Doug Wilson’s Crusade for Christian Domination in the Age of Trump (Video)

https://youtu.be/qFeIO0ZjdF8

This is a 12 August 2025 video.

Douglas Wilson is the controversial pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, a self-described Christian nationalist who advocates for the establishment of the U.S. as an explicitly Christian republic. His ideas, once on the fringe, have gained wider attention within the conservative movement, especially with the rise of the MAGA movement. Wilson is known for his writings on classical Christian education and Reformed theology as well as his general cultural commentaries. He helped to establish the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. His father, Jim Wilson, was a full-time evangelist who worked with the Officers’ Christian Union and who became a Christian in the Naval Academy and worked in Christian literature ministry both in Annapolis and later in Idaho. His father moved to the Moscow, Idaho, area after retiring from the Navy to start a Christian bookstore on the Washington State University campus.

His Influence and Network

Expansion: 
Wilson has spent decades building a network of allied institutions around his church in Moscow, including the Logos School, New Saint Andrews College, and the publishing house Canon Press. His network has been expanding, with a new Christ Church outpost which opened in Washington, D.C., in 2025. 

Political connections: 
Wilson’s influence has extended into national politics.

He has appeared on conservative media outlets like Tucker Carlson’s podcast.
He spoke at the National Conservatism Conference and has an association with the Trump administration.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is a prominent follower who has praised Wilson’s writings and belongs to a church within Wilson’s denomination.

Follower growth: 
According to Wilson, the COVID-19 pandemic fueled growth in his church as people opposed to government restrictions relocated to the area. 

Key Beliefs and Controversies

Christian nationalism: 
Wilson advocates for a patriarchal Christian society and has embraced the term “Christian nationalist,” saying it’s better than the other names he is called.

Voting and patriarchy: 
He holds ultra-patriarchal views, stating that women should submit to their husbands and be barred from leadership roles in the church. Some of his followers have also supported repealing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, arguing that households should cast a single vote.

LGBTQ+ issues: 
Wilson advocates for ending legalized same-sex marriage and supports laws that would make homosexuality illegal.

Slavery: 
In the 1990s, he co-authored a booklet offering a qualified defense of slavery and claiming that it “produced … a genuine affection between the races” in the South. In 2025, when asked if he still believed this, he said, “yes, it depends on which master, which slave you’re talking about”.

Conflict in Moscow, Idaho:
The presence of Wilson’s growing network and his conservative values have caused deep cultural divisions within the town of Moscow, which also includes a large liberal university population.