Christ Church is a Calvinist church in Moscow, Idaho, pastored by Douglas Wilson, and a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. The congregation has received international coverage for its views, which include advocating for a theocracy,[2] and its desire to make Moscow a "Christian town".[3] It has formal and informal affiliations with a number of ministries, including a three-year ministerial training program (Greyfriars Hall), a private accredited college (New Saint Andrews), a campus ministry (Collegiate Reformed Fellowship), and formerly a publishing operation and magazine (Canon Press, Credenda/Agenda). The church is estimated to have between 900 and 2,000 members.[4]
| Christ Church | |
|---|---|
 Nu Art Theatre on Main St, Moscow, where Christ Church meets. | |
 | |
| Location | Moscow, Idaho |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches |
| Membership | 900 |
| Website | christkirk.com |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Community Evangelical Fellowship[1] |
| Founded | Late 1970s[1] |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | Douglas Wilson |
Beliefs
editChrist Church is a Calvinist church, holding conservative views.[2] Its ministers are proponents of postmillennialism and have been described as holding to a form of dominion theology.[1] It is known for its promotion of Christian education and biblical courtship, and for its opposition to liberalism and feminism as being contrary to the Christian faith. Christ Church also holds to biblical inerrancy and adheres to the Westminster Standards, the Three Forms of Unity, and the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. It is a charter member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.[1]
Heath Druzin, host of NPR's podcast Extremely American, describes the church as "a major player, if not the major player" in the Christian nationalist movement nationwide.[5]
The church has drawn attention for its vocal opposition, and active resistance to federal and local restrictions meant to halt the spread of COVID-19. The church's head pastor, Douglas Wilson, has posted on his blog and on YouTube to call on his followers to "resist openly, in concert with any others in your same position", which he said would constitute "an example of a free people refusing to go along with their own enslavement". Wilson's remarks, which also warned "we are not yet in a hot civil war, with shooting and all, but we are in a cold war/civil war", drew condemnation from prominent evangelicals.[2]
Affiliated organizations
editNew Saint Andrews College
editNew Saint Andrews College is a classical Christian liberal arts college that is listed as a ministry of Christ Church.[2][6] Ben Merkle, an elder at Christ Church, is president.[7] The church's session of Elders is the spiritual authority for the college.[8] Studies at NSA include "the languages, history, philosophy, and culture of classical antiquity and Western tradition in the light of Scripture".[9]
Greyfriars' Hall
editGreyfriars' Hall is a ministerial training program affiliated with Christ Church.[10] Men who complete the three-year program, which is tuition-free, receive a letter rather than a diploma. Elders of Christ Church are the program's overseers.[11] The faculty comprises Christ Church ministers Doug Wilson, Toby Sumter, and Ben Zorne.[12]
Bakwé Mission
editThe Bakwé Mission is the church's foreign mission ministry to the Bakwé people of southwest Côte d'Ivoire. It consists mainly of translating scripture for the Bakwé Church, as well as training teachers to teach reading and writing to the Bakwé people.[13][better source needed][dead link]
Logos School
editThe Logos School is nondenominational classical Christian school with numerous connections to Christ Church, which regularly promotes Classical Christian education.[10]
Canon Press
editCanon Press was founded by Doug Wilson as a ministry of Christ Church. It was later sold to Wilson's son and other Christ Church members.[2]
History
edit2020 anti-mask protests
editIn late September 2020, Christ Church organized and promoted two anti-mask protests at Moscow's City Hall.[14] The protests consisted of members of the church and local community gathering mask-less at City Hall and singing psalms and hymns to protest Moscow's mandatory mask policy which required people to wear a mask in public places or at large gatherings. These protests occurred on Wednesday, September 23 and Friday, September 25. At the Wednesday psalm sing/protest about 150 people showed up and five people were cited and three were arrested with the most notable arrestee being 2020 Latah County Commissioner Candidate and Christ Church deacon Gabriel Rench.[15] At the second psalm sing/protest on Friday, September 25, the protesters were joined by counter-protesters who beat drums to try to drown out the singing. About 400 protesters showed up and no one was arrested.[16] Charges against Gabriel Rench were later dismissed.[17]
In February 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Morrison C. England Jr. ruled that "the City indisputably erred in interpreting its own Code", and that the church members ought never to have been arrested in the first place, since the city ordinances explicitly exempted both religious and protest activities.[14]
Local influence
editDating back to 2019, the church's leader, Douglas Wilson, has stated that the church aims to "make Moscow a Christian town", and favors "theocracy" as opposed to "civil governments, [which] are in necessary degrees satanic, demonic, and influenced by the god of this world, who is the devil".[2] In a November 2021 investigation, The Guardian found that "Church figures have browbeaten elected officials over Covid restrictions, built powerful institutions in parallel to secular government, harassed perceived opponents, and accumulated land and businesses in pursuit of a long-term goal of transforming America into a nation ruled according to its own, ultra-conservative moral precepts". Said parallel institutions include "educational institutions, publishing houses, churches, and national associations". Many of these institutions, including New Saint Andrews College, are run by members of Wilson's family. One of the founders of the college served as the former chief executive of the town's largest private employer, EMSI, which has hired about 10% of all of the college's total graduates since the school's inception. A local businessman, who spoke anonymously to The Guardian, said that the church had a large footprint in Moscow's downtown, and alleged that church members was attempting to attract new members to the town through a large development project planned by a church elder.[2]
According to a Vice Media report, there is a regular section in the printed church bulletin that lists the names of those denounced by the church. Some people whose names have appeared on the list have allegedly faced harassment from church members, as well as boycotts of their businesses.[10]
Queen's University Belfast professor of history Crawford Gribben notes that Christ Church has made "very little impact on local politics", and that Moscow is not yet a Christian town.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Gribben, Crawford (2021). Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest. Oxford University Press. pp. 32, 50–56. ISBN 978-0-19-937023-8. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wilson, Jason (2021-11-02). "'Make it a Christian town': the ultra-conservative church on the rise in Idaho". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ Kuipers, Anthony (21 September 2022). "Christ Church in spotlight by 'Meet the Press'". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ Simmons, Tracy (17 November 2019). "Controversial church aims to 'make Moscow a Christian town'". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ Kuipers, Anthony (22 June 2024). "Christ Church the topic of NPR podcast". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "Home". christkirk.com. Christ Church. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Our Staff & Leadership". Christ Church. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Mission & Vision". nsa.edu. New Saint Andrews College. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Moscow-Pullman Visitor's Guide 2011 by Moscow-Pullman Daily News - Issuu". issuu.com. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ a b c Stankorb, Sarah (2021-09-28). "Inside the Church That Preaches 'Wives Need to Be Led with a Firm Hand'". www.vice.com. Vice Media. Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ "Home page". greyfriarshall.com. Greyfriars Hall. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Faculty". greyfriarshall.com. Greyfriars Hall. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Bakwé Mission - Bringing the Word". Bakwe.christkirk.com. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
- ^ a b Brown, Jon (7 February 2023). "Moscow, Idaho, church deacon wins motion over COVID-protest arrest at outdoor hymn sing: 'I feel vindicated'". Fox News. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Cabeza, Garrett (September 23, 2020). "Candidate Rench arrested at downtown Moscow event". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
- ^ Cabeza, Garrett (September 26, 2020). "Second singing event ends with no citations or arrests". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
- ^ "Charges dropped against deacon arrested for singing hymns outdoors". www.christianpost.com. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-19.