Douglas Wilson (theologian)

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Douglas James Wilson (born 18 June 1953) is a conservative Reformed and evangelical theologian, pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, faculty member at New Saint Andrews College, and prolific author and speaker. He is currently featured in the documentary film Collision documenting his debates with anti-theist Christopher Hitchens on their promotional tour for the book "Is Christianity Good for the World?".

[edit] Biography

Wilson earned a B.A. in classical studies and a B.A. and an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Idaho. In addition to his role as pastor of Christ Church, he is a founder and Senior Fellow in Theology at New Saint Andrews College, founder and editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine, and founder of Greyfriars Hall, a three-year ministerial training program. He also serves on the governing boards of New Saint Andrews, Logos School (a Christian private school), and the Association of Classical and Christian Schools. Wilson was instrumental in forming the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches. He is married to Nancy Wilson and has three children, including N. D. Wilson, and 14 grandchildren.

[edit] Works

Promotional for the film Collision featuring prominent atheist Christopher Hitchens debating Douglas Wilson during a book tour for their book "Is Christianity Good for the World?".

Wilson is the publisher of and a contributor to the Reformed cultural and theological journal Credenda/Agenda, and is a former contributor to Tabletalk, the magazine published by R. C. Sproul's Ligonier Ministries. He has published a number of books on culture and theology, several children's books, and a collection of poetry.

[edit] On education

Wilson has been a prominent advocate for classical Christian education, and he laid out his vision for education in several books and pamphlets, especially in Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning (1991, ISBN 0-89107-583-6). In those writings, he argues that the American public schools are failing to educate their students, and he proposes a Christian approach to education based on the Trivium, a Greco-Roman approach to education which emphasizes grammar, rhetoric, and logic and advocates a wide exposure to the liberal arts, including classical Western languages such as Latin and Greek. The model has been adopted by a number of Christian private schools and homeschoolers.

[edit] On family

Wilson and his wife have also written a number of books on family issues based on their understanding of the Bible, including Reforming Marriage (ISBN 1-885767-45-5), Federal Husband (ISBN 1-885767-51-X), Her Hand in Marriage (on biblical courtship; ISBN 1-885767-26-9), Standing on the Promises: A Handbook of Biblical Childrearing (ISBN 1-885767-25-0), and Future Men (ISBN 1-885767-83-8). These works are written from a strong traditionalist point of view, promoting classic gender roles and opposing feminism.

[edit] On theology

Wilson has written on theological subjects in books such as Mother Kirk: Essays and Forays in Practical Ecclesiology (ISBN 1-885767-72-2), To a Thousand Generations (ISBN 1-885767-24-2) on infant baptism, and "Reformed" Is Not Enough: Recovering the Objectivity of the Covenant (ISBN 1-59128-005-2). He has also been a noted advocate for Van Tillian presuppositional apologetics and postmillennialism. Letter from a Christian Citizen (ISBN 0915815664) is Wilson's response to atheist Sam Harris's Letter to a Christian Nation. In May 2007, Wilson debated another noted atheist, Christopher Hitchens, in a six-part series published by Christianity Today.^[1] In October of the following year, they debated in person in three separate venues on three consecutive days.^[2]

[edit] Federal Vision

Wilson's views on covenant theology as espoused in "Reformed" Is Not Enough and in his contribution to The Federal Vision (ISBN 978-0-9753914-0-2) have caused some controversy as part of the Federal Vision theology, partly because of its similarity to the New Perspective on Paul, which Wilson does not fully endorse, though he has praised some tenets that are in line with his theology.^[3] The RPCUS denomination, consisting of twelve congregations in the United States, declared his views on the subject to be heretical,^[4] and although "Reformed" Is Not Enough was already in process when the RPCUS's resolution was published, Wilson sought to address some of their charges in that book.^[5]

[edit] Quotations

• The Christian faith is good for the world because it provides the fixed standard which atheism cannot provide and because it provides forgiveness for sins, which atheism cannot provide either. We need the direction of the standard because we are confused sinners. We need the forgiveness because we are guilty sinners. Atheism not only keeps the guilt, but it also keeps the confusion.^[1]

[edit] Conservative social views

[edit] Southern slavery

Wilson's most controversial work is probably his pamphlet Southern Slavery, As It Was (ISBN 1-885767-17-X), which he wrote along with League of the South co-founder Steve Wilkins. Historians such as Peter H. Wood, Clayborne Carson, and Bancroft Prize winner Ira Berlin condemned the pamphlet's arguments, with Wood calling them as spurious as holocaust denial.^[6]

Wilson held a February 2004 conference for those who supported his ideas, such as pastor George Grant, in the University of Idaho. The University published a disclaimer distancing itself from the event, and numerous anti-conference protests took place. Wilson described critical attacks as 'abolitionist propaganda'.^[6] He also has repeatedly denied any racist leanings. He has said that he intended to defend the once traditional biblical approval of slavery since, in his view, disregarding that tradition will lead to disregarding biblical sanction against homosexuality as well.^[7] Wilson has described his own views as 'paleo-Confederate'. He has said, "I would say we're fighting in a long war, and that [the Civil War] was one battle that we lost."^[7]

