“Katie and her family had all the facts when she agreed to marry Steven, which was important, but the decision to marry was the couple’s decision, not ours. That said, I officiated at the wedding and was glad to do so. . .” Douglas Wilson

How is it possible for Christian parents to approve of their daughter marrying a serial pedophile who has a life sentence hanging over his head? This question is relevant because on June 11, 2011, Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, presided over the marriage ceremony between a young graduate from New Saint Andrews College and a serial pedophile, and he did it with the approval of the bride’s parents, her pastor, and the elders of Christ Church, Moscow.

Mr. Wilson says that “Katie and her family had all the facts” prior to the marriage. Yes, it is true that Miss Travis met with Probation & Parole officers from the Idaho Department of Correction who clearly informed her of the known extent of Sitler’s sexual crimes. However, she must have weighed their warnings against the encouragement she received from church officials that Sitler had repented and was, they hoped, delivered from his past sins. She obviously trusted the word of men she had been trained from birth to believe and follow.

The question that remains unanswered is not what Miss Travis knew and understood about her fiancé beforehand, but why Doug Wilson allowed — indeed, encouraged — this marriage to take place? What was his interest in supporting a marriage doomed to catastrophe?

While we can never know what Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, said to Katie Travis or her parents regarding serial pedophile Steven Sitler, we do know one thing with absolute certainty: Not one pastor laid down his life to save Katie Travis’ future by stopping this abominable marriage. This includes Doug Wilson, who wrote and published the open letter “on behalf of the elders of Christ Church.”

“That Role of Protector”
Mr. Wilson posted the following words in response to Doug Phillips’ adultery:

“We live in a screwed up world, and women do need to be protected. Overwhelmingly, they need to be protected from men. I believe that godly men need to step up and assume that role of protector, and I also believe that it is a high form of treachery for a man entrusted with that role to turn into someone a woman needs protection from.” (“Vision Forum and Blaming the Victim”)

Exactly on point.

In August 2010 Katie Travis needed protection from Christ Church elder Ed Iverson who arranged an introduction between her and Steven Sitler. She asked him for “Mr. Right”; he gave her a felon serving a 99-year sentence for serial molestations of children.

After the successful introduction Miss Travis needed protection from Iverson and from Sitler. Then on June 11, 2011, during the wedding ceremony, Miss Travis needed protection from her hometown pastor — Mr. Tim Tucker¹ — who offered these words in his prayer of invocation:

“Heavenly Father, thou art also the wellspring of life, bestow upon these thy servants, if it be thy will, the gift of the heritage of children, and grant that they may see their children brought up in thine faith and fear. . . .” (@8:25)

And when Katie Travis stood at the altar to marry Steven Sitler, she needed protection from the minister who officiated the ceremony — the man who orchestrated the relationship from beginning to end — Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow.

And to this day Katie Sitler still needs protection from these same men. But she’s not alone — her baby needs protection from them as well.

Mr. Wilson did not violate Katie Travis’ trust by seducing her to commit adultery ala Doug Phillips. Rather, he violated her trust by seducing her into marrying a serial pedophile. Mr. Wilson could have told Miss Travis: “I will do everything in my power to stop you from marrying that dangerous criminal. He holds no future for you. He is a high risk to reoffend and will likely die in prison. I will call your parents to talk them out of it. I will call your pastor to have him talk you out of it. And I will call Ed Iverson to have him seek forgiveness for his unconscionable deed.” A god-fearing pastor would have said these things.

What motivated Doug Wilson’s silence?

¹ Also known as Friar Tuck, Mr. Tucker graduated from Mr. Wilson’s Greyfriars’ Hall to pastor the CREC plant in Fallon, Nevada, where the Travis family attend. Tucker’s ignorance of the sexual preference of pedophiles, which does not include adult women, reflects the abysmal training he received at the pseudo-ministerial school invented and run by Mr. Doug Wilson.