In January of 2025, the Rio Grande Presbytery began its investigation of Pastor Zachary Garris of Bryce Avenue Presbyterian Church in White Rock, NM, and author of the book Honor Thy Fathers, which is New Christendom Press’s survey of Reformation thought pertaining to feminism. The Rio Grande Presbytery sought to persecute Garris over his comments on slavery, where he defended the true biblical view of slavery which is closer to Robert Lewis Dabney than it is to John Brown.
Per Sean McGowan, who has been helping Garris during this time, the presbytery has made the following judgment. They would acquit him on the charge pertaining to his 2024 comments on slavery, but they decided to go back further with their second charge pertaining to an online interaction with Anthony Bradley in 2023.
The posts in question were far from profane in nature, especially given who Bradley is. Bradley is a liberal activist and PCA pastor of Resurrection Oakland and has a history of online quarrelsome behavior, including against Megan Basham, whom he called “low IQ” and accused of having daddy issues. Because he is black, he hardly can be expected to face accountability in the PCA, just like Irwyn Ince and his anti-white rhetoric. The exchange in question involved Bradley, but Garris, per the PCA’s own specifications, was confronting him for something that Bradley had said. For something far more benign, Garris was punished and found guilty.
The Presbytery suspended Garris indefinitely though upon his appeal, the suspension is lifted. This can be appealed to the PCA General Assembly.
There is nothing unwholesome about the words, unless someone believes in black privilege in the PCA. In the PCA, there is no accountability for female deacons or shepherdesses, but they will try and persecute you if you defend Dabney on slavery. Because the optics of punishing someone for adhering to historic Christian views on slavery would be bad, they decided to use a secondary charge to ensure that something sticks. This way, they can pretend to be judicious.
The Presbyterians are going to the paint on policing wrong-think regarding race, and it goes beyond sharing Corey Mahler’s beliefs on race. The ARP statement seeks to enshrine Civil Rights Doctrine as dogma to where criticisms of the Civil Rights Act or Hart Cellar Act would be violations, punishable by the synod. This policing will only target whites.
Zachary Garris might prevail upon appeal, but there is a target on his back and for others in presbyterian churches across all their denominations.
