Unresolved plots have a tendency to resurface time and time again, and this is a thorn in Reformed Evangelicalism. The Big Eva paradigm has been broken. Christians, laymen and pastors alike, do not need The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, TBN, or some major network in order to speak truth to a broader public than their local church. They no longer need to work with a selective group of publishers in order to be read. Christians can find and produce faith-driven content anywhere without the Big Eva gatekeepers.
The Gospel Coalition is predictably unhappy about it, but so too is one of the pioneers of Christian alternatives. Doug Wilson has built an impressive fiefdom of church planting, publishing, video content, and podcasts. He did this because of and in spite of his past willingness to address untouchable issues like American slavery.
Nevertheless, he created his own enterprise and fell prey to the same trappings that The Gospel Coalition fell into. This ghetto mentality is strong. Doug Wilson was able to carve his own path to escape the Reformed ghetto, despite numerous controversies and theological yellow flags. He created an ecosystem of budding talent. But in this new environment, that he contributed to creating, Wilson can no longer gatekeep those whom he supported from escaping the Reformed Ghetto and branching out to reach (actual) new people, as opposed to retreading the same audiences.
This has long been the clear beef between Doug Wilson and Joel Webbon, and Doug Wilson and the Ogden Bros.Â
Doug Wilson lets slip that he feels that his patronage was met with ingratitude. This is despite the fact that Doug Wilson engaged in a shadow campaign against his rivals, even penning the infamous Antioch Declaration to use tertiary issues as a test of fellowship. Yes, Doug Wilson’s boosting was beneficial to Webbon’s rise early on, but Wilson’s actions have also served as great wounds to Webbon’s public ministry.
The other note here is Doug Wilson’s indignation. “Opportunistic ingratitude” denotes a sense of egotistical entitlement. Wilson feels entitled as though Webbon should perpetually serve under his patronage.
In ancient Rome, there was a patronage system. The Italian mafias were loosely inspired by this (although an aberration.) But a mafia comparison is perhaps grandiose for the Reformed Ghetto. Doug Wilson is a pimp, and he expects Joel Webbon to fall in line like one of his hoes. And if Joel Webbon wants to metaphorically graduate med school, then he is ungrateful for leaving the man who supported him along the way.
