Tagged “dougwils.com”

“I am profoundly grateful for the caliber of my enemies”

Tunnel Vision 20/300

Topic: General Ruminations

Scripture tells us that we should be grateful for all things, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus. But some things still stand out. If I may speak in a Hebraic mode for just a moment — for two things I give thanks, and for three I am extremely grateful. First, I am very thankful for the godly character of my wife and family. Second, I am grateful for the integrity of my friends and co-laborers in the gospel. But third, after careful consideration of the subject, I have to say that I am profoundly grateful for the caliber of my enemies.

Posted by Douglas Wilson — 5/3/2004 8:07:23 PM
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“I would define rape as having any kind of sexual relationship with someone apart from or against her or his consent.”

Sarah Moon writes here about complementarianism’s ‘ugly relationship with rape.’ She poses two questions of us bad people, and they are as follows — first, how do we define rape? And secondly, what do we propose to do about it?

Okay. I would define rape as having any kind of sexual relationship with someone apart from or against her or his consent. So far, so good, probably, but she then objects to our recognition of the possibility of varying degrees of foolishness on the part of the victim, and she interprets this recognition as somehow meaning ‘when they say they are against rape they don’t mean all rape.’
Douglas Wilson

“If a trusted spiritual leader starts abusing a girl when she is 14”

At the same time, of course, we should make allowances for those situations where an abused girl was never given the opportunity to become a responsible adult. If a trusted spiritual leader starts abusing a girl when she is 14, it is not as though, after 7 years of abuse, a magic moment happens when she turns 21, making it easy for her to now walk away. In a situation like that, the word victim is appropriate. But we ought to reserve the word for situations like it, and not use it in circumstances like this one.
Douglas Wilson

“the first priority”

We unfortunately live in a time when child abuse is common, and given the way things are going, tragic instances of it are likely to increase. . . . In the first place, when plausible suspicion arises that child abuse has occurred or is occurring, the first priority is to ensure that it does not continue in the present circumstance, and that it does not continue into the future, in any other circumstance. . . . No conscientious pastor can be willingly complicit in a child having to spend one more minute under the control of his abuser. . . . There are times when an anemic response of a church to a child abuse tragedy is a response that simply makes the blast radius bigger. . . .
Douglas Wilson

“The child actually has a problem dad”

Over the years, I have seen many hard cases of difficult kids not effectively loved by their fathers. Because I don’t see the problem disappearing, I thought I would post a series of short pointed exhortations to a dad who has a problem child. The child actually has a problem dad, but the child doesn’t think that. He is too confused, lost, and hurting to think about much of anything. I am going write these posts in the second person. I have no particular people in view; these problems should be taken as a composite. But I trust that some of those who read these posts here will see the applicability to their own situations. When I am talking about a boy I will call him Jon, and when she is a girl I will call her Mary.
Douglas Wilson

The man without a verse: “Don’t I need a verse or something?”

featured millstone

“Such a man is held responsible in a striking way. If he scandalizes ‘one of these little ones,’ it would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea. In other words, what is actually going to happen to him is going to be a whole lot worse than that.”
— Douglas Wilson Continue reading →

Wednesday, October 19, 2016 |

“Bearing false witness is therefore civil war — warfare against one’s neighbor, one’s brother”

This commandment strikes at the heart of falsehood and lies, which in their turn are the native language of the devil. Without truth and trust, biblical culture is an impossibility. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16).

First, what is the context of false witness? The commandment prohibits lying against one’s neighbor. Paul tells the Colossians not to lie to one another, because they had put off the old man with his deeds (3:9). Trust is essential to all community, and false witness makes trust impossible. False witness can exist in such a society, but if it is not punished severely that society will not be a society long. At its base, deception is an act of war — “A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow (Prov. 25:18; cf. 12:17–18). The psalmist recognizes this — “false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence” (Ps. 27:12).

Bearing false witness is therefore civil war — warfare against one’s neighbor, one’s brother. It is an act of violence directed against someone with whom you should be at peace.

Douglas Wilson

On Official Kirk Protocol & the Marriage of Serial Pedophile Steven Sitler

Christ Church Book of Worship, Faith, and Practice

“. . . our focus here is on setting protections in the extreme cases. . . . The elders will investigate the situation, counseling any and all as possible. If the elders discover no good grounds to hinder the relationship from proceeding toward marriage, then the elders can refuse to bring disciplinary action against the couple seeking marriage, in effect, granting them permission to be married without the threat of negative ecclesiastical discipline.” — Christ Church Book of Faith, Worship, and Practice Continue reading →

Thursday, October 13, 2016 |

“those who are willing to defend such predators should be ashamed of themselves”

The recent revelations of homosexual abuse of boys by various predatory priests over the course of many years is the kind of problem that I think should be addressed (in the civil realm only) with a tall tree and a short rope. Not only am I not ashamed of thinking this (because of Leviticus, in context), I believe that those who are willing to defend such predators should be ashamed of themselves.
Douglas Wilson