Doug Wilson vs Kevin DeYoung II

Kevin DeYoung’s role as moderator of the Presbyterian Church in America has gained a lot of scrutiny after he used his role to suppress concern over the woke affinity groups tolerated. It was Kevin DeYoung who coined the phrase “Moscow Mood” to criticize Doug Wilson over tone. However, DeYoung’s actions at the PCAGA prompt Doug Wilson to strike back and address Kevin DeYoung’s tone.

In a recent blog post Doug Wilson writes a critique of DeYoung’s tone and arbitrary power trip.

Both Pastor Brindle and Pastor De Young voiced personal criticisms of fellow ministers on the floor of the General Assembly. Both of them did this. Pastor Brindle did this with an open Bible, and was in the process bringing his criticism against someone (Irwyn Ince) by means of an honest argument. And anyone who is even remotely acquainted with the damage that identity politics is currently doing out in the world knows that there is an argument to be had there. Please remember that Peter could not have fixed anything at Antioch, as far as Paul was concerned, by calling his move the formation of an affinity group.

And Pastor De Young made some pointed criticisms of his own. He said that Pastor Brindle was being intemperate, and that he lacked decorum. There was no argument involved in this, just a raw parliamentary assertion. It was an act of naked authority, a pronouncement. And this is what left so many viewers of that video clip blinking, and thinking to themselves something like wut? It was a pronouncement that was not backed by Scripture or common sense. There was no argument. There was absolutely no prima facie case for what the moderator asserted . . . but he nevertheless asserted it.

Wilson asserts that both Brindle and DeYoung critiqued another member, but DeYoung merely pronounced his criticism of Brindle, while Brindle was mounting a biblical argument that had not yet crossed any procedural lines.

Kevin De Young is no liberal, but he claims to see something about Pastor Brindle that none of us out here in Ordinary Land can see. What is making him do that? But again, turnabout is fair play. I can see something that he can’t see. De Young is no liberal, but there is certainly an invisible and imperious progressive standing right behind him, and so De Young is very much operating under the authority of what Joe Rigney calls “the progressive gaze.”

Given his disposition, Kevin De Young made a serious mistake in accepting the role of moderator. No longer will he have the luxury of speaking only for himself, and only in his own voice. That is how he was able to put daylight between himself and the nonsense that was going on at the Gospel Coalition, for example. He was able to speak only for himself, and he, when by himself, is fully orthodox. But he is now the umpire, and that means he has to call balls and strikes. He has to call balls and strikes between contending parties . . . and this first nakedly bad call has revealed the presence of that progressive invisible umpire standing right behind him, and looking over his shoulder. If all this seems a bit cryptic, check out Rigney on the progressive gaze.

There will be those who reply to all this by saying that those who are WOKE are in no way numerous in the PCA. So why does Pastor De Young fear them then?

The ending of Doug Wilson’s admonishment is the excellent prose that he was once previously known for, pointing out that Kevin DeYoung is incapable or unwilling to call balls and strikes between two opposing factions, claiming that DeYoung hid behind individualism at The Gospel Coalition.

Kevin DeYoung is someone who his orthodox on paper but compromised in practice. With him in authority, you get feminized managerial liberalism, which is what was shown at the PCA. This is ultimately why Kevin DeYoung should never be given power, because he will wield it against people who are fighting for the church.