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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Paul, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I'm with Bill and Keely on this one. And I
appreciate that someone is willing to take on Doug Wilson. Locally, it's
Keely and others; nationally it's Morris Dees and SPLC. Does their response
play into Doug's hands as you say? Possibly, even probably; but silence is
never an appropriate response to harm. </FONT></DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=kjajmix1@msn.com href="mailto:kjajmix1@msn.com">keely emerinemix</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=godshatter@yahoo.com
href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com">Paul Rumelhart</A> ; <A
title=london@moscow.com href="mailto:london@moscow.com">Bill London</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, July 27, 2008 8:51 PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] [Bulk] in a
better world ...</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Paul, I agree with you -- Wilson is not likely to "take over"
Moscow, not by coup, not by open warfare, not by legislation. We do have
a Constitution to prevent such things, no matter what his postmillennial
dominion theology posits and no matter how elevated the putative "Bishop" of
Moscow presumes himself to be.<BR><BR>But here's where we part ways.<BR><BR>I
am a Christian. Wilson says he is; in fact, he is the most well-known
pastor in town, has enormous influence over his poor flock, and is able to
insinuate himself into politics, real estate and law in ways that seem
disproportionate to his standing as a largely self-educated, self-accredited,
self-made man of the cloth. Only God knows Wilson's heart, and while the
Scriptures he and I claim to adhere to invite us to determine the genuineness
of someone's faith by examining his or her fruit -- the good works, conduct,
and results of ministry -- I would really rather not hazard a guess.
It's enough for me to say that he's a bigot, an opportunist, a contemptible
bully and a snake of a man. I think I've not been at all shy on making
that point.<BR><BR>So why should I care? There are lots of bad men and
women in Moscow, right? Of course there are. But no other man that
I'm aware of represents the Gospel and person of Jesus Christ as horribly as
does Doug Wilson, and that's what counts for me. You see, I believe that
the most important question any of us will ever have to deal with is "what do
we do with Christ ?" If nonbelievers come to think that Jesus Christ is
as Doug portrays him, and that the Christian faith is nothing more than a
bully stick to be wielded in one hand while hoisting fine wine and cigars in
another, stiff middle finger raised to the community, they might shy away from
trying to know about, and eventually coming to know, Him. Further,
on their own, his comments are ugly, hurtful, and overwhelmingly not in accord
with Scripture. He hurts people, Paul, and he does it in the name of
Christ. As a Christ-disciple, I can't sit idly by. <BR><BR>My
father-in-law is very active in Rotary, and he occasionally grumps about "bad"
Rotarians who don't follow the rules and don't represent Rotary in its
classic, historical, civic-minded sense. And I guess I'd care if I were
a Rotarian. But most of us agree that people who dishonor and
misrepresent Rotary will have to answer to no one higher than its local Board,
while people -- pastors! -- who dishonor and misrepresent Christianity will
have to answer to One higher still. Further, Doug Wilson delights in
behaving badly, and even if every single soul in Moscow and throughout the
country somehow knew that he was getting it wrong, way wrong, the content of
what he says is damaging by its own measure. <BR><BR>I try, and fail,
and try again to represent the Lord Jesus well, to live out my verbal
proclamation of the Gospel, and to extend grace and charity to those who
disagree (did I mention that I often fail?). I don't always get it
right, but it matters to me that no one would ever be turned away from Christ
because I behaved like a total ass in His name. Quite often, people
write me off list, or call me, or stop me on the street to ask me about the
Gospel, or challenge me with something in the Bible, or thank me for speaking
out. I think that's a good thing; I think I haven't made Christianity
odious to anyone. But to sit back, like our brave male pastors here in
town, and watch this man smear the Gospel of Christ with the dung of reckless
