The wife should always be tied to the husband: The Wilson Saga P/13

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to share on Nancy Wilson, wife of Pastor Dough Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, US.

Nancy Wilson has made the following statement
Scripture teaches that the husband is the head of the wife, therefore a Christian woman in ministry should be seen under her husband's visible headship. In other words, her ministry should be visibly connected to him. This can be a real help to him, for her teaching can be a complement to his work.

Nancy explains how these ideas work in her own ministry as follows:
"When people listen to or read a woman's teaching, it is organically connected to the head God has placed over her. This is obviously difficult if her husband is always across the country, or if is his name is merely listed in the book she has written with the other "credits" in fine print. That is why I (Nancy) rarely travel to speak at women's conferences, but rather teach where my husband is speaking. Not only does this keep us together, working as a team, but he is then available to continue to lead me and protect me in ministry settings. My teaching role is a support and complement to his, not the other way around. This way my ministry is visibly connected to my husband's and is not seen as a separate work.

My Comment
In Ephesians 5:23 we read
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the Church, of which He is the Saviour.

The husband's function as "head of his wife" is a loving, ministering, nourishing, self-giving, sacrificial function without even a hint of authority attached to it just as Christ is "the Head of the Church of which He is the Saviour." No wife is, therefore, placed under the so-called "headship" of her husband and, likewise, no woman's ministry has to be seen under her husband's visible "headship."

In the Old Testament women functioned independently of their husbands as called by God.
Examples are:
Miriam (Exodus 15:20; Micah 6:4. She was a prophetess and a leader).
Deborah (Judges 4:1-16. She was a prophetess and a judge).
Hulda (II Kings 22:11-20. She was a prophetess).


Likewise, in the New Testament women functioned independently of their husbands as called by God.

Examples are
Anna (Luke 2:36-38. She was a prophetess).
Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2. She was a diakonos or a deacon, a minister in Cenchrea, who delivered Paul's letter to the church in Rome).
Mary (Romans 16:6. She was one of Paul's co-workers).
Tryphena (Romans 16:12. She was one of Paul's co-workers).
Tryphosa (Romans 16:12. She was one of Paul's co-workers).
Persis (Romans 16:12. She was one of Paul's co-workers). 

 

Read Part Fourteen HERE

 

The husband takes the place of Christ: The Wilson Saga P/12

                                                    Read Part One HERE
 

In this post I will continue to focus on Nancy Wilson, the wife of Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscos, Idaho, US.

Nancy Wilson has made the following statement in relation to judging if a woman's ministry is valid.

Nancy Wilson: "The first question to ask and answer is:
1."Who is this woman's husband?"
Next we must ask many subsidiary questions.
2."Is she fulfilling her ministry to him?"
3."Is he her priority?"
4."Is she helping him?"
5."Is her house in order?"
6."Is he leading her in this ministry?"
7."Is her identity as a Christian woman centred, under Christ, around her relationship to her husband?"
But if her answer to any of the earlier questions is "no," then her ministry is likely independent of her husband, much like a separate career.

My Comment
The first question to ask and answer is:
1."Is Jesus her Lord and Saviour?"
Next we must ask many subsidiary questions:
2."Is she fulfilling her ministry to the Lord?"
3."Is He her priority?"
4."Is she serving where He has placed her to serve Him in the Body of Christ in accordance with her God-given gifts and abilities (I Corinthians 12:4-11)?"
5."Is her spiritual house in order for her body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19)?"
6."Is Christ leading her in her ministry?"
7."Is her identity in Christ?"
P.S. It seems to me that Nancy has turned her husband into an idol who has taken the place of Christ in her heart (Matthew 10:37). Furthermore, she does not seem to understand that, according to the Scriptures, her identity is to be found in Christ, not under Christ, and not in relationship to her husband (Romans 8:1; II Corinthians 5:17; II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:10 etc etc).

 

Read Part Thirteen HERE

The wife's role is to be obedient:The Wilson Saga P/11

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to focus on Nancy Wilson, wife of Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, US.

Nancy Wilson has written the following

Nancy Wilson: "He (your husband) is one of a kind and God has prepared special work for him to do. You have the privilege of being God's appointed helper for him... Your husband will appreciate your obedience and be set free to live up to all God has called him to be.

My Comment

In Genesis 1:26-28 we read that God gave both the man and the woman the task of ruling over creation. She was to do so as his "ezer" (Genesis 2:18) or as his equal partner but not as his assistant since the term "ezer" means "strengthener."
 We see that confirmed in  Scripture where we learn of a couple who functioned as teachers and pastors named Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:24-26; Romans 16:3-5)
We learn as well of a couple named Andronicus and Junia ( Romans 16:7. By the way "Junia" cannot be "Junias") who were both apostles.
In other situations women are mentioned apart from their husbands such as

 Old Testament
Deborah (Judges 4-5)
Hulda (II Kings 22:11-20)

New Testament
Lydia (Acts 16:14)
Chloe (I Corinthians 1:11)
Nympha  (Colossians 4:15. "Nympha" cannot be "Nymphas").

