Letters to Make Us Pause and Reflect

Red Dress Reductivism
That was funny, cheeky, and entirely appropriate. It would be interesting to learn whether those two women were also wearing blue stockings…

Andy

So please enlighten us with what you think women should be allowed to do? What restrictions do you place on women in your church and what restrictions would you place on women in society generally?

Karen

“You can tell you are dealing with an ideology when folks won’t let you agree with them.” This is the kind of Chestertonian wit I come here for.

JPH

What would you say to a male Headmaster seeking a classical Christian school to lead, but finding that many or most of them are governed by a board that includes women? This includes both independent schools as well as church schools (which, for example, may be governed by an elder-appointed school board that includes women). Through both past experience as well as principle, I am uncomfortable serving as a spiritual leader of a Christian ministry while reporting to women (although I understand that in a well-structured school, the Headmaster reports to the board as a body, and not to any particular board member). Should I restrict my search to only those schools that are governed by an all-male board? Or am I just being too finicky?

Anonymous

Re: 19th Amendment & Household Voting
I’m not sure I support repealing the 19th Amendment, for this reason: my wife and I always vote together, for the same candidates. This has been our practice for our entire married life. Because of this, last November Trump and the Republicans got two votes from our household, instead of one. I realize I might be committing the Sin of Pragmatism here, but could we consider a strategy where household members vote together? Would like to hear your thoughts, thanks.

Anonymous Reformer

My PCA Pastor (and friend) did the unthinkable . . . he mentioned you in a positive light in his sermon a couple of weeks ago! The horror! He has been preaching through the Great Commission and was pointing to your work and how much he enjoyed the CNN piece. To no surprise to me, I saw many people shaking their heads in disbelief that our pastor would give praise to “someone like you” (and this wasn’t the first time). And for perspective, he quoted MLK Jr. the next week and got several “amens” from some of these people . . . I asked him after the service if he got any kick back from the name drop, to which he smiled and said, “oh yes.” The biggest concern from the few women that talked to him were that they did not appreciate your statement when asked what a woman is. Another member decided to take to Facebook to publicly proclaim his disdain for you, even though he has never read you, but alas, the plea was to stay away from the dreaded Doug Wilson because of bad language, fEdEraL vISioN, also claiming you were a heretic because of this. This being a public post, I could see that a brother-in-law and sister-in law of mine had liked his post. Fortunately, one of our elders commented and shared the conversation you had with James White on the topic which was great to see. I have loved and benefited greatly from your blog, videos, and books over the last 6 years, so to see this happen in my church and family grieves me. My pastor has talked to our one friend about the Facebook post and how we shouldn’t speak this way (especially on a public platform) about fellow Christians and elders. I also decided to talk to my BIL and SIL about their liking of the post. I have no problem if someone just doesn’t agree with your serrated edge approach, but to consider you a false teacher or someone that Christians should stay clear of really bothers me. These being fellow church members, friends, and family members has taken a toll on me and I find myself thinking how I would be uneasy about being in a spiritual foxhole with one of these individuals. Thankfully, my elders and deacons are supporters of you and your work (probably not many PCA members could say the same, especially in our area) which is an encouragement to my soul. With all of that being said, what would your advice be on how to be charitable to these individuals that I share the pews with every Sunday? Maybe I am overthinking it, but I truly want to be of one mind with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I try to put myself in their shoes, if the tables were turned and, if our pastor was praising the words of someone like Russell Moore, I couldn’t imagine remaining a member of a church like that and being under their shepherding. Hopefully I’ve explained what I am trying to get across. It almost feels as if I am enlisted in an army with those that have a disdain for one of the officers in charge. I imagine that could cause some issues among the ranks further down the line. Issues we already had to face during the pLandemic and that didn’t go so smoothly. God forbid something like that happens again and we have further fallout. Thank you for all you and your church continue to do! Speaking of, I had a great time at the Christ or Chaos conference this past Saturday and appreciate you allowing me to take a picture with you! My wife was pleased as punch to see it when I got home. We would have loved to worship with you all on Sunday but our baby boy was being baptized, priorities, am I right? God Bless!

Conservative Marylander

I recently read Gary North’s book Westminster’s Confession, and he references in his argument a couple times his Pastor and fellow Reconstructionist’s work “That Thou May Prosper” and the 5 point covenant model. I have read “Baptism is not Enough” by Crawford which I believe is operating from a similar framework and I have Sutton’s book on the shelf and intend to read it by the end of the year. I’m curious if you have any substantive disagreement with the 5-point model or if there is any distinctions I should keep my eye out for while reading?
North seemed to describe it as a development in theological maturity since the Westminster Confession was written that Westminster Seminary was lacking in their engagement with Theonomy and I’m curious why it doesn’t get referenced or engaged with much anymore.

