Neo-Nazi Christians make presence felt again in Northern Idaho

My title: The Culture Wars Come to Moscow

Responses from my critics follow

 Idaho Statesman, August 12, 2005

         My Town, a new documentary on America's cultural wars, had its premier June 23 in Moscow, Idaho. The newly refurbished Kenworthy Theatre was filled to capacity with an enthusiastic crowd of 340 people.Michael Hayes, an education professor from Washington State University,worked on the film for about 18 months, interviewing the principal players in the debate about Douglas Wilson's religious empire.

         Wilson is pastor of Moscow's 800-member Christ Church, which has mission churches across the country. In 1996 Wilson founded New St. Andrews College, an unaccredited conservative Calvinist school that now enrolls 130 four-year students in a building in the heart of historic Moscow.

        Wilson sits on the accreditation board of the Association of Classical Christian Schools with headquarters in Moscow, and Moscow's Logos School being the model. The board of Cary Christian School in North Carolina is required to read Wilson's manual, and they also assigned Wilson's slavery booklet until its unscholarly nature was revealed to the public.

         The controversy about Wilson exploded in October 2003 over his book Southern Slavery As It Was, which describes the Antebellum South as the most harmonious multiracial society in human history. Wilson co-authored the book with Steve Wilkins, a Monroe, La., pastor and founding director of the League of the South, whose vision is a new 15-state Confederacy ruled by Calvinist patriarchs.  For more on the booklet and the controversy explore these two links: Wilson Story and Not On The Palouse, Not Ever

        In rejecting the charge of racism, Wilson claimed that it was Christianity, not genes, that makes a culture superior. He said if Christianity had moved south instead of west, Africans would now be the most advanced people in the world.

         One might ask how Wilson defines cultural superiority. If it is economic power, then the Chinese and Indians will overtake Euro-Americans in 20-30 years. If it is moral superiority, how does Wilson explain that Christian America now imprisons 2 million people, while Buddhist Japan currently incarcerates 150,000, if you adjust for population?  Americans have the highest percentage of believers in the world and yet that religious commitment does not necessarily translate into moral behavior.

        History appears to disconfirm Wilson's view of Christianity's special advantage. Medieval Europe is Wilson's ideal world, but the rest of the civilized world at that time - China, India, and the Islamic countries - was far more advanced than these Europeans. In fact, if it had not been Mongols bringing Asian goods and inventions and the Muslims preserving Greek philosophy and science and introducing their numerals and algebra, Europe would have remained stagnant.

        In the film, Wilson prophesied that the conquest by Christianity would hit  secular culture like a tsunami hitting a folding chair on a beach. When Wilson encourages Americans of all beliefs to replace public schools with their own private schools, his tolerance for their short tenure does not appear to be much of a virtue.

         Wilkins was asked in the film if he really believed that only propertied males should vote. He answered "yes," while Wilson nodded approvingly. Always the jokester, Wilson said democracy was just like two coyotes and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch.

        Wilkins and Wilson were asked about slavery, but neither of them condemned the owning of one person by another. Wilson said slavery is a sinful institution, but rebellion is just as sinful. Slaves who have Christian masters will at least be treated with love and respect.

        Since 1998, Wilkins' League of the South has had close ties with the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who in 2000 elected Kirk Lyons to its national executive board. An outspoken racist, Lyons was married by neo-Nazi Richard Butler in 1990. The League and the Sons of Confederate Veterans organize public protests with the Council of Conservative Citizens, whose Web site decries "negroes, queers and other retrograde species of humanity." (Try replacing the "Cs" in their acronym with "Ks.") One League leader said that we "need a new type of Klan."

        People in North Idaho applauded when the neo-Nazis were forced to leave Hayden Lake, but now Wilkins is telling his friends that Moscow would be a fine place to live.

Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. For more on the Wilson controversy see www.tomandrodna.com/notonthepalouse.

Idaho Statesman, Aug. 22, 2005

Note:

In an article in the Spokesman Review (Oct. 22, 2006), Wilson confessed that he was a "Paleo-Confederate," just after 
NSA President Roy Atwood said that any connection between NSA and the neo-Confederates was "laughably stupid."  
The distinction Wilson tries to draw between neo- and paleo-confederate is one without a difference. Steve Wilkins, 
Founding Director of the neo-Confederate League of the South, has been keynote speaker at Wilson's Moscow 
conferences for 12 years in a row. Wilson also admitted that Robert E. Lee's portrait and the Confederate flag have 
been displayed in church and school functions, in spite of Logos principal Tom Garfield's claims to the contrary. 