Canon Press ceased publication of Southern Slavery, As It Was when it became aware of serious citation errors in several passages authored by Wilkins.^[8] Robert McKenzie, the history professor who first noticed the citation problems, described the authors as being "sloppy" rather than "malevolent."^[9] Wilson reworked and redacted the arguments in the tract, and published (without Wilkins) a new set of essays under the name Black & Tan (ISBN 1-59128-032-X) after consulting with historian Eugene Genovese.^[10]

[edit] Christian reconstructionism

In an article in Christianity Today, Molly Worthen placed Wilson in the vein of Christian reconstructionists. Although Wilson disputed this categorization, he stated in an interview that he would support the forced exile of lesbian, gay and transgender people and the execution of adulterers. He also said, "I'm not proposing legislation. All I'm doing is refusing to apologize for certain parts of the Bible." ^[7]

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Author

• Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning (ISBN 978-0891075837)
• Persuasions (ISBN 978-1885767295)
• Finding the Faith
• Fruit of the Cross
• Ephesians, With Notes
• Easy Chairs/Hard Words (ISBN 978-1885767301)
• Reforming Marriage (ISBN 978-1885767455)
• Contours of Postmaturity (ISBN 978-1885767202)
• To A Thousand Generations (ISBN 978-1885767240)
• Standing on the Promises (ISBN 978-1885767257)
• Her Hand in Marriage (ISBN 978-1885767264)
• Joy at the End of the Tether (ISBN 978-1885767509)
• Federal Husband (ISBN 978-1885767516)
• The Paideia of God (ISBN 978-1885767592)
• Fidelity (ISBN 978-1885767646)
• For Kirk and Covenant (ISBN 978-1581820584)
• Exhortations (ISBN 0967760313)
• Untune the Sky (ISBN 978-1930710696)
• Mother Kirk (ISBN 978-1885767721)
• Future Men (ISBN 978-1885767837)
• Excused Absence (ISBN 978-0970224514)
• Beyond Stateliest Marble (ISBN 978-1581821642)
• Greyfriars Covenant
• A Serrated Edge (ISBN 978-1591280101)
• The Case for Classical Christian Education (ISBN 978-1581343847)
• Blackthorn Winter (ISBN 978-1932168105)
• "Reformed" is Not Enough (ISBN 978-1591280057)
• My Life for Yours (ISBN 978-1885767905)
• Black & Tan (ISBN 978-1591280323)
• For a Glory and a Covering (ISBN 978-1591280415)
• Letter from a Christian Citizen (ISBN 978-0915815661)
• Heaven Misplaced: Christ's Kingdom on Earth (2008) (ISBN 978-1591280514)
• A Primer on Worship and Reformation (2008) (ISBN 978-1591280613)
• God Is. How Christianity Explains Everything (2009) (ISBN 978-0915815869)
• The Deluded Atheist (2009) (ISBN 978-0915815593)

[edit] Co-author

• Introductory Logic (with James B. Nance) (ISBN 978-1591280330)
• Latin Grammar (with Karen Craig) (ISBN 978-1885767370)
• Beyond Promises (with David Hagopian and John Armstrong) (ISBN 978-1885767129)
• Southern Slavery As It Was (with Steve Wilkins) (ISBN 978-1885767172)
• Angels in the Architecture (with Douglas Jones) (ISBN 978-1885767400)
• Is Christianity Good for the World? (with Christopher Hitchens) (ISBN 978-1591280538)

[edit] Editor and contributor

• No Stone Unturned
• The Forgotten Heavens
• Repairing the Ruins (ISBN 978-1885767141)
• Bound Only Once (ISBN 978-1885767844)
• Omnibus I: Biblical and Classical Civilizations (ISBN 978-1932168426)

[edit] Contributor

• Back to Basics (ISBN 978-0875522166)
• Whatever Happened to the Reformation? (ISBN 978-0875521831)
• The Case for Covenantal Infant Baptism (ISBN 978-0875525549)
• When Shall These Things Be? (ISBN 978-0875525525)
• The Federal Vision (ISBN 978-0975391402)
• The Case for Covenant Communion (ISBN 978-0975391433)

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Blog and Mablog - Wilson's blog (including his writings against racism and an excerpt from Black & Tan)
• Christ Church
• Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches
• Credenda/Agenda
• New Saint Andrews College
• Letter from a Christian Citizen
• Canon Press
• The Drange-Wilson Debate, a formal, written debate in which Wilson defends Christian theism and attacks the worldview of skeptic Theodore Drange
• "American Slavery: A Symposium" - Cascade Presbyterian Church sponsored this symposium in response to Southern Slavery, As It Was.