Here are two emails that Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, sent to the Kirk last month. The first email asks kirkers to answer a survey. He called a “Christian Unity” survey but the line of inquiry suggest something different. The second email gives a “snapshot” of the results (note the word “snapshot”). I saved the survey to archive.org and linked it in the original email so you can see it.
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From: announcements@christkirk.lumen.co
Date: July 14, 2016 at 8:07:57 AM PDT
Subject: Christian Unity Survey for CC and TRC
Reply-To: office@christkirk.com
General Christian Unity Survey for CC and TRC
Kirkers,
Below is a link to a Christian unity survey. Only 10 questions, it should only take up a few minutes of your time. The survey is for anyone in CC or TRC who wants to fill it out. Thanks.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FKJSR5X
Cordially in Christ,
*Douglas Wilson*, minister
A thing may be too sad to be believed or too wicked to be believed or too good to be believed; but it cannot be too absurd to be believed in this planet of frogs and elephants, of crocodiles and cuttle-fish. G.K. Chesterton
Blog: www.dougwils.com
Twitter: @douglaswils
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dougwils
*Important final message:* If this email seems a little brief and abrupt to you, it is because I am trying to manage the volume of my email correspondence with the “three sentence rule.” It is not that I am trying to be rude by being abrupt, it is rather that I am trying to *avoid *the rudeness of people’s emails getting buried at the bottom of my inbox, which, like the psalmist’s cup, runneth over. So, there you are.
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From: announcements@christkirk.lumen.co
Date: July 15, 2016 at 10:28:30 AM PDT
Subject: Christian unity survey
Reply-To: office@christkirk.com
General Christian unity survey
Kirkers,
Many thanks to those of you who filled the survey out, all 154 of you. I thought I would give you a quick snapshot of the results.
- Christ Church had 115 respond and 39 from TRC filled it out.
- 36 of you never visit the sister church, 116 do so occasionally, and 2 visit regularly.
- When it comes to visiting other evangelical churches, 62% never do, 36% occasionally do, and 2% frequently do.
- For those who visit, the main churches visited are Real Life, the Nazarene Church, and EFree.
- When it comes to our shared projects with other churches, 1% is opposed, 8% is supportive but nervous, 44% is supportive, and 46% is supportive and eager for more.
- 90% of you have good fellowship with friends from other churches.
- Your friendship was spread across the range of other churches mentioned. The top three were Real Life, EFree and The Bridge.
- Only 12 of you answered the question about avoiding dealings with other churches, and the reasons were a strong mix of doctrinal, cultural and personal.
- 17 of you thought we held to our Reformed distinctives too stridently, 129 of you thought it was just right, and 1 of you thought we didn’t emphasize them enough.
Thanks very much. Keep it up. Go, fight, win.
Cordially in Christ,
*Douglas Wilson*, minister
A thing may be too sad to be believed or too wicked to be believed or too good to be believed; but it cannot be too absurd to be believed in this planet of frogs and elephants, of crocodiles and cuttle-fish. G.K. Chesterton
Blog: www.dougwils.com
Twitter: @douglaswils
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dougwils
*Important final message:* If this email seems a little brief and abrupt to you, it is because I am trying to manage the volume of my email correspondence with the “three sentence rule.” It is not that I am trying to be rude by being abrupt, it is rather that I am trying to *avoid *the rudeness of people’s emails getting buried at the bottom of my inbox, which, like the psalmist’s cup, runneth over. So, there you are.
__
Christine LaMoreaux
Christ Church Administrative Secretary
POB 8741, Moscow, ID 83843
(208) 882-2034
www.christkirk.com
To manage your subscriptions, visit
To unsubscribe this address from all Christ Church mailings, click here
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Weird. I’m not sure how to interpret this. “…all 154 of you.” I wonder if DW was expecting more of a response.
Those are bear trap questions. No safe way to answer.
Interesting list of questions. I’m wondering why they were asked.
Is the membership at CC/TRC beginning to drop to a noticeable degree? That would be the obvious impetus for such a “unity” survey, though it appears to promote unity in a fascist way of understanding.
Burwell, [comment deleted]
@Kirker — You have to use your real name. We do not protect anonymous liars. And since you’re in the Kirk, we just adopted a new rule: In order for your comment to pass, you have state if you would sign the Christ Church Commitment to Loyalty and your reasons why or why not. And remember, you’re not in a cult. — U
Awww…I missed it. What did it say? Something intelligent and uplifting, perhaps? Or maybe they saw the error of their ways?
Yeah, probably not.
And then adding to the farcical “unity” interest is the sister pastor across town justifying the necessity to shun fellow Christians for not holding to exactly the same dogma.
“Loving Brothers in Error”
I quote:
“In other words, the way that some brothers must be loved is by avoiding them, admonishing them, not keeping company with them, and withdrawing from them. ”
Oh, except “Christian” pedophiles; love on them and shun the victim.
“So if you could please complete our survey so that we might better shun you for liking or visiting another church, that’d be great. Thank you.”
@Terri Rice — You kill me. In a good way.
Couldn’t help but notice efree on the list. So have they been taken off the special (imprecatory) prayer list? On a personal note, I was part of a new church hundreds of miles away. Once the pastor mentioned how thankful he was for a church on the Palouse which had supported him for his whole first year, although he was not sent out by them or directly affiliated. This church was
A: the Kirk
B: Kirk Jr
Or C: Real Life
Henceforth I have resolved to “love” my wife and kida by avoiding them, not keeping company with them, and withdrawing from them! I’m certain this will inspire them to better obey my admonishments.
Wilson was quoted in a newspaper article recently as wanting CC to “exert more influence” on Moscow by establishing a “peaceable” atmosphere in town. So shun members of other churches, mock “unbelievers”, decry any local critic as being an “intolerista”, discourage school age Kirkers from being friends with public school students, have a picture of yourself on the front page of the local paper stomping on a rainbow flag…..yep, definitely recipes for for establishing peaceable relations within the town.
“9. 17 of you thought we held to our Reformed distinctives too stridently, 129 of you thought it was just right, and 1 of you thought we didn’t emphasize them enough.”
Since when is Federal Vision a Reformed distinctive rather than a fundamental departure from the Reformed faith?