Three Reactions to the PCA Canceling David French
I'm reminded of why I left my old denomination and why it was the right decision.
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David French, a conservative commentator, lawyer, and New York Times columnist wrote an articled titled: The Day My Old Church Canceled Me Was a Very Sad Day.
The vociferous protests of a some hardliners persuaded planners of the annual General Assembly meeting to cancel a keynote panel that French was supposed to be on.
His “old church” was the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA, not to be confused with the mainline denomination PCUSA).
The PCA was my old church, too.
I was DEEP in it. I was “under care” which is the term they use for young men (and it’s exclusively men in this denomination) who are in the process of becoming ordained.
I worked as an intern at a PCA church. I preached in PCA churches. I attended PCA General Assemblies like the was from which French was disinvited.
I cut all ties with the PCA back in 2016 due to racism, but I retain many memories and individual relationships from nearly a decade in the denomination.
When I read French’s article, I had three initial reactions.
Disclaimer: The reflections below pertain mainly to the denomination as a whole. Individual members and congregations can offer much different and positive experiences.
1. It’s about time, but better late than never.
French, as a conservative and a white man, remained ignorant of the racism that Black people and other people of color experienced in the PCA.
That began to change when he and his wife adopted a daughter from Ethiopia. Her God-given, highly-melanated skin elicited evil enunciations from people in the ecclesia.
These horrific experiences of racial prejudice finally made French aware of the racism already rampant in the denomination.
He wrote, “We also began to see the denomination itself with new eyes. To my shame, the racism and extremism within the denomination were invisible to us before our own ordeal.”
Part of me always wants to say in these instances of white racial epiphany, “It’s about time! We been done told y’all!”
And it’s true. Black people have been the proverbial canaries in the coal mine when it comes to racism in the church.
Never forget the function of the canary. It served as a warning to coal miners that poisonous gases were in the tunnels. But the poison killed the canary first.
Plenty of Black people have suffocated on the fumes of racial prejudice in the church before white people heeded the warning.
Listen to the marginalized among you (in this case Black folks). We often see and feel the danger long before you do, and bear the brunt of the impact.
Nevertheless, we all walk the journey of racial justice at a different pace. Better to learn these lessons later than not learn them at all.
2. They warned us of danger on the Left, but it was the Right all along.
Ever since I joined the PCA while attending seminary, everyone warned us of the dangers that people and ideas on the ideological Left presented.
My classmates, professors, church members, pastors, and friends all spoke in sober tones about people who wanted didn’t interpret the Bible “correctly”, Marxists who wanted to import atheistic ideas into Christianity, social justice warriors who substituted activism for evangelism.
With the canceling of David French, we clearly see that the danger wasn’t from the Left, it was from the Right all along.
The PCA has always been very conservative, but not long ago there was some room for people who took a moderate middle position. Even a person like me who was vocal about race relations could find a place in the denomination.
Not any more.
With the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement, the election of Donald Trump, the rise of white Christian nationalism, and more, the center has shifted Far Right.
I cannot overstate how absurd it is that a conservative like David French is now considered too liberal and “divisive” to participate in a panel at the PCA General Assembly.
If David French is a liberal, then the word has lost all meaning and the real game is revealed—label anyone and anything we don’t like as “liberal” and we can dismiss it.
They don’t like French’s anti-Trump stance. They don’t like his consistent defense of individual liberty. They don’t like that he writes for that “liberal rag” The New York Times.
So they canceled him.
It’s not that the Left is beyond critique, but the Left didn’t cancel the panel on “how to be supportive of your pastor and church leaders in a polarized political year.” The Far Right did that, and they have taken over the denomination.
As French wrote:
I was sacrificed on the altar of peace and unity. But it is a false peace and a false unity if extremists can bully a family out of a church and then block the church from hearing one of its former members describe his experience. It is a false peace and a false unity if it is preserved by granting the most malicious members of the congregation veto power over church events.
3. At this point you must seriously interrogate why you’re still there.
I am not saying that everyone should leave the PCA. I am not saying there aren’t reasonable explanations for why you’re still there.
I am saying that you need to take an honest assessment of your reasons for staying and see if they still hold up.
They canceled David French.
He has more conservative bona fides than most, but that didn’t shield him from the ire of Far Right authoritarians in the denomination.
How do you think you will fare?
If you stand for racial justice, if you think the church’s concern should for neighbor should extend to the poor and the immigrant, if you don’t think the USofA is God’s favorite nation, is there a place for you after the hard right turn of these faith communities?
You might need the paycheck. You might love your local congregation. You might think you can make difference. You might believe they really need you there. You might not know where else you would go.
And you might last there a while longer.
But it’s time to seriously ponder whether what’s keeping you there is faithfulness or fear.
Life works in seasons. Maybe you’re still in a season where you need to remain. Or maybe the seasons are changing.
That is between you and God, but at least have the conversation.
Not fear but love
The Bible says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” (1 John 4:18a). The PCA appears to be a denomination driven by fear. It canceled a panel and David French for fear of a few loud and unreasonable voices.
A love that is full and complete does not make decisions based on fear but on faith.
The twin paths of fear and faith always lie before us. With tears and lament, faith may lead us away from the communities we once thought were home.
Did you read the article by David French? Have you been part of the PCA? What are your thoughts?
There are Christians who did not cave to the fear-mongering of the Far Right. Instead they resisted racism because of their faith. You can learn their trust stories of faith, race, and resistance when you pre-order The Spirit of Justice today!
"They warned us of danger on the Left, but it was the Right all along." This has been my own stunning realization, too, over the last ten years. But also: "And it’s true. Black people have been the proverbial canaries in the coal mine when it comes to racism in the church. Never forget the function of the canary. It served as a warning to coal miners that poisonous gases were in the tunnels. But the poison killed the canary first." So sad, and so true! Thank you for your faithful witness!
I read his article, and having had my own “cancellation” in 2015, I knew what was coming before he said it. I was not as conservative as French, but leaned conservative on many issues. The hateful rhetoric and positions of the church I had poured heart and soul into for many years felt like a death. After a while I realized that it was a good thing. The new life now is more authentic and continues to grow.