We Have the Receipts (or Evidence of Injustice)

This spring I had the opportunity to read Joe Rigney’s book Leadership and Emotional Sabotage. I also had the privilege of speaking with him and our Session over a Zoom conference call to discuss the sabotage we’ve been experiencing in our church for the last several years. You can watch clips of that interview on the Beverly Heights YouTube Channel.

I’ve always been theologically and culturally conservative but after the pandemic, I started moving our church in a more conservative direction, when 3 elders decided to falsely accuse me. My presbytery, the Presbytery of the Alleghenies, got involved and had to investigate the matter. Thankfully the investigation determined that there was no merit to the charges. But even after I was exonerated, I was told I had to publically repent. Enter the emotional sabotage. (You can read more about the false accusation that led to our formal request for dismissal from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in this Open Letter.)

Am I Guilty? Not Yet…

The Administrative Commission of the presbytery thought that publically repenting, despite not being guilty of anything, reflected “good leadership.” I was told that there were “many, many people” who felt hurt by me and my leadership and that publically repenting would help ameliorate the situation (I’m reminded of Rene Girard and the catharsis of the Scapegoat!).

There were even what felt like veiled threats to comply. I later told them I could not apologize for something I did not do. That was the wrong answer and the pressures mounted. Below are excerpts of a Zoom conversation I had with the Administrative Commission of the Presbytery of the Alleghenies about their “recommendations” (read: orders) following their investigation.

Fudging the Language

This is when I discovered just how bad things have degenerated in the EPC. You know your denomination is going liberal when you ask questions and try to use precise biblical language and they question why you’re being so specific. Listen to how annoyed the POA leaders are when I ask for clarity.

J. Gresham Machen described the liberal abuse of language in his magisterial work Christianity and Liberalism. Liberals don’t like precision and they don’t like definitional certainty. It doesn’t matter what the scriptures or the constitution actually say, liberals always want to supply you with their “authoritative interpretation.” Machen writes,

“Don’t get hung up on those pesky facts” the liberal says, “don’t you know you’ve hurt people’s feelings?” Time to make a public display of contrition.

Perception Above All Else

Not only was I told to repent, but they also told me to adjust my sermons to avoid offending my accusers. According to the POA, my responsibility as a preacher is to manage “perception” and make sure no one feels convicted of sin. It seems my role in the EPC is more of a manager at the customer services desk rather than the pastor.

Freedom of Speech…Canceled!

My experience with the EPC and the POA has taught me that they want to control language and definitions, and they even went so far as to try and regulate who I could talk to. The PAO literally ordered me to break off communication with Dr. Peter Leithart of the Theopolis Institute while the presbytery investigated Theopolis. This all started when the POA entertained “concerns” by divisive people. They never told me who was making such claims or how many there were, but what was always made clear was that someone was “concerned” or “hurt” and we can’t have that. Apparently receiving concerns justifies violating my freedom of speech.

Several months later the POA issued their report on Theopolis. It was an embarrassment. Dr. Kyle David Bennett, Peter Chace and I respond to the report in our podcast on this website. Feel free to listen here.

Sink or Swim, Either Way, You’re Guilty

I was also falsely accused of being an alcoholic by my anonymous accusers. I was never allowed to face my accusers or cross-examine their claims. Instead, I was simply ordered by presbytery leadership to abstain from alcohol for a year as a “spiritual discipline.”

I’m Speaking for the Entire Universe

Throughout this ordeal, the AC of the POA has claimed that “many, many people” have shared “concerns” with them about alleged improprieties or concerning behavior. But when I asked if I could speak with these people directly, I was told I could not.

In light of all these anonymous accusations, I am reminded of Alister Begg, who shared a personal message at a 2016 Gospel Coalition conference that he entitled The Dangers and Delights of a Long Ministry in One Place. Having been at Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church for 20 years now, I appreciate more and more all that Begg described in that message. One of the things Begg discussed was what he called the “Nehemiah 6 Rejoinder.”

In chapter six, Nehemiah has been accused anonymously. In response, he writes saying. “Nothing like what you say is happening. You are just making it up out of your head.”

Begg goes on to elaborate,

Now you want to have that [Nehemiah Rejoinder] close by because when you get the letter that includes Gashmu or Geshin, and we don’t even know if there was a Gashmu, he’s a kind of strange fairy like character, but you’ll notice that the word that comes is, “you are an egomaniac, Nehemiah. You are stuck on yourself. You fancy making yourself a king. And I’m not only writing to you personally, there’s a lot of other people I’ve spoken to who feel this way. All right?” Have you ever read a letter that just says “I’m just speaking for myself?” No, no, no. No, no. “I’m speaking for the entire universe!”

The Presbytery of the Alleghenies has acted unjustly, and they have done so because they were incited by some Gashmu figures who acted out of fear, entitlement, and hurt feelings. And the EPC responded just like the PCUSA, from which it came. I’m not making this up out of my own head, we have the receipts.

Photo by am on Unsplash