contempt is not possible for me. I may someday be the only one, but I'll
fight all the more. <BR><BR>I love my town and its people, and I love
Christ. I even love, by decision if not emotion, Doug Wilson. If
he needed a kidney and I were a match, I'd offer it to him. But I'll be
damned if I'm going to just cluck to myself that he's "being Doug again, darn
it," and then go my merry way. I've devoted my adult life to justice,
service, preaching, and speaking out for the Gospel. What message do I
have to proclaim if I avoid the hard stuff, the stuff that presents the most
odious challenge to the Gospel on the Palouse? My faith, as I've said
before, requires that I be kind. It doesn't require that I be nice, and
"nice" isn't called for here.<BR><BR>Bad theology results in bad practice, and
scores of Kirkers, past and present, know the sting of this shepherds
heavy-handed, bitterly raised rod. They feel they have no voice, but I
do. He may not be Hitler, or Jim Jones, or Caligula, or even Billy
Sunday. He is what he is, though, and what he does and says and teaches
and demonstrates is bad enough on its own, because it mocks and maligns the
character of my Savior. <BR><BR>It's worth the fight, every day, 'til
the Kirk collapses and a remnant of Spirit-led believers rises up, or 'til I
die. I really have no concern for the order in which those things
happen, Paul, because at the end, I'll be able to stand before God and say I
did the right thing. In this case, it ain't winning or losing that
matters -- it's showing up for the battle.<BR><BR>I appreciate the respect
with which you disagree with me and hope you can
understand,<BR><BR>Keely<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>> Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008
15:11:18 -0700<BR>> From: godshatter@yahoo.com<BR>> To:
london@moscow.com<BR>> CC: kjajmix1@msn.com; vision2020@moscow.com<BR>>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] [Bulk] in a better world ...<BR>> <BR>> Does
he have a white cat that he pets while laughing maniacally?<BR>> <BR>>
Seriously, how plausible do you think that scenario is? The worst I see
<BR>> happening is we get a few more libertarians on the city council, a
few <BR>> more stores become owned by members of the Kirk, and Trinity Fest
<BR>> doubles in size.<BR>> <BR>> Keely is free to do her own blog. I
even respect her for caring about <BR>> something enough to blog about it.
I just think you're all going about <BR>> this the wrong way. You're making
Doug Wilson into Dr. Evil or Ernst <BR>> Blofeld or whatever crazy mad
villain you like best.<BR>> <BR>> I don't see the signs that should be
worrying me here. I don't see a <BR>> compound where only Christ Church
members can live in such a way that <BR>> they are kept away from their
families. I don't see them stockpiling <BR>> guns and ammo and running
drills like the crazy Montanans do. I don't <BR>> see anybody forced to
give up more than the 10% of their wages other <BR>> religions demand of
their followers. I don't see anyone refusing <BR>> medical help for their
children, dressing funny, or protesting <BR>> businesses. I don't even see
any crazy beliefs that aren't any crazier <BR>> than any other Christian
beliefs that stem from a too-literal <BR>> interpretation of the
Bible.<BR>> <BR>> Whether or not they are misinterpreting the Bible, I
have no idea. But <BR>> I think that most of us in Moscow are free from
their evil clutches.<BR>> <BR>> Besides which, as I understand it, they
are actually free to believe <BR>> whatever nonsense they're currently
spouting.<BR>> <BR>> Paul<BR>> <BR>> Bill London wrote:<BR>>
> I side with Keely on this issue.<BR>> > Doug Wilson has a political
agenda. He wants to remake Moscow and <BR>> > this region into his own
theocratic fiefdom.<BR>> > Exposing Wilson's agenda and his ideas is
what will counter and <BR>> > ultimately derail his plan.<BR>> >
BL<BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Rumelhart" <BR>> >
<godshatter@yahoo.com><BR>> > To: "keely emerinemix"
<kjajmix1@msn.com><BR>> > Cc:
<vision2020@moscow.com><BR>> > Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 5:26
PM<BR>> > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] [Bulk] in a better world ...<BR>>
><BR>> ><BR>> >> I've said it before, but I'll go ahead and
say it one more time. You're<BR>> >> giving him too much power. The
proper response, in my opinion, is to<BR>> >> just point at him and
laugh when he makes a comment like that in the <BR>> >>
future.<BR>> >><BR>> >> I respect what you're doing, but
