A few days ago, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), for once, made a commendable decision that deserves our attention and applause. The PCA’s Administrative Committee announced the cancellation of an assembly-wide panel discussion that was to feature left-wing activist David French. French, who masquerades as a Christian while promoting godless ideals like drag queen story hour as a “blessing of liberty,” was set to speak at the upcoming General Assembly in Richmond, Virginia. Thankfully, amid pushback, the PCA saw the light and took decisive action to protect the integrity and unity of the church.

David French, an Army veteran, former attorney, and opinion columnist for the leftist rag, The New York Times, has been a polarizing figure within evangelical circles. Despite his claims of being an evangelical Christian and his past membership in a PCA congregation, French’s views are more often than not littered with progressive propaganda cloaked in “Christianese” to water down biblical doctrine and teachings on social issues. His support for drag queen story hours, which he ludicrously calls a “blessing of liberty,” is just one example of his departure from orthodox Christian values. He’s also taken ungodly stances on abortion, the LGBTQ movement, and the role of Christianity in government.

French is one of the co-authors—along with former ERLC head, Russell Moore and a man named Curtis Chang, who teaches that the Covid VaXX is essentially a type of Christ because it “redeems an abortion” in the same way that Christ redeems the Church—of a political curriculum being sold to conservative churches. This curriculum, called “The After Party,” is designed to give pastors and leaders plausible deniability when it comes to taking any real stance on political issues. It pushes the idea that all political views are equally flawed and equally good, and that Christians, all sitting together in worship, can have differing political views on things, be it abortion, homosexuality, etc., and have valid, biblical reasons for holding these views.

The PCA’s decision to cancel this panel discussion was not made lightly. According to reports, in response to significant concerns raised by members, PCA Stated Clerk Bryan Chapell convened a meeting with the permanent committee of the Administrative Committee. After careful consideration, they decided that “Supporting Your Pastor and Church Leaders in a Polarized Political Year” was not a seminar worth pursuing. Instead, they wisely chose to allocate the time to a prayer convocation, petitioning God for the good of His church in these polarized times.

In his statement, Bryan Chapell acknowledged the controversy and expressed regret for the division caused by the initial decision to include French. He recognized that the seminar, intended to help churches navigate political tensions, had instead sparked controversy.

For over two decades, seminars have been a significant part of the PCA’s annual gathering, covering a wide range of topics from the mission of the church to racial reconciliation. However, the inclusion of a leftist like David French, whose views so clearly contradict the Scriptures, would have been a grave error.

As the 51st General Assembly of the PCA convenes in June, let this be a reminder that the voices of the rank and file church members are growing tired of the agenda being forced on them from the ruling class. By rejecting the influence of zanies like David French and reaffirming their commitment to prayer and Scripture, the PCA is responding to these voices who are demanding accountability when it comes to leadership.

In all this, the PCA’s cancellation of David French can only be seen as a victory for the church as his poison won’t be allowed to infect the church, at least this year. David French, by his own testimony, is not a rejection as he clearly rejects the revealed Word of God. He should be allowed no influence at all over God’s people. We should be grateful for God’s mercy in this action.