“Fourth, the task of ministering to broken people is one of the central glories of the Christian church. . . .” Douglas Wilson
Most Christians probably agree with Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, when he writes, “the task of ministering to broken people is one of the central glories of the Christian church.” However, most Christians probably disagree with Mr. Wilson about the way he has ministered to serial pedophile Steven Sitler, especially in the matter of his marriage. The concern is twofold:
- Normal people do not consider child rapists good prospects for marriage in any circumstance, including Mr. Wilson who wrote, “Rapists are hardly a good pool for selecting fine sons-in-law.”1
- Normal people do not encourage naïfs in their care to pursue romantic interests with serial pedophiles, because the long-term damage that will likely occur from such a relationship is incalculable, which brings us to the subject of today’s post.
If Mr. Wilson truly believes that “the task of ministering to broken people is one of the central glories of the Christian church,” then his role in the Sitler marriage raises an important question: Why did he use his office as a minister not to break but to destroy Katie Travis’ future?
Some shepherds brag about their bite.
Educated adults know that pedophilia is an incurable mental disorder. They understand that all the counselors in the world cannot change a pedophile’s first choice for a sex partner. They appreciate that no one can rewire a pedophile so that he does not feel sexually aroused at the sight or thought of children. Wilson seemed aware of this when he wrote: “I believe that if Steven is returned to our community, he should be welcomed as a criminal and serial pedophile and a dangerous man, as well as a sinner who professes repentance.” Note the words “dangerous man.”
But young women who attend New Saint Andrews College have limited experience in sexual disorders. Conservative Christian homes, or for that matter religiously liberal homes, rarely spend the dinner hour discussing pedophilia. Katie Travis had no point of reference to grasp pedophilia.
Pastoral Ministry 101
God instituted the office of pastor to protect sheep from danger, not throw them into it. Mr. Wilson appeared to understand this point when he wrote, “A shepherd who cannot identify wolves is not qualified to be a shepherd.”
Elsewhere he wrote,
“Sheep are to be kind to sheep. Shepherds are to be kind to sheep. But if a shepherd is kind to wolves, that is just another way to let them savage sheep. Kindness to sheep is hostility to wolves. Kindness to wolves is hostility to sheep. All attempts to get wolves and sheep together for some kind of an ecumenical lovefest will only result in fat, contented wolves.”2
These quotations indicate that Mr. Wilson knows a pastor should protect sheep from harm, therefore his role in this marriage all the more inexplicable. Steven Sitler may truly be repentant, but this does not make him trustworthy husband material. Again, Mr. Wilson wrote:
“But, of course . . . the fact that a repentant sex offender can repent and can be truly forgiven does not mean that his professed repentance is genuine. We are not required to live in la-la land. Forgiveness and trust are two very different things, and so when a convicted sex offender is brought into fellowship with the rest of the congregation, it must be done in such a way that no parent has any reasonable cause to be worried about what could happen. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that a registered sex offender is made a Sunday School teacher, any more than a convicted embezzler is made the church treasurer. And one of the ways true repentance is manifested is that the person involved is not at all offended by this necessity, and understands completely that although his sin is forgiven, certain consequences necessarily remain.” (“Sexual Justice”)
Despite Mr. Wilson’s written record, he and another Kirk elder introduced the gullible New St. Andrews College graduate to the serial pedophile with marriage in mind. They assured her that she could place her future in the hands of the convicted sex offender. Arguably, they deceived Katie into believing that Sitler was not only harmless but also a good prospect for marriage. They did this when they knew their pastoral responsibility obligated them to warn her that she needed Sitler like she needed Ebola. Given these facts, who can doubt that Doug Wilson found Miss Travis disposable?
And now we see the fruit of their ministry to Katie. Her marriage totters from failed polygraph to failed polygraph. Her child cannot ever be alone with his father. Probation & Parole does not trust her to fulfill her legal responsibilities as a chaperone. Child Protection Services appears ready to remove the baby from this horror house. And Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, assures us that “the task of ministering to broken people is one of the central glories of the Christian church.”
However much Mr. Wilson may stroke himself with central glories, his words fall to the ground like rotten apples. He broke Katie’s future just as he has broken so many that went before her. He smashed her with a baseball bat like she was a pot in a music video. Those of us watching, however, know what his future looks like:
The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
be assured, he will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:4–5
1 Fidelity: What It Means To Be a One-Woman Man (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 1999), 84.
2 A Serrated Edge: A Brief Defense of Biblical Satire and Trinitarian Skylarking (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 2003), 60.
Even if Katie Travis knew about pedophiles, something is *very* wrong if a girl has to specify to her father/pastor/surrogate male authority figure that she doesn’t want a pedophile for a husband.
It seems to me that Doug Wilson is living in the Fifties. His actions indicate that he has no idea how to handle someone like Steven Sitler. Or Jamin Wight.
We see the same thing with other groups, like ATI.
And the children are the ones who suffer.
This will sound hard to believe but it’s true: Wilson handled both scandals and both rapists with exact precision. In both cases he advocated for the criminal and in both cases he labored diligently to pour salt in the wounds of the victims. This is not an accident. It’s consistent with his nature. It’s who he is.