“he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house down upon himself with fire, and died.” 1 Kings 16:18

They say he shot himself, presumably in the head. We don’t know if he pulled the trigger inside the home or out, which makes a big difference. Inside would have been the ultimate act of contempt & selfishness — a big “F U” to those he apparently loved: Wife comes home to a room covered with gore; family & friends must now waste days cleaning up blood, fragmented bones, and splattered brain matter, which would have stained the floor, walls, and furniture. Imagine the stink. Whereas outside the home or in the garage, a garden hose with a tight nozzle would do the trick. In this respect, Ahithophel was exemplary. No mess, just a corpse (2 Sam. 17:23).

We have no other details: Do not know if he left a note; do not know if he had received life-changing news; do not know if he suffered from depression, which is real even for Christians; and do not know if any of this matters. We do know this with drop-dead certainty: Assuming he was not rubbed out (he knew secrets), Jack Bradley wanted to end his life.

The events that led to this moment are easily traced. Jack Bradley made a series of catastrophic decisions — the kind that define a man’s life — which culminated in one final catastrophic decision.

Steven Sitler

The first catastrophic decision that Jack Bradley made, at least that we know of, involved serial pedophile Steven Sitler. Jack Bradley pastored Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the OPC church in Colville, Washington, where Sitler raped an unknown number of children. In some ways the church responded correctly to this crisis, at least on paper. But in reality Douglas Wilson coopted the church’s real-life response via Jack Bradley: Team Sitler coordinated a letter-writing campaign to Judge Stegner, and Jack Bradley joined hands with the wicked. Note the moral equivalence:

“I do not wish to mitigate the gravity of Steven’s sins and crimes; yet I do also want to note that Steven has willingly submitted to the process of ecclesiastical discipline under his church elders. . . Steven also made a statement expressing sorrow and repentance to the members of the congregation on the latter date.” (Jack Bradley, August 23, 2005)

“I do not wish to mitigate the gravity of Steven’s sins and crimes” — but then he mitigated & equivocated, as though a child rapist can make amends for his evil. Jack Bradley did not have the conviction to bear truthful witness by urging the judge in this direction:

This man has sinned away his right to life. It is irrelevant if he has or has not repented, which no can know with certainty. If you do not execute him, then for the good of society please isolate him from humanity for the rest of his life.

Such was not the goal. Douglas Wilson wanted Steven Sitler unleashed in the community and Jack Bradley helped. Now, fifteen years later, most of Sitler’s victims are adults. No evidence suggests Bradley contemplated these poor souls when he wrote the letter and no evidence suggests he cared later. He believed in Doug Wilson. But what good is a shepherd who won’t protect sheep? Jack Bradley’s failure to defend church & state from the fixated pedophile was a life-defining moment.

Federal Vision

Jack Bradley made another catastrophic decision: He rejected orthodoxy to embrace the Federal Vision. We see evidence of his departure on October 23, 2005, the date of this book review. Please note that the contributors are all the usual suspects. Note also that Bradley wrote this review just two months after he wrote the letter to Judge Stegner (quoted above). Thus we see a Federal Visionist’s real view of “Covenant Succession” — it vacates covenantal sanctions to play favorites with pet monsters.

And the pattern coalesces here: Jack Bradley’s conversion to the Federal Vision intersects with his amoral stance on the pedophile. The Federal Vision masquerades as a doctrinal system but in reality it’s a gateway to “anything goes.” Rejection of “the faith once delivered” (Jude 3) throws the door wide open, which inevitably results in corruption.

The next catastrophic decision logically follows its predecessors.

Moscow, Idaho

The obit says Jack Bradley “most recently lived in Moscow for 13 years.” Thus in 2007 or ’08, he landed in Moscow, home of Christ Church, where he climbed the ranks of Kirk leadership achieving the role of “Facilitator.” For the uninitiated, a “Facilitator” is a warm body that can mutter syllables — no skill required.

So in 2021 Jack Bradley was 63-years old; he had a wife who worked at Logos School; he had three children and seven grandchildren; and he had no accomplishments to his name. In 2005 he sacrificed his ministry for Steven Sitler and the Federal Vision, but after fifteen years he had nothing to show for it except “Facilitator.” He voluntarily reduced his existence to one purpose: Honor & glorify Douglas Wilson — a bloodsucker who leaves his victims dry. And at some point you have to assume that reality sets in.

The attention-grabber in Jack Bradley’s obit was the name of his daughter — Emily Sumpter. . . . .Toby Sumpter is a fully developed version of everything that Jack Bradley aspired to, yet Toby Sumpter is a complete failure who will have no reason for existence the moment Doug Wilson passes. His awakening looms, which shall profoundly affect his wife and children, who are Jack Bradley’s child and grandchildren. Correction: Not married to Toby but still in the same lineage, which leads to the same conclusion.

Jack Bradley successfully embedded his family in Moscow where, barring a miracle, they face the same dead end as he. He put his children and grandchildren in the fast lane to perdition, and thirteen years later he was powerless to stop or redirect them. Again, at some point reality smashes you in the mouth. Jack Bradley had to be the most hopeless creature on the planet. His pastor described it perfectly:

“we can also collapse and finally just give up, as Jack did.” (Douglas Wilson, “Jack Bradley, RIP”)

Of course he gave up. He gave it all to Wilson and he had nothing left to give: No ministry, a family on the road to destruction; and no way out. So he made one last catastrophic decision: He blew his head to smithereens.

The funeral was likely closed casket, which is a shame. Kirkers should be forced to see the horrific but logical end of life in Moscow. And his wife and children should have seen this day coming. They should have left him the moment he did not lay down his life for the lambs. He refused to protect the flock from Steven Sitler; why would he protect his family from Doug Wilson? Now they must pick up the pieces and resume their meaningless lives until they meet their logical end.

Jack Bradley has gone to his reward. The Daily News gave him 248 words and a pic. Logos School scarcely mentioned him in a 68-word email about his widow. And Gog begrudged him 15 words, counting the title, in a 1211-word post. No one will remember him because nobody cares. He’s just another torso in the grind chamber called Christ Church.

Jack Bradley died as he lived: He stood for and with the predators, and he killed himself in an act of self-predation.