Deborah was married and, though her husband is mentioned in Scripture, she is not mentioned in relation to his function.
Likewise, Hulda was married and her husband is mentioned in Scripture, but she too is not mentioned in relation to her husband's function.
Others, such as Lydia, Chloe and Nympha may well have been married but are not mentioned as being supportive of their husbands' functions but only in relation to their own functions.

Moreover, it may be helpful to remember Ephesians 2:10 where Paul writes as follows
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for (each one of) us to do." 
It is very clear from the above text that God has a special work to do for all believers, be they male or female, and not just for husbands, as Nancy Wilson seems to believe.

 

Read Part Twelve HERE

The wife is the husband's sheep: The Wilson Saga P/10

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to focus on Nancy Wilson, wife of Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, US.

Nancy Wilson has made the following statement:

Nancy Wilson:" Because women are prone to deception, we must have our guard up. Everything we hear must be weighed in light of Scripture. So what does a wise woman do who needs spiritual help?... Go to your husband first. He is your head and he is responsible before God to shepherd and pastor his home, starting with you."

My Comment
Nancy Wison's view that women are prone to deception has no biblical basis but is a lie that is still very much alive in certain circles, including the circle Nancy is part of. It seems, she is not aware of the Scripture that female believers,  are "sons of God" according to Romans 8:14 (a generic term) rather than "daughters of Eve."

As for the husband being the "head of his wife" (Ephesians 5:23a), that is a loving, ministering, nourishing, self-giving, sacrificial function without even a hint of authority attached to it just as Christ is the "Head of the Church of which He is the Saviour" (Ephesians 5:23b).

As for the husband being her shepherd and pastor, God has not specifically appointed her husband as her shepherd and pastor. Christ is her Shepherd and Pastor (John 10:11, 14) and He has appointed under-shepherds and pastors as we know from Ephesians 4:11

Christ gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers.

Not every husband has been spiritually gifted by Christ as a pastor/shepherd though some may have been called by Him, to serve the Body of Christ in that capacity.

 

Read Part Eleven HERE

The husband knows it all: The Wilson Saga P/9

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to focus on Nancy Wilson, the wife of Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church , Moscow, Idaho, US.

Nancy Wilson has made the following statements:

Nancy Wilson: "We must cultivate a taste for books that will build us up in the faith - not take us to fantasy land. You might want to start with biographies of saints greatly used by God in the past. Be selective. Look to your husband for suggestions."

Nancy Wilson: "If you miss church, request a tape. Take sermon notes, jot down questions, and afterwards ask your husband questions. "

My Comment:
Christian women should be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-12 who listened to Paul and then went home and examined the Scriptures for themselves. Among them were Greek women. Paul commended such believers, including these women. He did not indicate that these women needed to ask their husbands questions since they were more easily deceived. 

Read Part Ten HERE

Women are easily led astray: The Wilson Saga P/8

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to focus on Nancy Wilson, wife of Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, US.

Nancy Wilson has made the following statements:

Nancy Wilson; "Contemporary Christian women, created by God to be responsive, are vulnerable to temptations to be deceived. We must learn to think like Christians and resist the temptation to believe everything we read or hear."

My Comment:

"This idea that Christian women are vulnerable to temptations to be deceived has been propagated throughout the centuries by Roman Catholic Church Fathers such as St Irenaeus of Lyon (2ne Century), Tertullian (155 AD - 245 AD), St John Chrysostom (344 AD - 407 AD) as well as Protestant Reformers such as John Calvin (1509 AD - 1564 AD). It is high time that we recognise such a statement as totally without any biblical foundation.

As it happens, many men have been vulnerable to deception and have started cults/false religions such as

Mormonism  Joseph Smith
Jehovah Witnesses  Charles Taze Russell
Armstrongism   Herbert W. Armstrong
Church of Scientology  L. Ron Hubbard
The Unification Church (The Moonies) Rev Sun Myung Moon
Confusianism Chiu King
Buddhhism  Siddhartha Gautama Buddha
Islam   Muhammad

As for contemporary Christian women, they are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), filled with the Holy Spirit, led by the Holy Spirit  (Romans 8:9-14) who will help them know truth from error.

 

Read Part Nine HERE

Nancy sees herself as her husband's garden: The Wilson Saga P/7

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will begin to focus on Nancy Wilson, the wife of Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, US.

In Nancy Wilson's book "The Fruit Of Her Hands " she writes that a wife is a garden that belongs to her husband as follows:

Nancy Wilson: "As a Christian woman begins to see herself as a garden, she takes more eager interest in making it a lovely garden that her husband delights to spend time in."
Nancy Wison: "Of course a husband is never trespassing in his own garden, though he can be made to feel as though he is an intruder."

Nancy Wilson: " In many ways, the husband is a garden tender, and his wife become a source of great joy and delight to the husband as he spends time in the garden he faithfully tends."

