*   *   *

Wilson’s lecture draws jeers from some

Christ Church pastor shares his views on gender and sexuality at UI

By Garrett Cabeza Daily News staff writer

Christ Church Rev. Doug Wilson’s lecture and responses to audience members’ text messaged questions were often met with jeers from a few hecklers in the crowd of about 150 Tuesday night in the Bruce M. Pitman Center International Ballroom at the University of Idaho in Moscow.

The controversial Moscow pastor spoke for about 20 minutes at the event, titled “The Lost Virtue of Sexism,” before answering — for about the next 40 minutes — texted and some shouted questions from the audience about his views on gender and sexuality.

The event was hosted by Collegiate Reformed Fellowship, which, according to a small flier handed out at the event, is the campus ministry of Christ Church and Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow.

Wilson started his address by saying he knew there would be audience members who disagreed with some of his remarks, so he noted items everyone could agree on. For instance, he said everyone can agree the Bible is sexist.

It says wives are required to be submissive to their husbands, Wilson said as an example.

Wilson then said there are things some people applaud that he thinks is appalling.

He used Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show featuring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira as a recent example.

Some might consider the performances empowering for women, “but which I would consider a skankfest,” Wilson said, which drew arguably the crowd’s loudest reaction of the night.

“You might think that women are being elevated by an activity that I would regard as degrading,” he said.

Wilson was asked several questions about gender and sexuality.

“If (God) made you a woman, this means that it is his will for you to live your life as a woman,” he said. “If he made you a man, this means he wants you to live your life as a man.”

One person shouted, “What about (gender) binary folks?”

Wilson responded, “Well, God didn’t make those.”

Wilson was asked his thoughts on if a woman does not want to get married or have children.

“I think she should,” he said.

Wilson said God built us a certain way and that everyone exhibits a “creational design.”

As for homosexuality, Wilson said embracing it is a “high rebellion against God” and such people will not be saved.

Wilson said he gave the talk at UI because Jesus Christ says to preach the gospel to everyone and that he has a responsibility as a Christian to tell people about Jesus.

He said he wanted audience members to come to Jesus and that their sins can be forgiven, even those of “rudeness” and “harassment,” noting the few who heckled him often while he spoke.

His final message was asking men to be “stand-up” guys, respect women, not to use pornogrpahy, not to cheat on their wives and not to participate in the things the present-day culture is making easy for them to participate in.

“I would tell young men: Be the kind of man that the kind of woman you would want to marry would want to marry,” Wilson said.

To young women, he said to hold out for a man that will treat them right.

He received great applause at the conclusion of his remarks.

Some silently protested Wilson, including three female UI students who sat in the front row wearing pink beanies with the words, “I STAND WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD,“ on them.

They said they were with Generation Action, an outreach program of Planned Parenthood.

Aspynn Owsley, one of the three students, said they attended the event to make sure people understood Wilson’s spread of hatred would not be tolerated and the target audience of the event — what she called Wilson’s supporters — was not a fair representation of UI students’ sentiments.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza at dnews.com.

*   *   *