When lying is your native tongue, the sky appears to be the limit. . . . When a generation has gotten to the point where they are willing to call evil good, they do not back down simply because someone points it out. They double down. They lie. They twist everything completely around and say that you are the one calling evil good. Douglas Wilson

Yesterday the spirit of accusation once again possessed Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, moving him to indict those us who believe that the Court should not give Steven Sitler access to his 1½ year-old son. He wrote,

First, our congregation here in Moscow contains a registered sex offender, for whose sake we have taken a pounding over the years. Maybe you’ve read about it somewhere, and some of what you have read is even true. But the reason we have taken that pounding is because — like every other member of our church — he has professed repentance. All he would need to do to make all the intoleristas lay off him completely is to start wearing a dress and lipstick, denounce Christ Church for its pharisaism, blame his repressive Christian upbringing for his crimes, and announce the formation of a political action organization devoted to opening up Idaho’s bathrooms to every kind of perversion. If he were to do that, there would be a statue to his heroism in Friendship Square, and a gig on the Today show. (Repentance Made Vile)

Douglas Wilson predicates his argument on this assertion: “he [Sitler] has professed repentance.” Accordingly, Mr. Wilson affirms that Steven Sitler has repented of molesting 25+ children (most likely plus), boys & girls, ages -1- to 11-years old, in three different states, over 7–8 years, while he enjoyed membership in good standing in an OPC church, which was the central hub of his predations. However, I disagree with Mr. Wilson.

Yes, I believe it’s possible that Steven Sitler may have repented of his sins, at least to the extent that a psychopath can grow a conscience, feel genuine guilt & remorse for the harm he caused his victims, and reverse the course of his life by following the teachings of Jesus. Unfortunately, Sitler has given no evidence that he has done any of these things, contra Doug Wilson. To be sure, we have already shown that Steven Sitler has not repented according to Mr. Wilson’s written standard.

So for another example, I remind you that last December Steven Sitler petitioned the Court for permission to reestablish contact with some of his victims without informing them that years ago he had committed lewd & lascivious acts with their bodies, at a time when they were too young to comprehend or remember his deeds. This strikes me as brazen & defiant, not contrite, and I do not understand why a so-called repentant man would contemplate this request let alone make it. Nevertheless, Steven Sitler got his way. The Court granted him approval to be with his now-older victims. They are no longer young enough that he feels sexually aroused by them but the facts remain that he molested them; they do not know what he did to them; and he gets to smirk in their presence whenever he sees them.

Now let’s consider the words of Doug Wilson from another point in time when he unknowingly testified against the authenticity of Steven Sitler’s repentance. Mr. Wilson wrote the following blog post on July 21, 2014, which was roughly a month after Steven Sitler impregnated his wife, who gave birth to their son in March 2015:

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, emphasis added)

According to the public record, Steven Sitler’s psychotherapists and his attorneys believe that parents do have “reasonable cause to be worried about what could happen,” because their so-called “Safety Plan” concedes that Sitler requires a direct-line-of-sight chaperone whenever he is near a child. Moreover, Sitler’s psychotherapists stated that Steven & Katie Sitler helped draft the plan, writing, “This plan was developed by Valley Treatment Specialties LLC, with Mr. and Mrs. Sitler involved,” which suggests that Steven & Katie Sitler believe that parents have “reasonable cause to be worried about what could happen.” Indeed, the very need for a “Safety Plan” is prima facie evidence that all of Team Sitler believes that parents have “reasonable cause to be worried about what could happen.” They do not trust the serial pedophile around children.

And since Sitler continues to press the Court for more liberties with his victims and with children, it appears he does not understand that “certain consequences necessarily remain.” Just the opposite. He wants certain necessary consequences removed, and from what I can tell he wants all consequences for his sin removed — at least this is the trajectory of his motions before the Court. His probation officer indirectly confirmed this observation when she wrote,

The defendant became defensive when I tried to explain to him the protective factors regarding the future situations that may arise with his son and potentially other children. The defendant states, it is not our job to protect his child; it is his and his son will know who he is. (36:38)

As for Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, if words have meaning, then his latest vituperation requires kirkers “to live in la-la land” as they submit to the latest demand of the Kirk’s pet child molester. But I’m pretty sure they won’t notice a difference. They’ve been there a while.