Doug Wilson has a piece on his blog regarding the foolishness of “thinking outside the box” when everyone else is intent on doing the same thing, or, as he calls it, establishing and maintaining a “brand” that sets you apart. His point, of course, is that this is a silly endeavor, no doubt the fruit of a pomosexual, sentimental, culturally- and Biblically-illiterate attempt at “I Gotta Be Me.”
He claims to be different, happy to think “inside the box” and not at all in need of any sort of branding. I found that . . . ironic . . . and left the following comment on his blog. Believing, as I do, that I take responsibility for everything I write, I’ve now imported it onto my own.
Regarding Doug Wilson and “branding” and the foolishness thereof, I wrote:
Sadly, Doug, your “brand” is quite pronounced. And guess what? It’s not Reformed Christianity or Small-Denomination Trinitarianism, or classical Christian education. It’s not even your pompous punditry regarding things you know little about. No, your “brand” is clear — as easy to identify and no less commercial than that of Harley-Davidson’s. Your stock in trade, your modus operandi, your “brand,” is the gleeful defense of the indefensible, a defense wielded by your Serrated Edge and promulgated via numerous enterprises the Saints would hardly call “ministries.” Your beards, dark beers, and Disputatio robes are props. The substance? Grotesque theological error and egregious pastoral conduct, trumpeted by the tin-horn vanity presses you employ.