[Vision2020] Wilsons Arrogance vs. the U.S. Supreme Court vs. Mike Metzler's Thick Skull

[Taro Tanaka]

Mike Metzler approvingly quotes the following comment at Wilson's blog: "The 
elder should be in the position because he is able to explain, explain, 
explain, not hide, hide, hide."

Metzler's whole post misrepresents what an elder's obligations are.

Actually, ideally, an elder should be both good at explaining and also at 
hiding, because there are some things that should be revealed and some 
things that should be hidden. Generally the same person will be good at 
doing both. And not only are not all things to be explained, what needs to 
be explained or hidden will vary depending on the other party and the 
circumstances.

To take a very extreme example, but one which illustrates my point well, am 
I under any obligation to explain to a would-be kidnapper that I have have 
hidden my children in the closet, and that I have a concealed weapon with 
which I am about to kill him?

A less extreme example: am I under any obligation to explain to my neighbors 
how much money I earn? Am I under any obligation to explain to a would-be 
suitor of my daughter why my daughter and her mother and father do not 
welcome his romantic attentions?

Even in my family not everyone has a right to an explanation about 
everything that's going on. There are plenty of things I am perfectly 
entitled to keep from my children if I so choose.

So how about in a church? There are plenty of things that go on in a church 
that require confidentiality. Not every church member has a right to know 
how the pastor is counseling other church members. There are plenty of 
decisions that can be made by the church leadership without explaining to 
the congregation why they did what they did. And there are plenty more 
things about which the church leadership is obliged to explain to the church 
members, but not to persons outside the church.

So, simply because somebody wants to receive an explanation from Doug Wilson 
about something does not mean that they are entitled to an explanation. "It 
depends."

If Doug Wilson was a supreme court justice, he would have to explain about 
all his decisions. But he's not a supreme court justice. He's a pastor of 
one church, and his obligation to explain his decisions to persons outside 
that church are considerably more limited than a lot of people would like to 
imagine.

-- Princess Sushitushi

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