of authority, advising the lead pastor and making decision about the church. It seems to me biblically that if this is the case, the deacons are functioning more like “elders.” And in this scheme, the deacons actually seem to have more authority in major decisions than the “associate pastors” who are biblically what the Bible calls “elders.”
Have you noticed this trend of deacons being in an authority position? Is this biblical? It seems to me that deacons are servants of the church but that they do not have power to make decisions and that some churches are using deacons as de factor elders. Am I on to something here?

Johnathan

Do you have an opinion on Mark 16:9-20?
We are in Mark 16 at church and I am surprised by how many guys I see that say something like “it wasn’t in the earliest manuscripts, but I like it to be in the Bible just in case.” My ignorant, knee-jerk reaction would be “if it wasn’t in the earliest transcripts then let’s ignore it,” but a lot of guys who I respect and are much wiser than me say otherwise. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Justin

I am reading a very good book on the crisis of Christian Humanism during WWII by Alan Jacobs called: The Year of Our Lord 1943, Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis, and he brings up the subjects of the renaissance, the enlightenment and the reformation. Do you know of any good books that treat these subjects in an explanatory way as to their origins and relationships ?

David

I recently read The Toxic War on Masculinity by Nancy Pearcey, hoping to gain insight into the cultural and gender corrosion that has deeply infiltrated the church. Instead, what I seemed to take away was the notion that men are inherently toxic—or so it suggests—and that we are indeed the scourge of the family unit, responsible for raising brutish bullies who are generally the root of all marital conflict (according to secular therapists). Even though women initiate divorce at an astonishing rate of 80–90%, the book implies that we men are still to blame. After finishing it, I felt as though I’d been invited into a parlor for a pleasant drink by a trusted friend, only to be ambushed and beaten with batons by my host. I’m curious about your thoughts on this book.
Thank you,

Matt

Dear Doug. Just recently found you, and oh am I happy to listen to wisdom. I am the sibling of Matthew, another son of Thunder.
Over the course of a lifetime Ive come to the realization that the west is filled to the brim of evil, Europe and (Sweden where I’m from especially.)
As we speak I’m hunted by the government for criticising grown men, in ladys’ clothing and their sick longing for small children (a so called theater). As I have been awake and not woke I have over the years criticised every major evil.
Frustrated at a non-existing church but more so its inability to see the lies (Ukraine, covid, climate etc) and the cowardly weakness and unwillingness to speak truth.
As a result I’m facing up to two years in prison, and a hefty fine. With a wife and three little girls, is this a circumstance to accept it as persecution or leave the country as its morally corrupt and unjust.
Bless you and your family!

Tomas

I’m sure Pastor Wilson doesn’t monitor this inbox on his own, but I do hope this email gets to him at some point. I just wanted to reach out and provide something I feel pastors do not get enough of: encouragement. As I watch the chaos of the world around me, I find my mind seeking temporal solutions:
“If we just created a policy whereby . . .”
“If we simply took this stance on the issue . . .”
“All we have to do is change this thing . . .”
The list of ideas is never-ending. At the end of those brainstorming sessions, however, I always come back to the same realization: the only solution, truly, is Christ. Everything else we could do—as a nation, as a people, as individuals—would simply be a band-aid placed upon leprosy-ridden skin (in other words, the treatment is inappropriate, inadequate and unsuitable for the condition). I am then reminded that the only correct way, as a believer, to go about this war—and that’s exactly what it is—is to cultivate, drive and foster an organic, genuine revolution in the culture, changing hearts and minds one family at a time with the aim of, by God’s good grace, affecting the globe. Thank you, Pastor Wilson, for your efforts in this arena. The Lord has used you greatly toward that end, and I am so grateful to be a beneficiary of the work He has done through you. Be encouraged today and don’t give up in your battle for a Christian culture. I pray the Lord bless you and minister to you today. I pray He equips you with all things necessary to finish strong in your race for the King of Gory. God bless!
V/r,

Cam

Greetings, Just a quick note here that hopefully covers a big topic. In your opinion how should what we call “addictions” be dealt with properly? I am speaking of chemical addictions, especially alcohol. I am a Christian who was saved over a decade ago. I have thought for a long time that if I could cure addiction I would be richer than Elon Musk. So would appreciate any insights you might have.