 

Essay was bad; headline was irresponsible

        The Idaho Statesman was grossly irresponsible and sensationalistic when it published a "Reader's Opinion" by Nick Gier recently with a defamatory headline of its own making, falsely declaring several individuals and church_related ministries in Moscow, including my own institution, New Saint Andrews College, to be "neo-Nazi Christians." Not only was Gier's letter a defamatory screed filled with known falsehoods and false accusations, but The Statesman editors acted far more irresponsibly.

        The Statesman exercised reckless disregard for the truth by amplifying Gier's false claims of fact and unfounded accusations into a full_blown defamation against my college and several individuals and Moscow organizations that despise and oppose Nazism in all its forms, past and present. To make matters worse, The Statesman has failed to take full responsibility for its false and defamatory headline by neither retracting nor correcting the false claims of fact in the headline in a timely manner. The paper falsely called us Nazis and then merely offered to let those of us defamed respond with a different "opinion." But claims of fact are not opinions. Labeling any individual, group or organization in Idaho as "neo-Nazi" without checking the facts and exercising due journalistic diligence is not just professionally irresponsible, but a grave injustice to the individuals and organizations so labeled. It is an unconscionable act for a newspaper in the capital city of our unjustly maligned state.

        For the past year or more, Gier and a group of political extremists in Moscow have been waging a malicious campaign to damage Christ Church and its related ministries because of its biblical teachings on various social issues. Although many of these extremists are associated with the University of Idaho, they have abandoned rational argumentation and civil discourse, and stooped to ad hominem attacks and organized smear campaigns. Newspapers closer to the scene, notably the Moscow_Pullman Daily News and Lewiston Tribune, have both editorially described these extremists' actions as "harassment" and politically motivated "badgering." With little or no credibility left in Moscow and Lewiston, Gier has now tried to do damage to our reputations elsewhere in the state. The Statesman should have known better than to become an unwitting participant in this charade.

        As the state's largest circulation paper, The Statesman should have acted responsibly and checked the facts before printing Gier's obviously malicious and bogus claims or writing such a defamatory and inflammatory headline. Operating in a state whose reputation has been stained globally by neo-Nazis based at Hayden Lake, The Statesman should have exercised appropriate care and reasonable caution before labeling anyone or any group in our state "neo-Nazis." Gier's article was irresponsible, false and harmful, but what you would expect from a leftist philosophy professor who is caught in the grip of an extremist ideology and who has trouble following basic logic and ethics. The Statesman's headline, however, was grossly irresponsible and defamatory and without excuse. The Statesman's failure to admit its error and to apologize in a timely way for running Gier's distortions and its own defamatory headline reveals a profound failure in journalistic integrity and credibility.

Opinion piece was misleading and careless 

        Nick Gier has proven again that zeal doesn't guarantee knowledge. His article which appeared in the Aug. 12 edition of The Statesman (topped with the sensational headline "neo-Nazi Christians make presence felt again in Northern Idaho") makes clear that factual reporting is not his gift. Indeed, his article with its innuendo, misleading statements, and outright lies reminds us of nothing so much as some of the old Nazi propaganda that was used to raise fear and hatred of the Jews in pre-war Germany. This article proves two things at least: First, that Mr. Gier's potential for irrational and unfounded hysteria knows no bounds, and second, that Mr. Gier has no qualms about utilizing the tactics of the Nazis in spite of the disgust he professes toward their beliefs.

        The article itself contains too many errors to respond to in a brief space, but what was particularly egregious was the identification of me and my friends at Christ Church, Moscow, as "neo-Nazi" Christians. This would be hilarious if it were not so outrageous and libelous. I have never been a "neo-Nazi" and indeed, have opposed such groups and positions both publicly and privately for over 30 years now.

        To prove his charge, Mr. Gier offers the fact that I was "a founding director of the League of the South." This happens to be true (one of the few things that Mr. Gier gets right in his article) but he then follows this by saying the goal of the League is establishing a "new 15-state Confederacy ruled by Calvinist patriarchs" and that the League has "close ties" with the Sons of Confederate Veterans — claims which would cause members of both the League and the Sons of Confederate Veterans to howl with laughter. 

        The fact is, however, that I resigned from the League's board of directors over five years ago. [He now admits that the Board accepted his resignation in 2003.] But I did not resign because the League is a "neo-Nazi" organization. From the beginning, the League has rejected all ties with the KKK and neo-Nazi groups. Its goal was not racialist but cultural. It was concerned to restore the constitutional liberties which we have progressively lost in this country and to do so "by all honorable means" (expressly denouncing racial hatred and bigotry). As far as I know, this goal has not changed.

