Douglas Wilson (theologian)

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For other persons named Douglas Wilson, see Douglas Wilson (disambiguation).

Douglas Wilson is a conservative Reformed and evangelical theologian, pastor, faculty member at New Saint Andrews College, and prolific author and speaker.

1 Biography
2 Writings
- 2.1 On slavery
3 External links
- 3.1 Criticism

[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, Moscow, Idaho, he is a Senior Fellow in Theology at New Saint Andrews College and editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine. He also serves on the governing boards of New Saint Andrews, Logos School (a Christian private school which he helped found), and the Association of Classical and Christian Schools. Wilson was instrumental in forming the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a religious denomination that is small but influential beyond its size. He is married, has three children, and several grandchildren.

[edit] Writings

Wilson is publisher and contributor to the Reformed cultural and theological journal Credenda/Agenda, and is a former contributor to Table Talk, 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.

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 decidedly Christian approach to education based on the Trivium, an older educational model 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, though Wilson himself prefers private school to homeschooling. Wilson also helped found the Association of Classical and Christian Schools and a four-year, liberal arts college, New Saint Andrews College, which is based on similar ideas.

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), The 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.

Additionally, 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). His views on covenant theology as espoused in this last book have caused some controversy because of their similarity to the New Perspective on Paul. Wilson does not fully endorse that movement, but he has praised some tenets that are in line with his theology.^[1] The most contentious point is that Wilson believes that all who hold to the ancient creeds of Christendom are considered orthodox enough to be considered in covenant with God.

Wilson has also been a noted advocate for Van Tillian presuppositional apologetics and postmillennialism.

[edit] On slavery

Wilson's most controversial work is probably his pamphlet Southern Slavery, As It Was (ISBN 1-885767-17-X), which he co-wrote with League of the South-member Steve Wilkins. While critics argue that it is an inaccurate account of American slavery motivated by a racist ideology,^[2][3] Wilson has repeatedly denied any racist leanings. A few racists have reviled and criticized him for his open and vehement opposition to racialist movements such as Kinism (which Wilson has labeled as "Skinists" for their unapologetic and, he argues, anti-Biblical racism^[4]).

Canon Press ceased publication of the pamphlet because of serious, internal citation errors, and Wilson reworked 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.^[5]