But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, “Yes, yes” or “No, no”; anything beyond these is of evil. Matthew 5:34–37
At 10 o’clock in the morning on Monday, August 15, 2005, a meeting took place at Anselm House in Moscow, Idaho. Anselm House is the Kirk’s downtown office (Christ Church does not own or worship in a kirk proper; they meet in a gymnasium). According to the public record the following people attended:1
- Gary & Patricia Greenfield (Natalie’s parents)
- Dr. Peter Leithart
- Jamin Wight
- Douglas Wilson
Presumably Doug Wilson called the meeting to discover the facts surrounding Jamin Wight’s sexual abuse of Natalie during February 2001–June 2002. The meeting lasted about two hours and the eyewitnesses agree on the conclusion of the matter: Jamin Wight swore an oath before God that the second written confession he gave to Gary Greenfield was true; that he would own responsibility for his sins & crimes; and that he would pay the penalty meted by the State.
Jamin Wight’s written confession does not commend itself as an example of how to confess your sin, but it is consistent with what he learned from Douglas Wilson at Greyfriars Hall. He loaded it with manipulative language; he incriminated his victim; and he omitted key phrases such as “I am responsible for my actions.” These 64 words are the closest he got to acknowledging responsibility for his criminal deeds:
“. . . . During all of this, I was fully aware that Natalie was only 14 and 15 years old. . . . There may have been times that I told her not to tell anyone. But what I remember more clearly and I think was more wicked was how I manipulated her. . . . Regardless of how severe the consequences, I can finally be free from this filthy sin and guilt.” (Jamin Wight’s Written Confession of Sin, February 2005)
But he did admit the lewd & lascivious acts he committed against Natalie Greenfield, though he did not use legal terminology. Further, he swore an oath that his written confession was true and at least five people witnessed the oath. Three hours after the meeting ended, Natalie Greenfield visited the Moscow Police Department to file a criminal complaint against Jamin Wight. God bless her. She had what she needed.
Three of the following quotations are eyewitness accounts of Jamin Wight’s oath. One quotation is a police officer’s account of Jamin Wight’s verbal admission during his interview. Please note the central role that Jamin Wight’s written confession and sworn oath played in establishing his guilt.
* * *
“Natalie told me there was a meeting at 1000 am on Monday August 15, 2005 where Wight met with Patricia and Gary Greenfield, Douglas Wilson and Peter Leithart at the Christ Church offices on Fifth St. Natalie told me Wight confessed again to all of the ‘sins’ he committed with her. Natalie told me Wight said he would plead guilty to any criminal charges that came forward as a result of his conduct with Natalie.” (Officer Casey Green, MPD Narrative, page 3, August 16, 2005)
* * *
“I went to . . . speak to Patricia and Gary Greenfield. Gary gave me the three page ‘confession’ letter that Wight wrote back in February 2005 to them. Gary and Patricia confirmed the information about meeting with Wight and the two pastors (Wilson and Leithart) where Wight confessed again. Gary and Patricia also confirmed that Wight wanted to plead guilty to any criminal charges brought against him by the police. I asked Gary and Patricia to provide me written statements related to these events. They said they would get them to me as soon as possible.” (Officer Casey Green, MPD Narrative, page 3, August 16, 2005)
* * *
“I asked Wight if he had a meeting with Patricia and Gary Greenfield where Douglas Wilson and Peter Leithart were present. Wight told me at 1000 hours on Monday August 15, 2005 he had a meeting with these people. Wight told me he took an oath before god that the facts in the letter he wrote were true. Wight told me he agreed to ‘take his lumps’ if the matter was brought before law enforcement. Wight told me he knew it was wrong to ‘do what only married couples are supposed to do’ with Natalie. Wight told me he had come to terms and has been forgiven for his sins with Natalie and was ready to confront and plead guilty for whatever criminal charges were brought.” (Officer Casey Green, MPD Narrative, page 4, August 16, 2005)
* * *
“On Tuesday August 16, 2005 at 1049 hours I was at the Anselym [sic] House located at Fifth and Washington speaking to Douglas Wilson. Wilson told me he was present during the meeting at 1000 hours on Monday August 15, 2005 where Wight ‘confessed’ his guilt and swore before god the information he put in his letter was true and accurate. Wilson told me they did not go into specifics about each incident, but spoke in general terms about what happened between Natalie Greenfield and Wight. Wilson told me Gary and Patricia Greenfield, Dr. Peter Leithart and Wight were present at this meeting. I asked Wilson to provide me a written statement about these events. Wilson agreed to do so.
“I contacted Dr. Leithart by telephone and made arrangements to speak to him at his offices inside the New St. Andrews College on Thursday August 18, 2005 at 1300 hours.” (Officer Casey Green, Supplemental MPD Narrative, page 1, August 23, 2005)
* * *
“On August 15, Gary and I had a nearly two hour meeting with Peter Leithart, Doug Wilson and Jamin. The purpose of this meeting was to openly discuss what Jamin’s attitude and behavior should be with regard to his admitted crimes. We were not discouraged from going to the police. Jamin was strongly encouraged to ‘take his lumps like a Christian man’ and in so doing, make a bad situation not nearly as bad as it could be. He was told not to slander or gossip about Natalie and our family and also to allow whatever punishment or results came about from the report of his crime to be used to rescue him from his devious sexual ways and hopefully make him a productive member of society one day. He wholeheartedly agreed with this and ‘appeared’ to be broken and contrite, humbled.” (Patricia Greenfield Statement to MPD, page 2, August 17, 2005)
* * *
“Our first step was for my wife and me to meet with Jamin’s pastor and our attorney. Our next step was for my wife and me to have a meeting with our pastor, Jamin and Jamin’s pastor. It was during this meeting that Jamin gave his word that if charges were filed against him, he would plead guilty and not contest the charges. Our final step was to contact the civil legal authorities and file charges against Jamin Wight for lewd and lascivious conduct with minor. Our hope is that this man will be punished for his crimes against our daughter and also that he could become a responsible citizen who is not a menace to society.” (Gary Greenfield Statement to MPD, page 2, August 17, 2005)
* * *
“On Monday, August 15, Pastor Peter Leithart of Trinity Reformed and I met together with Gary and Pat Greenfield and Jamin Wight to discuss the situation, address any aspects of the situation that we were able to address . . . . The first thing we did was place Jamin under oath, and when he was under oath before God, we asked him if the written confession he had provided to the Greenfields some months ago was a true and accurate account. He replied that it was. . .” (Douglas Wilson, Letter to Officer Casey Green, page 1, August 22, 2005)
* * *
So the next time you hear Pastor Doug Wilson, or his assistant Mike Lawyer, or any other glassy-eyed kirker try to pin Jamin Wight’s crimes on Natalie, just remind them that Jamin Wight confessed his sins & crimes in writing. He also swore an oath before the God of the Kirk that his confession was true. The Kirk’s problem isn’t with Natalie or her testimony. It’s with the person who administered the oath — yet still doesn’t believe it.
1 Others were likely present, such as Greg Dickison, who was Doug Wilson’s personal attorney, the attorney for Christ Church, and legal counsel for the Greenfields, but these are the only persons identified.