         I am an ordained minister in good standing in the Presbyterian Church in America (which does not condone "neo-Nazi" beliefs or practices). I pastor a church which happens to have black members (I don't think we deserve any particular congratulations for this — it seems quite normal to me — but I mention it only because I think this would probably be a strange thing for a "neo-Nazi" to approve of).

         One of the elders of our congregation has, throughout his entire professional life as a lawyer, provided legal protection for blacks and other minorities from false charges and unjust harassment. Again, he doesn't want nor has he ever sought any praise for this, he simply views it as part of his obligation as a Christian to seek justice, but I mention it because it would be strange for a "neo-Nazi" to rejoice over his work (which I do).

         Further, for two years we had a black assistant pastor who worked with me in this congregation. He was a gifted man and we worked happily together during his time here (and again, I don't think this is particularly praiseworthy or notable, but I doubt "neo-Nazis" would approve).

         Though I've never met any "neo-Nazis," from what I hear, they are not particularly tolerant of those who differ from them. Despite Mr. Gier's affinities with them at this point, I still doubt that even the "neo-Nazis" he's apparently familiar with in Idaho would approve of my activities. Though The Statesman is not responsible for Mr. Gier's opinion, it is responsible for what it allows into print. Printing an article containing such inflammatory charges without bothering to check whether there is any truth to the charges is irresponsible and unethical. The right to express your opinion does not carry with it the right to commit libel or to slander others. The Statesman has the obligation to be sure that what it allows into print doesn't injure or endanger others. The inflammatory nature of Mr. Gier's false charges, given the present climate of mistrust and hatred in our country, has the potential to do this very thing.

        Thus, the journalistic carelessness demonstrated by The Statesman in giving Mr. Gier a platform from which to spread his dangerous slanders is inexcusable. For this reason, a public apology from both Mr. Gier and The Statesman is due to Doug Wilson, to me, and to the members of Christ Church who put on the wonderful three-day celebration (the First Annual Trinity Fest) in Moscow this past week. Denouncing "neo-Nazis" is one thing, imitating their tactics is quite another.

Steve Wilkins is pastor of Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church in Monroe, La.

Paper owes apology for inflammatory headline

        I am writing this as a minister of Jesus Christ, and I am in a position where I need to do this because we live in a time when virtually anything can be said about conservative evangelicals. So before denying that I am a neo-Nazi, let me therefore state at the outset that I am a minister of the gospel, and that Jesus Christ died to secure the salvation of all His people, gathered from every tribe, nation, and language. I hate all doctrines of racial supremacy, and have consistently opposed them publicly over the course of many years. I loathe racism, and always have. My most recent book entitled "Black & Tan" has an entire chapter showing the sinful and wicked nature of all forms of racial animosity or vainglory. All this is a matter of public record, and is easily ascertainable.

         Why do I have to make such a statement? In the Aug. 12 edition of The Idaho Statesman, Nick Gier published an opinion piece that was egregiously reasoned by him, and outrageously introduced with a libelous headline, provided courtesy of this newspaper. That headline was false, misleading, libelous, defamatory, untrue, and ran like this: "neo-Nazi Christians make presence felt again in Northern Idaho."

        The article goes on to argue (if you can dignify this travesty with the term argue) that I and a number of my colleagues are in fact those neo-Nazis — up here in the Panhandle, making our presence felt. I was initially hesitant to respond to this libelous charge in this space because I do not agree that this kind of question is a point/counterpoint kind of issue. I have never been convicted of bank robbery either, and this is not a fact upon which there are two legitimate opinions. I have never been to Brazil, I do not pal around with Donald Trump, and I do not have a Kerry/Edwards bumper_sticker on my truck. These are things that reporters and journalists used to call facts. These are things that reporters, journalists and editors used to check on before they would run, say, an article that claimed I was wanted for bank robbery in three states. And suppose that had been the charge in Gier's column, but it turned out to be entirely and completely false. Do you think it would be a sufficient response for the newspaper to offer me space to respond, so that I could clean up their mess? I didn't think so.

         Gier's "argument" that we are neo-Nazis was of the "six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon" type. His article contained a number of simple factual errors (e.g. I do not hold the franchise for any schools), but the centerpiece of his reasoning was that Richard Butler (a real neo-Nazi type) performed the marriage ceremony of someone who belonged to an organization that had dealings with another organization which had a relationship with a man who is a friend of mine. On the basis of this kind of cracker_jack shoe leather reporting, on the basis of this scoop, The Idaho Statesman decided to run with the column, and they helpfully provided the inflammatory headline for it. But this is bad luck for The Statesman, because they are now publishing me, and if this kind of reasoning were valid, that makes The Statesman neo-Nazi too. They are only one more degree of separation from Richard Butler than I am.