Shea

I hope you are doing well. Your post “Trusting God in a Hard Providence” was exceptionally timely. If we are characters in a story the Lord is writing, my family and I are going through a “dark night of the soul” nearly daily. After moving for financial and cultural reasons, about which we prayed for some time, some family members won’t talk to us, or are harboring extreme bitterness toward us. They were very close to us before we moved, but they firmly believe we meant them ill by moving, or that we never loved them in the first place. We attempted to leave on good terms, but there exists a feeling of raw anger with these family members. I didn’t know my eyes could make so many tears; I thought they would run out after a while. After speaking with our pastor and elder, they believe we are not in the wrong about moving.
Not only that, but we have an enormous amount of student debt to pay because we didn’t know better at the naive age of 18 not to get into such things. Unfortunately, we had no wise counsel at the time, as everything leaned into going into college and “getting a good job.” Though we’re a well-educated and hard-working bunch, we cannot gain any financial traction because of this financial burden.
I’m not asking for charity or for money; rather, I wanted to thank you for your timely reminder. Some of us have considered some pretty bad ways out of this situation (which I would not like to detail), which would have created an even worse calamity for the rest of our family. We have been in a whirlpool of fear and doubt for years now, and it feels like it never ends. I needed your blog post, especially the prayer near the end. It doesn’t guarantee succor, but it does get our hearts in the right attitude, which is half the battle, if not the entirety of the battle. We want to be jolly warriors, as well as those who laugh at the time to come. If ever you remember us, please pray.
Thank you.

CY

I just wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your faithful ministry and the impact it has had on my life. Your teaching, boldness in truth, and unwavering commitment to Scripture have been a tremendous encouragement to me.
Whether through your sermons, books, or public witness, your clarity and conviction have helped sharpen my own understanding and deepen my walk with Christ. I’m grateful for your example of courage, wisdom, and pastoral care in a time when both are desperately needed.
Thank you for standing firm, for equipping the saints, and for being a faithful shepherd. May the Lord continue to bless you, your family, and your ministry richly.
Regards,

Nathaniel

“And have you ever noticed that your worst experiences are frequently the best stories later?”
But Doug, what about when my worst experiences are as a result of sins that I have committed? What then?

GH

Hope you’re doing well. Can you please explain how you understand Hebrews 7 and 8 when it says that the old covenant has been “annulled” and rendered “obsolete.” I take that to mean that the Mosaic covenant is no longer in effect thanks to the death and resurrection of Christ. However, God’s word that contains the Mosaic covenant is still authoritative; it’s just a matter of applying its principles correctly since they reflect the character of God.
Does this have to do with theonomy? I’m not an expert on the subject, but it seems connected. Just looking for your thoughts . . . Thanks!

Caleb

My question is about the role of a pastor’s wife. When my husband surrendered to the ministry, the first book I read was Nancy’s “True Companion” and I have referred to it a lot since! It has been very helpful in keeping my focus on ministering to my husband and our children, and following my husband’s lead with regard to church ministry.
A recurring problem I have had is with a church member sharing various “needs” of our church family with me and requesting that I do specific things as “the pastor’s wife” like, send out an urgent message to all the ladies or organize a meal train, etc. Sometimes responsibility is just implied, in messages worded like this: “Don’t you think we should . . .” but the “we” in mind is clearly me and/or another pastor’s wife. My husband is one of three elders in our church, and there has been a precedent set that “the ladies” or specifically the pastor’s wives handle several things I know my husband believes should be handled by the elders first and foremost. I always pass on these requests to my husband and let him know I am more than happy to help if there is something HE wants me to do. I never jump to do the thing asked of me, and I’ve addressed it with the person that typically requests things of me. However, it still feels like a persistent problem.
While passing all of the requests on to my husband IS keeping the lines of authority clear, both to myself and to the women in our church, I am concerned that over time this could become a way in which I am steering, or being used to steer, my husband’s attention in a certain direction. There are more needs than he can possibly address on his own, and I know he has to prioritize what he sees as the most pressing needs in our church, not whatever is brought to my attention. I wonder if I need to be more discerning in what I pass on and what I simply ignore. How can I best handle this situation on my end?

