But what about context?

Yes, context is important, and this is one of the reasons that Nathan spent countless hours reading Doug’s books in their entirety and met with him in person—so that there would be no question regarding context. We have done our best to represent Doug fairly, and we provide citations for every quote so readers can investigate for themselves. That being said, we have noticed a pattern: the loudest demands for “context” often surround the quotations most difficult to defend on their own terms. When a statement is troubling as it stands, appeals to context can function less as a request for clarification and more as a deflection. We would encourage readers to examine the quotations themselves, read the surrounding material we cite, and ask whether context genuinely changes the meaning—or whether “context” is being invoked to draw attention away from what is clearly unbiblical teaching.