I would first like to apologize to all the authors whose work was taken into this book and represented as quite possibly mine. I will be following this general public statement up with a letter to each of these writers in order to apologize directly. I would also like to apologize to Canon Press for urging this book project on them. They are the ones who have been financially damaged in very tangible ways by this. And last, I should apologize to New St. Andrews College. Academic integrity is the heartbeat of any academic institution, and even though the board has acted promptly and wisely in accepting Randy’s resignation, I am still distressed by the headache this has caused them. . . . I should also offer a last word of encouragement to those good people who are weary of controversy, particularly controversies that have my name in the middle of it. (“Doesn’t he know how to do anything else?”) My apologies to you as well. Douglas Wilson
Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, apologizes to four groups of people in this statement:
- “all the authors whose work was taken”
- “Canon Press”
- “New Saint Andrews College”
- “those good people who are weary of controversy”
Two of these four groups are unidentified persons — “all the authors whose work was taken” and “those good people who are weary of controversy.” Mr. Wilson’s readers may only guess why he neglected to specifically identify these people by name. The other two groups are institutions that Mr. Wilson founded — Canon Press & NSA.
However, Mr. Wilson did not apologize to anyone who actually suffered palpable harm when they bought A Justice Primer. That is, he did not apologize to the paying public whom this fraud actually bilked. Further, Mr. Wilson did not apologize to the men who endorsed the counterfeit as a legitimate work on justice. Their reputations should count. And if we take Mr. Wilson’s apology at face value, he believes that only one party suffered actual loss as a result of the plagiarism — Canon Press. He says, “They are the ones who have been financially damaged in very tangible ways by this.” This statement is interesting because of the persons involved.
In 2012 Christ Church sold Canon Press to Doug Wilson’s son, N.D. Wilson.1 Nate Wilson hired his father’s literary agent Aaron Rench to serve as CEO of Canon Press. Of course, Douglas Wilson is Canon Press’s principal author. Indeed, Canon Press exists chiefly to publish Mr. Wilson’s books. And Mr. Wilson said that the plagiarism hurt them the worst — the two men who tied their fortunes directly to him. Just as with the Kirk’s sex-abuse scandals, Mr. Wilson and his are the real victims.
Canon Press’ statement on the plagiarism notes their hit. They lament the cost of new computer applications: “As we move forward as a publishing house, we are purchasing, researching and testing plagiarism detection software (despite the high cost). . .” Like Mr. Wilson, Canon Press does not apologize to their customers who paid cash for the phony book. And like Mr. Wilson, Canon Press does not offer to refund these customers their money, as required by the principles of biblical justice.
But this is the cost of doing business with Doug Wilson. Because in the end it’s never about the principles of justice — it’s about the principal.
1 To my knowledge the Kirk did not announce the selling price for Canon Press. If you know how much money N. D. Wilson paid, please use the contact form.
After David sinned with Bathsheba, he said, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done evil in thy sight.” (Psalm 51:4) Of course, strictly speaking, David did sin against others like Bathsheba, her husband, and the Israelite community. But when a man has a vision of God– and his sin before God– the vision of God obscures all else.
Doug Wilson has no vision of God. If he did, he would have confessed by now that his controversies, including this one, are a reproach to Christ and the gospel. They are sinful controversies and if one traces them back far enough, they all go back to Doug’s sin. That has been demonstrated on this website and others.
But since Doug Wilson doesn’t confess sin as sin, he is left to apologize. Kind of like all the people he mocks in his latest video, “The Free Speech Apocalypse.” “Sorry if I offended anyone…very sorry…so sorry….”
A man reaps what he sows. These controversies, as Doug calls them, are not just controversies appearing out of nowhere. They are the fruit of his hands. And Doug Wilson’s evil harvest is just now coming to fruition. The scary thing is there’s more to come.
Poor Doug. The real issue is how this affects him, per usual. He innocently trusted men he thought were good men, but he was bitten–twice now. That just shows how trusting and forgiving he is, to a fault. Reluctantly — and with regret for no longer being able to trust other, lesser men — he is putting aside his dove’s wings, closing his eyes, counting to 3, and buying anti-plagiarism software. Twice bitten, thrice shy. Why do such bad things always happen to the good people?
Imagine the traditional Saturday night dinners at DW’s house with the whole extended family. What does DW say to his son, ND, about the plagiarism? Does he say, “Suck it up, son” ????
Does he offer restitution? I think all the blame goes to Booth.
“Does he say, ‘Suck it up, son’ ????”
Never. Whether it’s early Saturday night before they get lit or late, after they’re slurring their words. Never. They pay no one. Everyone pays them.
What is most sad is that plagiarism is being taken a little more seriously by some evangelicals than mishandling of sexual abuse. As I see it, plagiarism is a symptom of a serious pride issue that has seriously hurt whole families. Something for the wider church and those who still sympathize with Wilson and his ways to consider before a holy and humble God.