Update, April 2019: Adding This Post to Abuse Case Studies List
Issues regarding abuse of spiritual authority regularly arise regarding Douglas Wilson of Moscow, Idaho. I lived in Pullman, Washington, and Moscow, Idaho, for a total of 15 years from 1973-1987. (These two university towns are just across the border from one another, less than 10 miles apart. They are part of what is called the Palouse Region.) During that time, I observed firsthand the early growth of CCM (Community Christian Ministries), the influence of Jim Wilson and his son Doug on the campuses and in the communities, and their destructive impact on the faith of my own friends.
I have added a link to this post to the navigation bar section on 3 Abuse Case Studies and Articles. It links to other comments I’ve made over the years on social media that include the most information on my thoughts about living in Pullman/Moscow during those formative years of Mr. Wilson and CCM, and how I have occasionally tracked them and the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) association since then.
I hope this helps give further context and perspective to the history and negative impact Mr. Wilson and his organizations have had–not just in that region, but via the influence of his social media and publications.
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Background
There has been an ongoing discussion about Douglas Wilson, about specific situations where there are allegations of abuse of authority, and about his leadership of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, and of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC). Since I lived in Pullman, Washington, and Moscow, Idaho, during the beginnings of what turned into CREC, I have been watching this current situation unfold and reflecting on its roots. For my observations and opinions on the history of ministries in these two towns, see these links on The Wartburg Watch: Comment 1, Comment 2, Comment 3, Comment 4, Comment 5. (There are other comments I made related to certain types of Reformed theology and Reconstructionism. To find them, search the comments section of this post for “brad/futuristguy.”)
The following comment is one I posted in response to a comment by mirele, who talked about the seductive nature of Mr. Wilson’s system. My general thoughts on what makes us susceptible to seduction by those with no conscience are here in Part 1. In Part 2, I focus in on some aspects of “fatherlessness” that makes us particularly vulnerable to authoritarian men with charisma who provide precise answers to our questions and presence to meet our father-longing. Continue reading →
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