Three pastors affiliated with Moscow’s Christ Church spoke Thursday about their vision for a society governed by Christian principles, describing the town as a developing model for that approach.
Christ Church Pastor Doug Wilson, King’s Cross Pastor Toby Sumpter, and New Saint Andrews College Pastor Jared Longshore addressed approximately 70 attendees at a University of Idaho Administration Building event organized by the Collegiate Reformed Fellowship student group.
The pastors fielded questions about their goal of establishing what they call Christian nationalism — a term they defined as placing God above state authority.
Strategy Centers on Persuasion, Not Force
Wilson told the audience his church does not seek to impose its vision through hostile means, but rather through decades of evangelism and the establishment of schools and churches. He pointed to Moscow itself as evidence of this strategy at work, citing the multiple congregations and educational institutions his denomination has founded there.
Longshore described Christian nationalism as elevating divine authority over governmental power. The pastors said they aim to accomplish this by persuading others to adopt their worldview.
The speakers frequently referenced America’s founding era, when most signers of the Constitution came from Christian backgrounds and Protestant influence was widespread. Sumpter said the states that ratified the Constitution were overwhelmingly Christian at that time.
Views on Religious Liberty and Public Expression
Wilson said members of minority faiths would experience more freedom under his proposed system than they currently do. However, he also stated that permits for Hindu statues would not be granted and that public spaces should reflect Christian rather than Islamic expressions of faith.
While Wilson said he does not advocate for an official state religion, he does want governing authorities to acknowledge what he called the true God. He said people would not face persecution for holding different opinions, but added that public blasphemy — particularly violent forms — should result in detention.
The pastors expressed opposition to same-sex marriage and said governments should not support LGBTQ events or parades. Sumpter argued that departures from traditional family structures contribute to abortion, crime, and suicide.
Elections and Household Representation
Addressing past reports about repealing the 19th Amendment, which secured women’s voting rights, Wilson said he is not pushing to reverse that change immediately. He said he would prefer American elections to function like Christ Church’s internal elections, which count household votes rather than individual votes.
Under that system, Wilson said, women can represent households if they are widowed, divorced, or unmarried.
Community Response
Amy Mazur, a Moscow resident of 15 years who attended the town hall, told reporters beforehand that Christ Church is not focused on improving the broader Moscow community. She said the church is instead working to transform Moscow into a Christian town through property acquisitions.
Mazur criticized the church for not engaging in interfaith cooperation with other Moscow congregations. She also expressed concern about Wilson’s connections to national political figures, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who belongs to Wilson’s Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches denomination.
What Comes Next
Christ Church has steadily expanded its presence in Moscow over the past two decades through multiple congregations, a college, and K-12 schools. Wilson’s remarks Thursday suggest the church views its Moscow footprint as a template that could be replicated elsewhere. The pastors emphasized that their approach relies on long-term persuasion rather than immediate political action, though their stated vision would reshape public policy on issues from religious expression to family structure. Community debates over the church’s influence in Moscow appear likely to continue as the congregation’s institutional presence grows.