My Comment:
The Bible nowhere compares the wife to a garden that the husband is to spend time in as her gardener. However, in John 15 we read of God as the Gardener. In this passage Jesus is the vine and every Christian wife is a branch. Such a branch is to bear fruit and may be pruned by the Gardener in order to be able to bear more fruit.
As for her bearing fruit, it refers to the spiritual fruit of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians 5:22

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
.
A Christian wife is responsible for he own life and for the development of such spiritual fruit in her life. It is not the husband's task to tend to the fruit for that is done by God the Father who prunes it as the Gardener so this Christian wife may bear more fruit.

 

Read Part Eight HERE

Predator Steven is a suitable husband: The Wilson Saga P/6

                        

                                                      Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Steven Sitler, a previous student at New Saint Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho and a member of Christ Church pastored by Doug Wilson. Steven is a convicted serial pedophile.

In 2005 Sitler was sentenced to 99 years in prison but he was released on probation after 18 months. His probation stipulates that he if he re-offends, then he will finish his term and die in prison. Pastor Doug Wilson had written to the judge prior to his sentencing, wherein he told the judge he was grateful that Steven was experiencing "hard consequences," but he urged the judge to have those hard consequences be "measured and limited."

I do not believe Pastor Wilson has been in touch with Steven Sitler's victims or the parents of his victims. He may well  have written something different to the judge had he done so.

Five years after Sitler received his life sentence, Pastor Dough Wilson thought Steven Sitler qualified as a good husband for a young graduate of New Saint Andrews College, Miss Katie Travis. She had asked one of the elders of Christ Church to introduce her to a husband; he introduced her to a convicted sexual predator. Pastor Doug Wilson approved of this relationship believing that an age-appropriate sexual relationship that is set apart and blessed by God (and His people) can be a major part of a possible restoration. He consequently, married Miss Katie Travis and serial pedophile Steven Sitler.
 
As for the couple one day having children,  Pastor Doug Wilson has said the following: "I think it a reasonable restriction that he not reside with his wife and child in the future, if in fact they have children."

Steven Sitler and his wife Katie now have a son. Steven is no longer allowed to live at home but lives at a place with 4 other sexual predators because any close contact with his son has proven to be dangerous for the child.

From the above story and the other stories I have shared on Pastor Doug Wilson, it is very clear that Christ Church under the leadership of Pastor Doug Wilson is not a safe place for women (and children), to say the least.

P.S. Next week I will begin to focus on Nancy Wilson, the wife of Pastor Doug Wilson.

 

Read Part Seven HERE

Natalie was told it was all her fault:The Wilson Saga P/5

                                                       Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on Jamin Wight a member of Christ Church pastored by Doug Wilson, who sexually abused a previous member of the church, Natalie (Rose) Greenfield.

Natalie's parents moved to Moscow and became members Christ Church when Natalie was 13 years old. They took in a 23-year old boarder, Jamin Wight who was a student at Greyfriar's Seminary, which is associated with Christ Church. He groomed and sexually, physically, verbally and emotionaly abused Natalie for over a three-year period. At the age of 17 she finally confided to a friend about the abuse. Her friend convinced her to tell her parents and to go to the police and press charges. Pastor Doug Wilson wrote to the case officer when he expressed his view that yes, Jamin Wight had sinned, but the Greenfields were foolish parents. He continued by stating that he does not believe Jamin to be a sexual predator.Wight's sentence ended up being reduced and he only served 4 months in prison.

Natalie has raised the following issues:

"I was offered little to no support from the Church I attended (Christ Church)."
"On the day of the sentencing my former pastor (Doug Wilson) and my abuser's pastor (Doug Wilson) sat on his side (Jamin Wight) of the courtroom."
"We were encouraged to go to mediation rather than to trial, and at the last minute the visiting judge decided the sentence/label of "sexual offender" was too harsh."

After having served his prison sentence, Wight returned to Mocow and to Christ Church, which understandably presented a very uncomfortable environment for Natalie. She left Christ Church.

Pastor Doug Wilson and Christ Church placed blame on Natalie, saying she consented (at the age of 13!!).
Natalie was placed in church disciple.
After Natalie left, she received an e-mail from the Church saying they would withhold communion until meeting with the elders.

According to Pastor Doug Wilson's written testimony:
 ".... the parents had bizarrely brought Jamin into the house as a boarder so that he could conduct a secret courtship with Natalie. So Jamin was in a romantic relationship with a young girl, her parents knew of the relationship and encouraged it, her parents permitted a certain measure of physical affection to exist between them (e.g. hand-holding), Natalie was a beautiful and striking young woman, and at the time was about eight inches taller than Jamin was. Her parents believed that she was mature enough to be in the relationship, and the standards they set for the relationship would have been reasonable if she had in fact been of age and if the two had not been living under the same roof."

The above statement is incorrect for Natalie's parents had strictly forbidden any development of a physical or romantic relationship between her and Jamin Wight who had expressed an interest in getting to know her. Her parents had  at that time told him to wait until she was older. As far as they were concerned there was no special friendship between the two of them and they were completely unaware of the sexual abuse that was happening under their roof. Her father was devastated   when he eventually learned about it from Natalie. 

 

Read Part Six HERE