Chapter 3: One Little Bacon-Wrapped Sausage
Summary
This episode explores the "Highland Rim" project in Gainsboro, Tennessee, by examining its prototype: Moscow, Idaho, and the Christ Church community led by Doug Wilson. Reporters Maribyn Knight and Susan Burfield detail how Wilson’s decades-long effort to build a Christian theocracy through education and real estate has divided the town, creating a stark cultural and political divide. The narrative connects Wilson’s "organic growth" strategy to the rapid, venture-capital-backed development of Gainsboro by Ridge Runner and New Founding, which aims to replicate this model on a faster timeline…
Topics discussed
Sponsorships and show introduction
Previously on Our Town: The Gainsborough mystery
Connecting Gainsborough to Moscow, Idaho
Moscow's divided culture and Christ Church's rise
Doug Wilson's ideology and theocracy goals
Early history: Wilson's garage church and growth
The slavery pamphlet controversy and backlash
New St. Andrews College expansion downtown
Political failures and local resistance efforts
Sponsorships and market update
Interview with Doug Wilson: Views on conflict
Walking Main Street: Identifying Kirker businesses
The 30-acre Dominion Road property
Pandemic tensions and local real estate counter-moves
The Gainsborough Project and New Founding
Scaling the model: Highland Rim and other towns
Wilson's critique of other Christian nationalist leaders
Andrew Isker and the Ridge Runner venture
Sponsorships and market update
Gainsborough residents' reaction to land purchases
Preview of final chapter: Threats and conflict
Credits and other podcast promotions
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