The Dangerous Pattern: Lessons From Past Evangelical Extremes

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Since I returned to blogging, I have already noted that a lot of the same controversies that were alive and well prior to my break have returned. And now, this week, we started talking about Doug Wilson again.¹

I touched on Doug Wilson’s teaching on my blog here and here. The question of the week seems to be: Is Doug Wilson fringe, or does he have mainstream evangelical acceptance? The answer I give to both questions is yes.

When Bad Teachings Hide in Plain Sight

As Tia Levings recounts in The Well-Trained Wife, she was introduced to the ideas of Doug Wilson in a Southern Baptist church. And because her marriage was rocky for lots of reasons that were out of her control, she embraced them in hopes of something better.

An acquaintance invited me to an Advance Training Institute conference about 20 years ago. She swore it saved her marriage. I felt like my marriage was fine, and I found this person’s enthusiasm for snake oil supplements concerning. Because of that, I wasn’t buying what she was selling—literally and figuratively. But had I been in a rocky marriage and not been a healthcare professional, I might have been game.

And that’s the problem. I know a lot of people who have read materials from the Pearls and Bill Gothard, spit out the bones, and gone on. But then the internet is full of stories of people who, for various reasons, embraced these teachings—and regretted it.

It’s not that these people are gullible or naive. But these teachers promise to meet a need, or provide an answer to a particular concern. It’s like food poisoning. If a healthy person eats bad food, they’ll eventually be okay. But if a vulnerable person eats bad food, the result is severe illness or possibly death.

Recognizing the Pattern: What 80s Youth Group Culture Taught Us

This has me thinking of bad trends I have seen growing up in evangelicalism. The 80s were peak “Satanic Panic,” and purity culture was finding its footing. When I remember these things now, it almost seems like a fever dream.²

But I think purity culture, the Satanic Panic, and the misogynistic patriarchy Doug Wilson is promulgating have a few things in common.

Red Flag #1: They Offer False Guarantees

I have concluded that if anyone says “do as I do and you will be guaranteed ____” we should run. This is another manifestation of the prosperity gospel. Purity culture did not encourage us to be holy as Christ is holy, but instead told us if we practiced courtship and saved ourselves for marriage, we would have a happier marriage with a more satisfying sex life. Debi Pearl says if you follow her teachings you will have a “heavenly marriage.” Growing Kids God’s Way said if you followed their method your kids would grow up to be Christians.

We all want happy marriages, satisfying sex lives, and believing children. But since Scripture doesn’t promise that, I don’t know why we think these teachers can.

Red Flag #2: They Minimize the Holy Spirit’s Role

The gist of the Satanic Panic was that we needed to avoid hidden satanic influences to avoid demonic possession. I was 30 before I could listen to “Hotel California” without fear. I am not going to attempt to delve into the issue of demonic possession, but believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Listening to AC/DC (which does not stand for Anti-Christ/Devil’s Child, by the way) may not push you to pursue the things of Christ, but it won’t accidentally allow a demonic spirit to inhabit your body.

And while Doug Wilson has gotten a pass from too many people for far too long, even people reluctant to push back on his racism and misogyny object to his claims that “children of obedient parents will become believers.”³ Only the work of the Holy Spirit on the heart can save. If we could manipulate that with a list of steps, we would all be doing it.

It is our job to do the work of the evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). We are to teach our children faithfully (Deuteronomy 6:7-9). We are to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12). But we can’t do any of this without the power of the Holy Spirit. There is no way to circumvent this with our works. And Satan can’t overcome this, either.

Red Flag #3: They Suggest Some Mistakes Can’t Be Redeemed

I could almost include this in my previous point. A common ploy in the 80s and 90s was to pass a rose around the audience as the speaker talked. When it returned to the speaker raggled and limp, the illustration was nobody wants a loose woman, just like nobody wants a beat up rose. It grieves me to think of the girls in the audience who weren’t virgins, either by choice or abuse, who were told in no uncertain terms that they were unwanted and beyond redemption.

The Satanic Panic insinuated that listening to hard rock would suck you into a world of evil and turn you into the next Charles Manson. Purity culture claimed that sexual sin would lead to a diminished life. Debi Pearl states that women who reject her advice will wind up alone in a dumpy duplex with miserable kids.

Moving Forward: Wisdom for Future Challenges

There is nothing new under the sun, but Satan does a good job of repackaging it for each generation. We need to meet the challenges to the faith head on, but we must not panic. Speak the truth in love and be ready with an answer for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15). People who embrace lifestyles antithetical to the Christian life are no less lost than the unsaved, self-righteous hypocrite sitting next to you in the pew. Or, sadly, the unsaved hypocrite who may be preaching from the pulpit. But nothing is the worst sin ever. Nothing is beyond redemption. Sow the seeds of the gospel, then rest in his peace.

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1. Doug Wilson—Just the Facts, Ma’am ↩︎
2. I would like to clarify that the teaching in my own church was measured and reasonable. I have memories of one week of church camp that was particularly disturbing. While my recollection may be faulty, my experience matches that of many evangelical youth of my generation. ↩︎
3. Doug Wilson Says ‘Children of Obedient Believers Will Become Believers’ ↩︎