         I don't get to supply the headline for this article, but I can still request one. If I had my druthers, the headline for this column would be "Idaho Statesman Admits Their Own neo-Nazi Ties." But I doubt they will run a headline like that (being more concerned for their own reputation than for ours), and so a fundamental fact remains. The Idaho Statesman still owes an apology to an awful lot of individuals and institutions who were falsely accused by that headline and column, and needs to publish a retraction immediately. The Ninth Commandment (the one against bearing false witness) applies to newspapers, too.

Douglas Wilson is the minister at Christ Church in Moscow, and is the author of number of books including Reforming Marriage and The Case for Classical Christian Education.

Gier's response, drafted August 23, 2005:

           In December, 2003, over 1200 Moscow citizens signed a petition condemning Douglas Wilson’s views on slavery, homosexuals, and women.  Although some condemned Wilson as a racist, no one, as far as I know, has called him a neo-Nazi.  This term did not enter the debate until the Statesman included it in the title of my column on August 12.

Roy Atwood, president of Wilson’s Moscow college, attempts to further marginalize us by claiming that area newspapers have been on their side.  Here are some samples from the editorial page of the Lewiston Morning Tribune: “As pamphleteer, Wilson deserves repudiation for historical inaccuracy. . . . [Wilson’s] Christ Church has forsaken an opportunity to set the example for generosity and goodwill in a community immediately in need of both” (11/18/03). . .  “Even hard-core conservatives distance themselves from Wilson” (7/26/05).

I’ve always accepted Wilson’s repeated disavowals of racism, but his statement that the antebellum South was the most harmonious multiracial society in history would give great comfort to many racists.  This claim is found on page 24 of Southern Slavery As It Was, which Wilson co-authored with Steven Wilkins, who responded to my column, along with Atwood and Wilson, on August 22.  This booklet has been condemned by professional historians, including a civil war expert at the University of Washington and who also happens to be a conservative Presbyterian. 

Wilkins claims that he resigned from the board of the neo-Confederate League of the South (LOS) five years ago.  When I checked the LOS website in 2003, Wilkins was listed as a board member, each having Confederate flags as hot buttons.  Later Wilkins renamed himself “consultant” to the board (2004), then “affiliate scholar” (2005), and now no affiliation.  He has now e-mailed me to say that the LOS Board did not accept his resignation until 2003. What is significant is that he has not rejected any LOS principles.

Wilkins was a regular speaker at LOS annual conferences, sometimes appearing with Michael Hill, who has called blacks "a compliant and deadly underclass." The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has declared the LOS a hate group, and I have relied on the SPLC Intelligence Report (Summer, 2000, 2004) for my information.

 My critics have charged me with falsehoods, but the SPLC and the film I reviewed in my column are my two sources. The film has been out for two months and neither Wilson nor Wilkins have said that they were misquoted.

The LOS has essentially taken over the more moderate Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), and many SCV members are saddened that their organization has been hijacked by political and religious extremists.  Jack Kershaw, an LOS director and member of the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), said that “we will need a new type of Klan.”  Members of the LOS and CCC regularly appear together in protests all over the South.

Wilson says that he is not a neo-Confederate, but I offer the following:

·Robert E. Lee’s portrait is proudly displayed in Wilson’s Logos School and the Confederate flag has been displayed at its social functions.

·Wilson wrote an editorial supporting the right of states to leave the Union.

·Wilson has spoken at neo-Confederate Southern Heritage conferences and has written four articles for neo-Confederate journal Chronicles.  The last article appeared together with an ad announcing a conference in which Lincoln would be condemned and the right of secession would be defended.  The ad also contained a false parallel between states leaving a crumbling Soviet Union and rebel states leaving a solid Union.
       
Wilson is contributing editor for The War Between the States: America's Uncivil War (Bluebonnet Press, 2005), John J. Dwyer, general editor.  Historian Ed Sebesta claims that "this book seems to incorporate every 'Lost Cause' and modern Neo-Confederate idea."

Wilkins claims to be a member in good standing of the conservative Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), but the Mississippi PCA presbytery declared that Wilkins’ and Wilson’s views “are unbiblical. . . and are . . . of a pernicious and fatal tendency.” On June 22, 2002, the conservative Reformed Presbyterian Church declared that these two men’s teachings are heretical.

Wilson is a former student of mine and we were on cordial terms until I experienced his response to the slavery booklet.  I’ve been shocked by his nasty comments, and as a theist I do not enjoy being called a "God-hater"and a “banshee.” 


Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. For more on the Wilson controversy see www.tomandrodna.com/notonthepalouse.