Students protest Christ Church event

Student protestors lined the hall of the Administration Building, holding stacks of signs with messages of “Christ Church isn’t welcome here” and “F— Christ Church.” Police officers stood at either side of the lineup, carefully monitoring the scene. 

Douglas Wilson, pastor of Christ Church, Toby Sumpter, pastor at King’s Cross, and Benjamin Merkle, president of New Saint Andrews College, held the stage at the Administration Auditorium on April 11, hosting the event themed “Honest Questions, Honest Answers.” 

The event was set up where audience members would text their questions to the emcee to facilitate the process. 

Several students and other protesters who attended the event expressed their dissent at this structure, claiming that the emcee was filtering the questions that were coming in. One protester cited a previous event where there had been a floor microphone. Other protestors continued to agree that their questions were being “cherry-picked.” 

The first question of the event revolved around “Southern Slavery As It Was,” a booklet written by Wilson and one of his associates, and asked how Wilson could describe slaveholder and slave relationships as being “based on mutual affection and confidence, existing with mutual intimacy and harmony” when the relationships existed in a context that involved oppression and coercion. 

“When you read through the narratives of former slaves and those who can still recall slavery times, the responses of the slaves giving the accounts had a wide range,” Wilson said. “Some of them were everything you could think of from an abolitionist’s nightmare… slaves being flogged, and just awful things. There’s also accounts from slaves that fit the description of (mutual affection) … There were relationships between masters and slaves that were decent human relationships.” 

One protestor called out from the crowd, “Just tell us you’re racist. It’s not that hard.” 

Another person asked Wilson, “What is the biggest misconception that the town of Moscow has against Christ Church and New Saint Andrews College?” 

Wilson said, “I think the biggest misconception is that we want to conduct a hostile takeover and create a sort of ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ nightmare where we start telling everybody what to do. I think people think we are attempting to do something that has never entered our heads.” 

Wilson and the other hosts continued to answer questions that addressed their stance on abortion, homosexuality, and the role of women in church. They maintained that they believe that abortion, under any circumstance, is murder, that homosexuality is a sin, and that women were not permitted to hold leadership positions within the church. 

“That’s what the Bible says,” said Wilson. “In the leadership in the church – elders, deacons, ministers – we believe the Bible prohibits (women), and so we don’t do it.” 

The next question accused Christ Church of being “intentionally inflammatory,” instead of preaching the gospel. 

“What happens is, we say things and teach things and believe things that Christians have said for thousands of years,” Wilson said. “We are simply Christians. We have entered an era where to say those old things that used to not be controversial, are now enormously controversial.” 

Furthermore, one audience member asked, “What makes up a cult and how would you explain the difference between Christ Church and a cult?” 

Wilson explained that a cult is all about mind control, manipulation, and separation of the victims from their friends and family. 

“Then what does that make you?” a protestor yelled out. 

“Not a cult,” Wilson said. 

Rebekah Weaver can be reached at [email protected].