Ashton

God bless . . . your writing has been encouraging and challenging me for two decades.
RE “How to Bonk Heads With Yourself”—I spent some time working in a progressive Christian environment where my colleagues were fond of saying they were “voting their faith.” This always meant voting left (because Jesus would care for the poor, of course). They loved to talk about the political implications of Jesus’ teaching . . . but they did NOT enjoy it when I asked if they hoped to make the Sermon on the Mount the law of the land. So much squirming! But what else could “vote your faith” have meant? Why is it OK if someone on the left does it, but the horror of CN if it leads to the right?
I’m not quite with you on this myself, though I respect the consistency and honesty of your position. I grew up in a conservative Evangelical Anabaptist context, where we would have been open to Campbell’s premise that influencing the morality of the state isn’t a main concern of the kingdom of God. The difference is that my people, historically at least, didn’t vote, didn’t participate in politics, in some cases would not call the police, accepted that the state may be unjust, and, if you go back far enough, were chased/persecuted/forced to emigrate, etc. They didn’t use it as a smokescreen to smuggle in a different kind of political influence. They believed God’s kingdom grows through the church and individuals, and that the sole focus of the NT church was there, not on reforming or reshaping government.
I have read enough of your writing (Mere Christendom, various blog posts) to have a general idea of how you would respond to my forbears, but I would love to hear a direct take. One reason (among many) that I am not a leftist is because I don’t think Jesus meant the Sermon on the Mount as a blueprint for structuring a government. But I do think He meant for me to obey it. How do I square that?

Jared

What should a father who comes to a pedobaptist position do with adolescent children?
I’m studying the issue of baptism and having, like you, come from a credobaptist heritage am struggling with it. One of the issues confronting me is what should I, as a father, do with my 10 and 13 year old children who have not yet been baptized, Do I dunk them now? Do I wait until they have made a credible profession? Do I dunk their 5 year old little sister and leave them to decide for themselves? It’s a conundrum which I will be confronting should I come down on the pedobaptist side and I’d be interested in your take given your history on this issue.

Joel

A recent letter asked about distributism. There’s a good summary here, showing how Tolkien’s Shire was a model of the philosophy.
In the distributist Shire then, Sharky is the socialist and Lotho is the capitalist. The distributist views centralization of power in any form with a jaundiced eye, and counters public centralization of power with the principle of subsidiarity, and counters the private amassment of wealth with societal mechanisms like Israel’s year of Jubilee or, as in the Shire (and medieval Europe), a cultural expectation of the wealthy to be generous in giving gifts.
In short, if you squint, it sure *looks* like the Deuteronomical distribution-of-powers small government you espouse, with the fundamental unit of society being the family household. :)
Peace in Christ,

David

Please launch a discussion on the benefits and limits of AI on Christian materials (songs, sermons, etc.).
There is a new musical group called “Holy Groove” on YouTube that is producing Blues songs direct from the text of Scripture. I LOVE the music. When you listen to Ecclesiastes and Proverbs and Psalms and Matthew set to Blues music, it’s epic.
But, it seems to be heavily AI-generated.
I don’t know if it’s only AI-generated vocals, or if it also includes the lyrics, but it’s very much powered by AI.
I don’t know how to think about this ethically and philosophically. We Christians need to have this debate and figure out the proper frame.
Please opine,
If you want to hear only one song, I really like Salt and Fire:
Psalms in Blues:
Ecclesiastes in Blues:

