I embraced Reformed theology on the verge of the year 2000. This was when Douglas Wilson’s distortion of Reformed theology called Federal Vision was provoking heresy trials in the Presbyterian Church in America, and articles by Douglas Wilson was still being published in R.C. Sproul’s devotional magazine, Tabletalk. A former KJV-only fundamentalist myself, I was curious that Wilson always cited the KJV in those articles. But a friend whose dad is a PCA minister kept me informed about Wilson’s Federal Vision movement, so I learned early on to avoid anything by Wilson.
I stopped voting Republican after the George Floyd/BLM protests and the news of Trump’s intention to illegaly impose US troops on the states where 3% of the BLM protests became violent, even though those same states were refusing the aid.
In the years to follow, I became more and more distressed to see how much more popular Doug Wilson was becoming among my Reformed friends as a political commentator, even though many of them were aware of his extreme stances on things like slavery, etc. I saw the same pattern in these friends that I followed in the nineties when reading an extreme fundamentalist preacher from Pensacola, Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, whom I’ve always called “The King of the King James Onlyists.” It’s the humor that hooks you. The transgressive mischievousness in the polemic. Ruckman had it, and Wilson has it (although Ruckman’s was much harsher and more caustic than the quasi-intellectual Wilson—Trump’s style is closer to Ruckman than to Wilson).
Thanks be to the Lord for independent media like yours, Dr. Tisby! After leaving my 20-year FOX News cocoon, the world of journalism became so much more liberating, but how distressing that Washington’s pressure on the media is turning CBS News specifically into a kinder, gentler FOX News (is that comparison still too much of an exaggeration?). Hopefully, public outcry and ratings losses will curb that trajectory.
But folks need to be mindful that, to me, it’s the cheeky humor in the extreme rhetoric that hooks the curious, and seduces them into cults like Wilson’s, Trump’s and others.
I'm all for humor and sarcasm to call attention to the toxicity of these views. I appreciate, too, your reference to quasi-intellectualism. Read any of Wilson's articles or books and that's exactly what comes across. Thank you, as well, for sharing your story. Glad you've come a mighty long way.
Saw this on Facebook first, but could not comment. I love your point about covering Wilson, but always with a counterpoint. I wonder if NPR is just running frightened after the battles with the Trump administration. He needs to be made uncomfortable in Christian spaces because we, as Christians, need to publicly reject his teachings with vigor.
There was a CNN interview with him in 2025 that included other views, but it was much shorter--around 7 min. I think NPR is in a fighting mood after being temporarily defunded by this regime. This interview was handled well. It was just...incomplete
Yes. It's always a tension: it's a danger folks need to be aware of AND by calling attention to it, you risk giving it more fuel. But I err on the side of awareness. Just with counter-narratives included.
I’m amazed at his solid foot in the door of curriculum materials that homeschoolers laud. He has apparently generated quite a following through that. He tells the story in his most recent? interview that it was through that curriculum, he came to know Pete Hegseth who wanted his children schooled in that tradition.
From other interviews I’ve seen, it is evident that Wilson is manipulating his presence, soft-peddling his radical ideas but every now and then you see the terror everyone should grasp of his master plan….like when he is asked about repealing the 19th Amendment, he takes a drink and giggles rather maniacally to then say, “….because it’s a good idea” and then goes on to explain his household voting idea. Yet, what you see is his “if I ruled the world” mentality. Oh my goodness.
Yes, definitely he needs to be interviewed in counter-point.
Another interesting approach to Wilson et al. would be to compare their ideology with its Islamic counterpart, as it plays out in Afghanistan, for example. To me, these two ideologies seem very similar.
Much thanks for sharing. Giving the man a forum to spout off without a countervailing voice is IMHO irresponsible. It accords Wilson a veneer of respectability as someone who deserves being treated seriously with views that should be heard. By all means have him as a guest but flank him with two other guests with two different perspectives and let the discussion begin.
Absolutely have diverse voices join the conversation! If his Creator was the beginning of all life ... then why do we have such variety? Gender, faith, vegetation, race, eye color, hair texture, millions of variety in insects, cats, dogs, ticks..... There are no two artists who do the exact kind of art. No two athletes alike, even twins grow up differently. How does he think we should (or could) move toward following his impossible vision of how the world should be? Certainly a task that would require cruelty, dominance, and blood shed. Is that his vision? Stupidity in my book. In 1991, I went to Russia. Every family had the same rug, cupboards, curtains, and dismal jobs assigned by the State. The artists I visited were all doing propaganda work assigned by the State. After the vodka got passed around they showed me the work they had done on their own. Powerful, heart wrenching resistance work..... They kept it hidden in closets afraid to have it seen. Wilson is looking for a police state it appears. Good luck with that. Humans are too diverse to have a one size fits all world. We may be getting that shoved down our throats at the moment but the gag reflex isn't a choice, it's an instinct.
Wilson's quasi-intellectual response would be that he values diversity but that God assigns different roles to different things. This sets up his hierarchical views of gender (and race, though he wouldn't say it out loud). And, with initiatives like "Sons of Patriarchy" we see exactly how this ideology plays out in the real world. SPOILER: It's not good.
I embraced Reformed theology on the verge of the year 2000. This was when Douglas Wilson’s distortion of Reformed theology called Federal Vision was provoking heresy trials in the Presbyterian Church in America, and articles by Douglas Wilson was still being published in R.C. Sproul’s devotional magazine, Tabletalk. A former KJV-only fundamentalist myself, I was curious that Wilson always cited the KJV in those articles. But a friend whose dad is a PCA minister kept me informed about Wilson’s Federal Vision movement, so I learned early on to avoid anything by Wilson.
