Patriarchy and Power: Sarah Stankorb on Doug Wilson’s Theology of Authority

What explains the persistence and appeal of Christian patriarchy in contemporary America?

In this episode, journalist and author Sarah Stankorb (Disobedient Women) examines the theological and institutional architecture surrounding **Doug Wilson, Christ Church, Canon Press, and the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC)*. Drawing on years of investigative reporting, Stankorb situates Moscow, Idaho, as both a local case study and a national model for the diffusion of patriarchal theology through publishing, education, and digital media.

The conversation explores how discourses of submission and hierarchy provide not only a template for family and congregational life but also a framework for civic and political engagement. We analyze the implications of head-of-household voting, institutional cover-ups of abuse, and the theological rationales that normalize gendered power disparities. Stankorb highlights survivor narratives as essential sources of data, underscoring how authority structures can perpetuate cycles of harm under the guise of religious fidelity.

By situating Wilson’s project within broader debates over Christian nationalism, religious liberty, and political theology, this episode raises critical questions about the entanglement of faith and authoritarianism in the American public square.

Disobedient Women:How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning

Articles by Sarah:

Guest Bio

Sarah Stankorb is a journalist and author whose work interrogates the intersections of religion, gender, and institutional power. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and VICE. She is the author of Disobedient Women (Hachette, 2023), which documents how evangelical women leveraged digital networks to resist abuse and construct new forms of accountability. Trained in ethics and religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School, Stankorb also publishes the Substack Impolite Company and is widely recognized for her investigations into the dynamics of spiritual authority and the politics of Christian nationalism.

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