David

I agree. Because I’m not as well read as you, let me try to ask a question. I am thinking of the forced sterilizations in America that began 100 years ago, give or take a decade and took place for several decades. I do not know how to formulate my question, so feel free to take some liberty with it, but I’m thinking that a kind of political orthodoxy must occur—may occur—in many places in many centuries. I’m sure you get my drift. What do you think? And thank you for your work.

James

This is a reply to the Blog and Mablog that I received today, 3/21/2025.
Dear Doug and B/M Entourage:
1. For further context, there is in fact a female elder who says she “sleeps around with other men, so she can preach the gospel to them as “pillow talk.”
Reply: this is exactly what The Apostle John the Revelator was addressing. Here’s the verse, Rev 2:20-21: But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.”
But the whole section is so good that I brought it all here: Revelation 2: 18-29: “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has [g]eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and [h]perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the[o]nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
2. Not a Good Idea
My late pastor, Jeremy Jackson, had a similar challenge. Before his (terminal) illness became too obvious, he was preaching and stopped, and said, “I can’t do this,” and went back to his chair and sat. The church had three or four preaching elders who rotated preaching responsibilities. One of the other elders took the pulpit and spoke good words to the congregation and (I believe) carried on the preaching. The elders took the opportunities to help the congregation make it through this major change of direction for the whole congregation which would continue for several years.
Jeremy was the best pastor I’ve ever had, never compromising and also never using fallacious arguments, very much in the style of great British Bible expositors, and (not so incidentally, he wisely guided me through some of the worst troubles of my life). Incidentally, his wife Lucinda is Edith Schaeffer’s niece, and Jeremy was Francis Schaeffer’s historian-consultant for How Should We Then Live; and was also featured in the interview featurettes following the DVD of Whatever Happened to the Human Race, sitting alongside Francis and Edith. This is Jeremy’s in-depth study guide to HSWTL ( not the movie series study guide) which could serve as a worthy supplement to your own “The Case For Classical Christian Education.”

Bruce

Good morning. I am an elder in a Baptist church and have been persuaded by Scripture that my children are part of the covenant. My heart is burning within to grant them the sign of the covenant in baptism. How should I approach my fellow pastors with this? What is now my responsibility regarding my status in my current local church?
Thank you for considering my question. Lord bless you.

Jacob

I have been watching your videos and reading your books for a few years and they have rekindled my passion for Christ and the Christian faith. I was wanting to ask you about your position on Freemasonry (can a faithful Reformed Christian be a member), and if the Puritans or early Reformers had anything to say about whether becoming a Freemason was sinful or no. Thank you for your time!

Race

I really enjoyed your A.I. Doug and Friends conversation. I have a pertinent ethical question that was nearly answered a couple of times but not in full. I am in the process of writing a book. I have no background in writing other than school through undergrad and personal reading. But I got this theory that I wanted to get down and by the time I had fleshed it out, it became a book. Lacking any connections to editors and publishers, I figured I would use ChatGPT as an editor and publish on Amazon.
I completed the first several drafts and then put the latest one in ChatGPT to look for areas that needed to be fleshed out, structural revisions to improve readability, and examples of these changes. If it ever added content, I reviewed and addressed it as a suggestion to be rewritten in my own words if I approved.
There was one instance where it advised an introductory paragraph and offered an example which was so good that I wish I had thought of it. It even included a Bible verse that I did not have but was so perfect for the whole premise of the book. I used the verse but only used the A.I. generated paragraph as an example of structure for my intro paragraph.
Do you believe this is a way of using the tools appropriately to compensate for a lack of experience and a lawful way around paying an editor? Or have I tarnished a work that should have been completed after more practice and learning in the art of writing or given to an author to complete?

Stephen

What are your thoughts on Pastors taking sabbaticals? Is this a biblical practice? Have you ever taken one? If so how long was it?

Josh