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.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Writings 2.1 On education 2.2 On family 2.3 On theology 3 Federal Vision 4 Controversy 5 Bibliography 5.1 Author 5.2 Co-author 5.3 Editor and contributor 5.4 Contributor 6 Footnotes 7 External links

[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, a religious denomination that is small but influential beyond its size. He is married to Nancy Wilson and has three children, including N. D. Wilson, and 13 grandchildren.

[edit] Writings

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 of 2007, Wilson debated another noted atheist, Christopher Hitchens, in a six-part series published by Christianity Today^[1].

[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.^[2] The RPCUS denomination declared his views on the subject to be heretical,^[3] 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.^[4]

[edit] Controversy

Wilson's most controversial work is probably his pamphlet Southern Slavery, As It Was (ISBN 1-885767-17-X), which he co-wrote with Steve Wilkins. While critics argue that it is an inaccurate account of American slavery motivated by a racist ideology,^[5][6] 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 "Skinism" for its adherents' unapologetic and, Wilson argues, anti-biblical racism).^[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, describes 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] 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)

[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) (ISBN 1885767129)
• Southern Slavery As It Was (with Steve Wilkins) (ISBN 978-1885767172)
• Angels in the Architecture (with Douglas Jones) (ISBN 978-1885767400)

[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 1-932168-42-7)

[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.