I stopped voting Republican after the George Floyd/BLM protests and the news of Trump’s intention to illegaly impose US troops on the states where 3% of the BLM protests became violent, even though those same states were refusing the aid.
In the years to follow, I became more and more distressed to see how much more popular Doug Wilson was becoming among my Reformed friends as a political commentator, even though many of them were aware of his extreme stances on things like slavery, etc. I saw the same pattern in these friends that I followed in the nineties when reading an extreme fundamentalist preacher from Pensacola, Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, whom I’ve always called “The King of the King James Onlyists.” It’s the humor that hooks you. The transgressive mischievousness in the polemic. Ruckman had it, and Wilson has it (although Ruckman’s was much harsher and more caustic than the quasi-intellectual Wilson—Trump’s style is closer to Ruckman than to Wilson).
Thanks be to the Lord for independent media like yours, Dr. Tisby! After leaving my 20-year FOX News cocoon, the world of journalism became so much more liberating, but how distressing that Washington’s pressure on the media is turning CBS News specifically into a kinder, gentler FOX News (is that comparison still too much of an exaggeration?). Hopefully, public outcry and ratings losses will curb that trajectory.
But folks need to be mindful that, to me, it’s the cheeky humor in the extreme rhetoric that hooks the curious, and seduces them into cults like Wilson’s, Trump’s and others.
I'm all for humor and sarcasm to call attention to the toxicity of these views. I appreciate, too, your reference to quasi-intellectualism. Read any of Wilson's articles or books and that's exactly what comes across. Thank you, as well, for sharing your story. Glad you've come a mighty long way.
Saw this on Facebook first, but could not comment. I love your point about covering Wilson, but always with a counterpoint. I wonder if NPR is just running frightened after the battles with the Trump administration. He needs to be made uncomfortable in Christian spaces because we, as Christians, need to publicly reject his teachings with vigor.
There was a CNN interview with him in 2025 that included other views, but it was much shorter--around 7 min. I think NPR is in a fighting mood after being temporarily defunded by this regime. This interview was handled well. It was just...incomplete
I hope they are ready to fight. I had not seen the interview yet but listened to Wilson often over the years.
I had a similar reaction to the interview. Why give him a platform? It's just a more sophisticated, liberal version of "clickbait".
Yes. It's always a tension: it's a danger folks need to be aware of AND by calling attention to it, you risk giving it more fuel. But I err on the side of awareness. Just with counter-narratives included.
And one more.
Please connect the dots of Wilson and Project 2025, and Russell Voight, et al.
And how about talking with the women inside Wilson’s church?
And you are absolutely right about the racism and white supremacy as well!
Peter Waggoner, Fuller Theological Seminary, “Signs and Wonders” class is the 1980’s version of Wilson’s theology.
How about a dialogue with Matthew D Taylor and you?
His book: The Violent Take It By Force
The Christian Movement that is threatening our Democracy…
I’m amazed at his solid foot in the door of curriculum materials that homeschoolers laud. He has apparently generated quite a following through that. He tells the story in his most recent? interview that it was through that curriculum, he came to know Pete Hegseth who wanted his children schooled in that tradition.
From other interviews I’ve seen, it is evident that Wilson is manipulating his presence, soft-peddling his radical ideas but every now and then you see the terror everyone should grasp of his master plan….like when he is asked about repealing the 19th Amendment, he takes a drink and giggles rather maniacally to then say, “….because it’s a good idea” and then goes on to explain his household voting idea. Yet, what you see is his “if I ruled the world” mentality. Oh my goodness.
Yes, definitely he needs to be interviewed in counter-point.
Love the ketchup comment 😂
Another interesting approach to Wilson et al. would be to compare their ideology with its Islamic counterpart, as it plays out in Afghanistan, for example. To me, these two ideologies seem very similar.
Dr. Tisby, Thank you for covering this issue. I hope someone in mainstream media takes your advice.
Much thanks for sharing. Giving the man a forum to spout off without a countervailing voice is IMHO irresponsible. It accords Wilson a veneer of respectability as someone who deserves being treated seriously with views that should be heard. By all means have him as a guest but flank him with two other guests with two different perspectives and let the discussion begin.
Douglas Wilson's world makes no sense to me.
Absolutely have diverse voices join the conversation! If his Creator was the beginning of all life ... then why do we have such variety? Gender, faith, vegetation, race, eye color, hair texture, millions of variety in insects, cats, dogs, ticks..... There are no two artists who do the exact kind of art. No two athletes alike, even twins grow up differently. How does he think we should (or could) move toward following his impossible vision of how the world should be? Certainly a task that would require cruelty, dominance, and blood shed. Is that his vision? Stupidity in my book. In 1991, I went to Russia. Every family had the same rug, cupboards, curtains, and dismal jobs assigned by the State. The artists I visited were all doing propaganda work assigned by the State. After the vodka got passed around they showed me the work they had done on their own. Powerful, heart wrenching resistance work..... They kept it hidden in closets afraid to have it seen. Wilson is looking for a police state it appears. Good luck with that. Humans are too diverse to have a one size fits all world. We may be getting that shoved down our throats at the moment but the gag reflex isn't a choice, it's an instinct.
Wilson's quasi-intellectual response would be that he values diversity but that God assigns different roles to different things. This sets up his hierarchical views of gender (and race, though he wouldn't say it out loud). And, with initiatives like "Sons of Patriarchy" we see exactly how this ideology plays out in the real world. SPOILER: It's not good.
How does that tradition make God a Christian?
I have a whole meditation on how it breaks the 10 Commandments these fundamentalists love to post everywhere. Let me know what you think! https://www.instagram.com/p/DakWhnTiH3m/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Thank you. I gather that for white Christian nationalists, faith isn’t the point.