Moscow, IDAHO (FāVS News) — Nearly 200 residents of this northern Idaho town gathered Tuesday night (Dec. 17) to discuss combating Christian nationalism, joined by a podcaster who is investigating the growing influence of Christian nationalist leader Doug Wilson in the community.

In the second season of his podcast “Extremely American,” Heath Druzin has been looking into the activities of Wilson’s Christ Church and its role in the extremist movement. Titled “Onward Christian Soldiers,” the season has already topped 1 million downloads.

Druzin explained to the crowd that Wilson, 71, who runs the Community of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a Calvinist church group, and an education empire that includes 500 “classical” Christian schools, is more influential nationally than locally. 

But Christ Church, whose relationship with Moscow dates back to the 1970s, has been growing slowly over the decades. Today the church has between 800-900 members in the 25,000-person town. Those members own about 20% of the city’s downtown buildings, according to the podcast.

The church’s growth has caused a divide in the community, especially as Wilson continues to gain national attention, particularly in Christian nationalist circles. 

Tuesday’s event was hosted by the United Church of Moscow, the Latah County Human Rights Task Force and the Community Congregational United Church of Christ of Pullman, located across the state border in Washington.

“The intent of tonight’s presentation is to help educate our community about forms of extremism, its ramifications and the consequences in our community and our roles in dealing with it,” said Dale Gentry, retired dean of the College of Education at the University of Idaho. “One of the goals is to bring people together, and to help perpetuate the welcoming environment that is present in this Moscow community.”

Druzin said the education arm of Wilson’s ministry is perhaps the most powerful.

“He sees them as a munitions factory — students are munitions, and he can change culture through students. It’s effective … and this extends to homeschool materials,” Druzin explained.

Moscow is home to New Saint Andrews College, a private Christian school founded in 1994 by the church. Druzin said Wilson hopes it’s where students from his network of secondary schools end up. His classical Christian schools are part of a larger trend in education in which a Bible-based Christian worldview is taught alongside rhetoric and logic.

Wilson also has a growing media empire called Canon Press, which not only publishes books, but also produces podcasts and streaming shows. Druzin said a “kirker,” as Christ Church members are called, can easily have their educational, spiritual and entertainment needs met entirely through Wilson’s empire.

“What Doug Wilson wants to do, according to Doug Wilson, is change society; create an American theocracy,” Druzin said.

Though that has caused tension in Moscow, Druzin said, Moscow hasn’t let Wilson take over its small town. “That’s partly because Moscow is not a very conservative place, and you’ve been outspoken on that,” he told the audience, noting that Christ Church members have not found success in running for political offices locally. Many residents boycott Christ Church-owned businesses.

The fact that nearly 200 people showed up to an at-capacity event, in the rain, was a hopeful sign, Druzin said, but he added that concerned citizens needed to stay vigilant and remain civically engaged.

“Inevitability happens when people get complacent,” he said. “Extremism is not broadly popular, but they tend to outwork their opposition. They’re more dogged about it, more patient. There’s a motivation gap.”

Joann Muneta, of the Latah County Human Rights Task Force, said it might be time for citizens to take a stronger stand if they want to continue fighting against Christ Church.

“Moscow wants to solve this problem without friction. We believe in pluralism, and we believe in love and we want to stick to that, but … maybe we have to be activists,” she said. 

She added that she was surprised to learn people refer to Moscow as “Doug Wilson’s empire.”

“They’re looking to see how successful he’ll be in his takeover and his experiment here,” she said.

Druzin said there’s no denying Wilson is trying to make his Moscow footprint bigger but reminded locals that he hasn’t found success.

“He’s been working to make this a Christian town for 40 years, and it hasn’t happened yet. I think that’s an important fact.”

A version of this story originally appeared in FāVS News,