April 20, 2007
Joe Taylor
Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum
124 W. Main,
P.O. Box 550,
Crosbyton, TX 79322
Douglas W. Phillips
Vision Forum, Inc.
4719 Blanco Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78212
“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matt. 5:23-24
Dear Doug,
I apologize for this request being served to you during your busy schedule, but you are gone a lot, and hard to reach.
In addition, the recent judgment from arbitration with the Pete DeRosas and myself has only served to heighten the unresolved conflicts between you and me.
In 2003, you wrote me to complain of my privately exposing your “documentary” video, “Raising The Allosaur.” This review was not actually made public then. However, why shouldn’t it be? Every film that comes out is reviewed and often very negatively.
In your letter to me of January 20, 2003, as well as other correspondence, you have taken the position that my exposure of your video somehow makes me guilty of “slander” and that what I have done “would be actionable defamation in any court of law.” You have accused me of “speaking evil of brothers without working through the biblical guidelines for conflict resolution.” You have accused me of many other things as well, all without any supporting evidence. For example, you’ve accused me of “blackmail.” You’ve even accused me of “anti-Semitism,” a truly outrageous allegation. I have many hundreds of pages of evidence, not to mention hundreds of photographs and many hours of video tape that I believe unequivocally makes my case.
You accuse me that, “You have consistently and willfully refused to follow any biblical guidelines for conflict resolution, notwithstanding our repeated recommendations to you to do just this.”
Yet, many of the very things that you have accused me of are the very things that you yourself are guilty of. And contrary to your accusations, I tried many times to meet with you and practice Matthew: 18, which you so often and loudly demand.
I agreed to mediation with you and Pete DeRosa both. You agreed as well. The problem is that while Pete and I made an appearance and signed the mediation agreement, you never even showed up. And you, Doug, the one who was so insistent, never signed the agreement. Needless to say, nothing has truly been “resolved” by the alleged “conflict resolution.”
It appears to me that the mediation was more a means to silence me and prevent further exposure of un-Christian deeds than it was to resolve conflicts.
I’ve attempted to resolve my differences with you many times. The fact that you evaded signing the mediation agreement doesn’t mean that our issues are resolved or that these problems have just gone away. I’m sure that you’re more than aware of the need to address our disputes. The Word tells us, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Rom. 12:18)
Many friends and associates in the past several years encouraged me to sue you, but I did not because I thought you were a Christian brother. (I Cor. 6:1-8)
Your January 20, 2003 letter states, “We are committed to following biblical guidelines of conflict resolution, arbitration and church discipline.”
I’d like to give you the opportunity to prove that you are sincere about that by extending the offer to you to discuss biblically-based Christian conflict resolution with me.
I’m told that Peacemaker Ministries claims that both their mediation and arbitration are biblically-based. Decisions can also be binding, and it is recommended that we agree to the details of this in advance.
All I’m asking you for at this time is a simple written “yes, I will discuss this with you,” or “no, I will not,” answer. The details would be worked out later. Please have a written response in my hands by May 5, 2007.
My offer is genuine, and made in the interests of the whole creationist as well as the home school community.
Doug, there has been entirely too much strife between us. It should be put to an end. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Phil. 2:3
In the bonds of Christ Jesus,
Joe Taylor
Blog Host Note 26Feb2019: At the time that I first read this, I believed that Doug Phillips was a fellow Christian. We attended the same Presbyterian Church for a time. During the winter of 2008 into 2009, after reviewing Vision Forum's teachings on what they termed "multigenerational faithfulness," I no longer believe that they're preaching the same gospel that I believe in.
It is a grave thing to pretend to know the heart of a man, but having carefully examined their doctrine, I no longer believe that they understand faith in Christ -- or at least not the same Christ that I do. It is a religion of works and elitism, and the goal thereof seems to be to prove to God and everyone else that those who adhere to it reign in superiority over the rest of us deluded chumps. That is not the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus, it is antithetic to the battlecry of the Reformation, and it has nothing to do with grace.
I don't know their hearts. I do know their teachings and their fruit.
I've recently taken this whole blog and put all of the content into draft form in order to review it to remove a moniker to which a Second Generation Adult of this belief system took offense. I lost a good bit of formatting, and this post required some work. I just noted Joe Taylor's words where ye also counts Doug Phillips as one who shares the same bonds of Jesus, looking to Jesus as both Lord and Savior. I used to think the same -- that these ideologues were aberrant, but in their hearts, they were my Brethren. I no longer see any evidence of that in the life of Doug Phillips. It is certainly notably absent in the teachings of this religious movement.
In the bonds of Christ Jesus,
Joe Taylor
Blog Host Note 26Feb2019: At the time that I first read this, I believed that Doug Phillips was a fellow Christian. We attended the same Presbyterian Church for a time. During the winter of 2008 into 2009, after reviewing Vision Forum's teachings on what they termed "multigenerational faithfulness," I no longer believe that they're preaching the same gospel that I believe in.
It is a grave thing to pretend to know the heart of a man, but having carefully examined their doctrine, I no longer believe that they understand faith in Christ -- or at least not the same Christ that I do. It is a religion of works and elitism, and the goal thereof seems to be to prove to God and everyone else that those who adhere to it reign in superiority over the rest of us deluded chumps. That is not the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus, it is antithetic to the battlecry of the Reformation, and it has nothing to do with grace.
I don't know their hearts. I do know their teachings and their fruit.
I've recently taken this whole blog and put all of the content into draft form in order to review it to remove a moniker to which a Second Generation Adult of this belief system took offense. I lost a good bit of formatting, and this post required some work. I just noted Joe Taylor's words where ye also counts Doug Phillips as one who shares the same bonds of Jesus, looking to Jesus as both Lord and Savior. I used to think the same -- that these ideologues were aberrant, but in their hearts, they were my Brethren. I no longer see any evidence of that in the life of Doug Phillips. It is certainly notably absent in the teachings of this religious movement.
