Among those observing the unfolding drama surrounding Louisiana Presbytery and Steve Wilkins, there may be more than a few stats-monkeys who are interested in the following. Over the course of this last month, this blog has had 13,590 different visitors, that many different people. When I look at what these people have been interested in, what pages of this blog they go to, I find the following. Out of the top ten content pages, the first three simply amount to the front page of the blog, which is to be expected. The fourth is the archives list, where folks want to go look in my basement. Out of the remaining six pages, five of them were under the category of “Auburn Avenue Stuff.” The remaining one was my post on Pat Robertson’s endorsement of Rudy.
When the SJC settles down to its work, my goal is to have a lot of people aware that they are doing so. From these stats, it appears that this goal is going to be met. In the Reformed world of North America, 13,000 people is a lot. As far as it goes, this is just great. I want the SJC to set up at mid-field, and I want the stadium to be full.
But we shouldn’t want mob justice any more than we want the star chamber stuff. Justice is not determined by majority vote or demagoguery any more than it is determined by ecclesiastical coziness in the corridors of power. That is why all these observers should be checked out on the basic principles of justice before any judicial process gets under way. And so here are a few relevant principles, again, given in a form that could fit on an index card.
1. Anonymous accusers don’t have any idea of how biblical justice works. And people who give any level of credence to such anonymous accusations don’t know what justice is either, and ought not to be trusted as commentators on any events connected with Louisiana, the SJC, or Steve Wilkins.
2. Any process that results in Steve Wilkins being forced to leave the PCA under any kind of doctrinal cloud, if Steve has not had a chance to defend himself in court, would be a process that is by definition fundamentally flawed, and not to be respected.
3. And as I continue to comment on this process, I would urge my readers to remember that slander should always be recognized for what it is, and ought not to be confused with other activities like forceful refutation, colorful metaphors, efficacious criticism, or simple opposition.