Joshua

The point of this letter is to ask if you might read and possibly share a short “manifesto” I wrote in effort to fight the good fight against feminism. I am not referencing one of your posts, in particular, but I did really enjoy “Feminism in Denial.”
I am the daughter of a small-town preacher, whose ministry was to proclaim the good news of the gospel of grace. My father took grace as far as it could go, biblically. Like Paul, he took it tot he point of being accused of being an antinomian. Although my father was not an antinomian in any fashion, he wore this accusation as a badge of honor, knowing that the bold insistence Paul had for God’s glorious grace produced many an accusation.
When my father died, as tragic as this was for me, the blow hit harder for my husband. My father discipled my husband for nearly thirty years—thirty years of sharing hotel rooms on out-of-town jobs, jugs of ice tea and whole packages of Oreos resting on their bellies, and talking theology all hours of the night. This is where you come in. You were there for my husband when my father, who loved him dearly, left us to be with the Lord. Mike Reeves, yourself, and others were rocks of truth that taught my husband more deeply about The Triune God, biblical headship, and a little post mill to boot.
This is where I come in. The ladies in our church went through your book, “The Covenant Household” in our women’s Bible study. Many of us, myself included, became unnecessarily offended (I was not such a good sport). One of my lovely, godly, daughters just about threw the book into the sea while on vacation. The book spurred many arguments between be and my husband. I would go to him, shouting, “Can you believe he said this?!!!” And my husband would calmly say, “What, exactly, do you take issue with?” After months of this, I can say much fruit came out of those hard conversations. I, now, am not mad at the book. But, the book that has captured my full attention is, “How to Exasperate Your Wife”, and might just be my favorite book in my library at the moment, even though I’m assuming the book is primarily for men. Chapter twelve is a master class. I am embarrassed to admit that it took me half way in to realize what was going on. Before the chapter title popped back into my head, I was so confused and thought, ‘well, this has taken such a horrible turn!’. Once I realized the clever move, I happily dove back in. There is no doubt in my mind the value you place on godly women. Your wife is blessed to have you.
Research into actual quotes of the feminist pioneers, or the “headless hussies” as I now like to call them, and a more honest dive into what you, and men like George Gilder, say about godly women and their worth, has ignited a fire in me that I pray will not be fleeting. I, first, aim to help expose feminism as a product of the fall and an attack on the very gospel(Christ and His church), and second, to show the absolute beauty of biblical headship and that Christian women need not look at feminism as the superior realm.
I would be most honored if you, upon reading and agreeing, circulated this short, one page, theses of mine, “Hands Off” in whatever way you see fit. I intended to send the document to you, along with this letter, but I will wait for your response. Hopefully peeked your interest. Thank you for reading.

“Hands Off”
Twenty-Five Theses, by Joy Montoya
To the Feminist:
No movement or persons will compel me to lower my status.
I will happily reside in the superior realm, beholding The Creator.
I will enjoy a wide-open space, protected by the kind hedge of my husband.
The perfect love manifested in Christ, paired with the joyful submission of his
church, will be in view and serve as the foundation of my marriage.
Friendship, as shown in Christ, will be the framework upon the foundation.
The Covenant of Grace will be the heartbeat of our home.
My word of kindness will soften my husband’s sharp edges.
His firm edges of strength, drive, and direction will be left alone.
I will nurture the souls of his children.
I will train my sons to learn from their father; for the day to “leave and cleave” is
fast approaching.
I will exemplify loveliness and truth for my daughters, for this is their power.
I will derive my authority from my husband’s authority.
As my husband looks to Christ for his example of headship; I will not count this as
oppressive but only lovely.
The wisdom of Christ will show me what is good, as I manage our home.
I will not worship the putrid goddesses of free sex and male subordination.
I will happily reside in the superior realm, where there is meaning and glory.
I will speak truth that will, at times, teach my husband.
I will not rule over my husband, knowing the desire to do so would be evil.
I will not point and laugh and mock my husband at parties.
I will laugh and point and mock you and your clown movement.
Your movement is not needed. My source of freedom derives from God.
I will not lower my status to one of a slave to culture and chaos.
I will happily reside in the superior realm, building culture and embracing order.
I will admire my husband’s masculinity, as he stands in awe of my femininity.
My will is my husband’s will, my flesh his flesh. We are one in purpose and in
being. No man, or woman, will separate us.
In other words: Hands off my glory
In Christ,

Joy

I’ve come to believe that tithing is important but what if one has financial debt to someone, including debt on house or car, etc. Should that debt be settled first before tithing, or how should a Christian handle tithing with unsettled debt?
Thanks and keep doing what you’re doing!

Tony

How can I know I have not committed an eternal sin? What if I did in fact say something similar to the Pharisees but later came to God? I know Jesus is the Way and my heart clings to His promise in John 4:14 among others. But how can I know it is not too late—what if His promise no longer applies to me . . . what if I’m misinterpreting it . . . what if . . . ? There is this tension of knowing by faith that Jesus is trustworthy, and a (or multiple) what-if(s). How do I put this to rest and gain assurance? I want to be bold in my faith but sometimes this fear is very strong.
Thanks very much, I appreciate any wisdom.

EAM

Watched your interaction with the Adventists from the recent Cluster Muster video on Christian Nationalism. I liked the two Afrikaners. I was not aware that Afrikaners were Adventists. I got a creepy feeling, however from the James Bowen guy. Not familiar with the Adventist thing outside of reading about the system in “Kingdom of the Cults.” I don’t think the Bowen Bros liked you.
Does Canon Press offer any books on Adventism?
Thanks.

Jack