“It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” Josef Stalin

Wikipedia furnishes us with helpful background on the word nepotism:

Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives. The term originated with the assignment of nephews to cardinal positions by Catholic popes and bishops. Nepotism can occur in various fields including: politics, entertainment, business, and religion. . . . The term comes from Italian word nepotismo, which is based on Latin root nepos meaning nephew. Since the Middle Ages and until the late 17th century, some Catholic popes and bishops, who had taken vows of chastity, and therefore usually had no legitimate offspring of their own, gave their nephews such positions of preference as were often accorded by fathers to son.

Several popes elevated nephews and other relatives to the cardinalate. Often, such appointments were a means of continuing a papal “dynasty”. For instance, Pope Callixtus III, head of the Borgia family, made two of his nephews cardinals; one of them, Rodrigo, later used his position as a cardinal as a stepping stone to the papacy, becoming Pope Alexander VI. Alexander then elevated Alessandro Farnese, his mistress’s brother, to cardinal; Farnese would later go on to become Pope Paul III. Paul III also engaged in nepotism, appointing, for instance, two nephews, aged 14 and 16, as cardinals. . . . (Wikipedia)

I call this historical fact to your attention because Christ Church, Moscow, is conducting an election for officers this month and the ballot includes Nate Wilson, son of Pastor Doug Wilson. They listed his name first. Presumably, they believe he is “apt to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2) because he teaches at New St. Andrews College, though others may believe that one nepotistic title paved the way for another. I do not believe he meets any other qualification.

Upon election, N.D. Wilson will join two other Wilson relatives on the Kirk board of elders — Gordon Wilson, brother of Douglas, and Ben Merkle, son-in-law of Douglas. Like Nate Wilson, both men enjoy gainful employment at New Saint Andrews College: Gordon Wilson is Senior Fellow of Natural History and Ben Merkle is president.

To put this in perspective, Doug Wilson has three children: N.D. Wilson, Rebekah, and Rachel (who also goes by Lizzy): Rebekah married Ben Merkle, who is President of New St. Andrews College (NSA) and also sits on the Christ Church board of elders. Mr. Wilson’s daughter Rachel married Luke Jankovic, who holds the title “Permanent Member” on the NSA board of directors despite the absence of qualifying academic credentials:

Luke Jankovic
Permanent Member
Sales Representative, Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc.
Moscow, Idaho (NSA Leadership page)

UPDATE: A reader just confirmed that Luke Jankovic also holds the office of Parish Elder in the Kirk.

But N.D. Wilson is Mr. Wilson’s firstborn son and therefore the rightful heir to the empire. Thus he is Fellow of Literature at NSA; he sits on the Logos School board of directors; he shall soon be a kirk elder; and in 2013 he received a down payment on his inheritance when Christ Church sold him Canon Press, which at the time was a Kirk 501(c)(3) ministry:

As a result of many factors, in late 2012, the elders of Christ Church made the decision to sell Canon Press to some private businessmen — men who are committed to the vision and mission that Canon Press successfully maintained for a quarter of a century. The new principal owners are now Aaron Rench and N.D. Wilson, both gifted products of the ministry here. (Douglas Wilson, Outfitters of the Reformation)

This was a significant gift to N.D. Wilson because Canon Press generates real income. In 2000, their gross sales crossed the million-dollar threshold. Indeed, some observers may believe that the Kirk winked at a financial conflict of interest by selling this ministry to the to the pastor’s son (and the pastor’s agent). Others, however, know better. This was business as usual.

Ten years ago Douglas Wilson admitted and justified his nepotistic streak:

“As a rule of thumb, and after much observation, I think that in our case it has usually worked out this way. Relatives of mine have to work half as hard to get the interview, and four times as hard to prove themselves.” (Dat Old Debbel Nepotism)

Mr. Wilson wrote this in March 2006, long before he placed relatives in critical positions on each of his boards. At that time he felt heat because he hired his son and his brother as professors at NSA. Now, however, he has ditched any pretense of integrity. Relatives (and cronies) occupy vital seats throughout his domain, much like a papal dynasty, or Sicilian. He guarantees their income; they watch his best interests. Quid pro quo.

Excursus: Open Ballot
To my friends in the Kirk, please note that this election serves two purposes: (1) Publicly ratify Mr. Wilson’s decision to promote his son, and (2) Check your loyalty. Kirk elections are open ballot, which means Doug Wilson will know how you vote. He drafted the Christ Church Commitment to Loyalty after a professor from NSA voted against promoting N.D. Wilson to full fellow. The vote was a formality because Mr. Wilson had already made the decision. The real reason for the ballot was to smoke out potential disloyalty — that is, search for hidden members of the Fellowship of the Grievance. Doug Wilson does not appreciate dissent and you would be wise to remember this.

So, to recap: When you hear the word nepotism, simply remember that it’s a papal tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. Just like covering up pedophilia.

HT: @ChristKirkIdaho