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On the history of the PCA: a thread
In For a Continuing Church, I tried to show that the PCA came out of a long history of conservative dissent within the old PCUS (the "Southern Presbyterian Church"). 1/
In For a Continuing Church, I tried to show that the PCA came out of a long history of conservative dissent within the old PCUS (the "Southern Presbyterian Church"). 1/
That conservative dissent centered theologically on the inerrancy of Scripture, Calvinism broadly construed, and the importance of evangelism and world missions. As such, it had a great deal in common with early "neo-evangelicalism" and fundamentalism. 2/
These were also theological commitments that conservatives saw as representing the best of the PCUS historically. When the founders announced “a continuing church” in 1971, they specifically mentioned these commitments (as summarized in the PCA motto) 3/
But these theological commitments also butted up against other social and political commitments. This movement of conservative dissent linked together conservative theology, politics, and racial practices. 4/
While their theological commitments were paramount, this worldview was the fabric through which those commitments were expressed. All of this was present from the 1930s-1960s and part of the founding. 5/
Any reading of the history--especially the 1950 and 1960s--demonstrates this. Yet the younger generation of founders, men like Frank Barker, Jim Baird, Kennedy Smartt, and others, pushed against the racial conservatism/white supremacy of the older generation. 6/
Fast forward to 2002: when the PCA began to wrestle publicly with its racial history, it did so around an overture that confessed sins related to 1861: race-based chattel slavery. While the GA debate ranged widely over the history, the action was about the 19th century. 7/
Part of the reason why @ligonduncan and I began the process that led to the 2016 GA action confessing corporate sin from 1950s-1960s did not stem from "wokeness" or rebellion against fundamentlaism but from a historical recognition that we and our forefathers sinned. 8/
Such confession was not simply historically (or even culturally) motivated. It was also profoundly theologically motivated. We are corporately related to the people of God who make up what is now the PCA. It was right to act as the GA did. 9/
In no way did that action mean to repudiate the heroic commitments of our founders. If anything, I believe even more in the PCA’s mission and identity than in 2016. And I believe that the Gospel is the only way forward as a church that must be multi-racial (Eph 2:11-22). 10/
If we are going to claim our “heroic” founding for theologically truth, as “a continuing church,” then we also have to reckon with our sinful flaws as well. We don’t get to pick and choose what part continues with us. 11/
In the end, my prayer continues to be that the PCA will continue to grow into its Rev 7 destiny so that the great harmony of praise will be present in our church, one faithful to the Scriptures and the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission. end/
Addendum: much the biblical-theological work on racial reconciliation was provided for the PCA in this 2018 report that was unanimously adopted: https://www.pcahistory.org/pca/digest/studies/2018_Racial_and_Ethnic_Reconciliation.pdf