every blog post you make will just give<BR>> >> him credibility to
those who already think he walks on water.<BR>> >><BR>> >>
Paul<BR>> >><BR>> >> keely emerinemix wrote:<BR>>
>>><BR>> >>> Visionaires,<BR>> >>><BR>>
>>> Never would I have thought that I would live in a community whose
most<BR>> >>> well-known and powerful pastor, one who claims to be
a Trinitarian<BR>> >>> Christian and a Bible teacher, would behave
in the hostile, hateful,<BR>> >>> and horrendous manner that
Douglas Wilson of Christ Church has.<BR>> >>> During my six and a
half years of living in Moscow and loving it, I<BR>> >>> have been
beyond dismayed at his theology, teaching, and engagement<BR>> >>>
with the community, and I've learned not to be surprised<BR>> >>>
img20080726183626428at what comes from his pen or out of his mouth.<BR>>
>>> But I find that he yet has the ability to shock me, owing more to
his<BR>> >>> crass conduct than to my naivete, and this morning
offers another <BR>> >>> example.<BR>> >>><BR>>
>>> In a column bashing Pastor Greg Boyd's new book on the idolatry
of<BR>> >>> Christians in claiming the United States as a
"Christian nation," and<BR>> >>> throwing themselves into politics
in an attempt to make the kingdom of<BR>> >>> God right here,
right now, Wilson complains that Boyd has no basis,<BR>> >>> then,
for judging anything to be wrong. His serrated edge flashing,<BR>>
>>> he says that, for example, if he told Boyd his church spent last
night<BR>> >>> "lynching homos -- you shoulda been there!", Boyd
couldn't reasonably<BR>> >>> object.<BR>> >>><BR>>
>>> Boyd won't, because Wilson's pontificating has, thankfully, a
limited<BR>> >>> audience. But I can, and I do. In fact, my
15-year-old son<BR>> >>> Jimg20080726183626428onah and I both
responded to Wilson on his Blog<BR>> >>> and Mablog, and while my
son responded to the church/state issue, I'm<BR>> >>> as proud of
him as I am embarrassed, once again, by the man who would<BR>> >>>
like to be thought of as the Bishop of the Palouse. I invite you to<BR>>
>>> read my comments there. If not, let me state in the most concrete
way<BR>> >>> that I can:<BR>> >>><BR>> >>>
For a pastor to make a point, any point, by using "lynching homos" as<BR>>
>>> an example, one of hyperbole and excess, is despicable,
particularly<BR>> >>> given the virulent homophobia Wilson has
espoused. And for none of<BR>> >>> his readers to complain is,
while predictable, most disappointing. In<BR>> >>> a perfect
world, or even a mildly better one, other Christians would<BR>>
>>> howl in protest, rebuking Wilson immediately and publicly. It
ain't<BR>> >>> that kind of world, though. And, hesitant church
leadership<BR>> >>> notwithstanding, it's frankly just as sad to
me that many of you don't<BR>> >>> want to comment, object, or
even know -- and wish I would just shut up<BR>> >>> about the
whole thing.<BR>> >>><BR>> >>> Sorry, but I can't do
it. What I can and will do, however, is begin<BR>> >>> my own very
publicized, very pointed blog devoted to defending the<BR>> >>>
Gospel by correcting bad theology both within the Kirk and from other<BR>>
>>> sources. I don't know what to call it yet, and I don't know how
to<BR>> >>> design it, but I intend to never let up 'til the day I
die . . .<BR>> >>><BR>> >>> The stakes for our
community are high, higher than most Moscow<BR>> >>> residents
realize. But the stakes are even higher for the message of<BR>>
>>> peace and reconciliation, justice and love, spoken and lived by
the<BR>> >>> Lord Jesus Christ and sullied by Wilson, et al. If
Christ means<BR>> >>> anything to me, I can certainly endure the
scorn of my neighbors and<BR>> >>> the mocking of the boys at the
Kirk by writing against them. I'll<BR>> >>> still write on Vision,
and still write about Christ Church as relevant<BR>> >>> to the
discussion, but the content of my blog will be theology, gender<BR>>
>>> and peace-and-justice issues, and scathing critique of those who
spew<BR>> >>> bigotry in the name of Christ.<BR>>
>>><BR>> >>> As a stay-at-home mom with a fairly useless
BA from a quarter-century<BR>> >>> ago, I may be "just a
housewife" to some at the Kirk -- but if I am a<BR>> >>>
housewife, I am a thundering one, and I can't be silent.<BR>>
>>><BR>> >>> Keely<BR>> >>>
img20080727165249934<BR>> >>><BR>> >>><BR>>
>>><BR>> >>>
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<BR>> >>><BR>> >>> With Windows Live for mobile, your
contacts travel with you. Connect<BR>> >>> on the go.<BR>>
>>>
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