Packed Idaho Event Challenges Pastor Doug Wilson’s Movement
More than 250 people packed the Kenworthy Performing Arts Center in Moscow, Idaho, on Friday evening for a live recording of “Sons of Patriarchy,” a podcast dedicated to exposing what its producers describe as abuse within Christ Church Moscow and Pastor Doug Wilson’s broader religious movement.
The podcast producers deliberately scheduled their first Moscow visit to coincide with Grace Agenda, Christ Church’s weekend conference themed around C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series.
“We’re all here because of a guy you know in this town. I won’t even say his name,” said producer Peter Bell to loud applause as he took the stage. “If you’re human, you want him gone.”
Jeff Moss, a Palouse resident and former Christ Church member who appeared twice on the podcast, noted the significance of hosting the event in Moscow during Grace Agenda. Moss left the church 10 years ago after serving as a pastor in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), the denomination Wilson helped found.
“‘Sons of Patriarchy’ gives voice to people who have been abused in a number of ways by churches, by CREC, by churches influenced by Doug Wilson’s ideas,” Moss said.
Moscow represents “ground zero” for the movement, he explained, because Christ Church is based there and many church families send their children to New Saint Andrews College, Wilson’s affiliated institution, even though the church’s influence extends nationally and internationally.
The church’s rapid growth has transformed Moscow’s landscape. Since 2019, Christ Church has doubled in size, driven by families with four to six children on average and what Wilson calls emigration from blue states. The church recently completed a new 1,200-seat church hall on Dominion Avenue, though Wilson says they’ve already outgrown it. Construction continues on a new campus for the affiliated Logos School, which serves 750 students, while church members operate multiple businesses throughout downtown Moscow.
Bell, who launched the podcast nine months ago, described their purpose in visiting Moscow.
“We’re the bully of the bullies. We make sure we keep you safe,” he said noting Wilson’s brash approach by critics.
The podcast has launched Outreach Idaho, a support organization “for survivors,” Bell said. “That’s why we exist.”
Religion journalist Sarah Stankorb joined Bell on stage to discuss her upcoming book, “Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What it Means for the Future of Religion.” She’s credited with bringing national attention to Wilson’s movement through her 2021 VICE article detailing allegations of abuse within the church community under the headline “Inside the Church That Preaches ‘Wives Need to Be Led with a Firm Hand.'”
During the live recording portion, Stankorb discussed research showing that abuse is one of the main reasons women leave churches.
“Patriarchy isn’t new,” she said, noting common themes across different faith communities in her research.
Community questions and concerns
After the recording, audience members lined up to share personal stories and ask questions about combating Christian nationalism while maintaining community relationships.
Moscow City Councilor Julia Parker was first to the mike, asking how to “be a good, welcoming, kind community” while fighting “this Christian nationalist church.”
“We want to have respect for our neighbors at the same time we want to fight this,” Parker said, describing the dilemma many Moscow residents face.
Stankorb encouraged organization and self-care, citing examples of communities that successfully countered organized minority groups through larger, civil responses.
Several attendees asked for advice on talking with Christ Church neighbors in helpful, loving ways, especially those considering leaving but feeling scared.
Multiple speakers addressed the isolation experienced by those questioning or leaving patriarchal faith communities.
“When you don’t fit, and then when you leave, it’s really pretty lonely,” Stankorb said, discussing research showing the comprehensive nature of loss when leaving close-knit religious communities.
Bridging political divides
The evening addressed tensions between political conservatives and progressives in addressing the Christ Church issue.
One attendee identified herself as a conservative Republican who works with other churches, asking where there’s room for someone who doesn’t want Christ Church candidates to be her candidates locally.
Bell thanked both conservatives and progressives in the audience for not “booing” each other, noting that Christ Church grows when “there’s Christ Church and there’s everybody else, and they fight against each other.”
“Whether you’re Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal, progressive, Black, white, whatever it is, this is why you guys can get together,” Bell said.
Stankorb emphasized finding common ground, “Maybe we’re not agreeing on policy positions, but I want to believe there’s some core thing that binds us together, whether that’s our sense of rights or liberty or human freedom.”
Bell noted the absence of local pastors from the event, extending an open invitation to Wilson for discussion despite receiving no response to previous outreach attempts.
“I have had an open invite to Doug to talk, and he has maintained silence,” Bell said. “He does not want to talk.”
Wilson was asked to respond to the event but FāVS News received no response.
The “Sons of Patriarchy” team announced plans to return to Moscow regularly, with Bell stating, “This is not the only visit. We want to make this as much of a regular thing as we can.”
Bell encouraged attendees to wear their “Disobedient Women” T-shirts throughout the Grace Agenda weekend, which continues Saturday, with half the proceeds supporting Outreach Idaho.
The event concluded with Bell emphasizing their role as a resource for those seeking help.
“We may not have resources, but we have people who can talk to you, who can help you. If you want to tell your story, we can point you to people who can help. That’s honestly why we exist,” he said.
Editor’s note: On Saturday Doug Wilson tentatively agreed to a one-on-one with “Sons of Patriarchy” in Moscow at a future date.
This article was originally published at FaVs News.
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of FāVS.News, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Associate Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.