White is not a culture

written by: Timothy Brindle

Timothy Brindle's Response to MNA's Podcast

Mission to North America (MNA) is the Church planting agency of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). They have a podcast called "Growing Together" and today's episode was "Church Planting and Cultivating Diversity in Columbia" featuring Pastor David Gentino, Sr. of Columbia Presbyterian Church. The podcast description says, "David offers valuable advice for predominantly white PCA churches seeking to better reflect the cultural diversity of their communities. Tune in to hear David's insights on how we can foster a more diverse and fruitful church in the coming year" (emphasis, mine.)

After listening to the podcast, it became quite clear that there are several major problems with the podcast that reflect significant blemishes in the PCA and the broader Reformed and evangelical Church.

Contrary to what the podcast says, "white" is not a culture. Did you notice above the assertion that "white PCA churches" are lacking "cultural diversity"? Furthermore, "white" is not a people group, Biblically speaking. What are the categories for people groups based on Scripture?

Prior to Babel, Genesis 11:6 says that humanity spoke "one language" which God correlates with humanity being "one people" (עַ֤ם אֶחָד), and according to the Septuagint, "one race" [γένος ἓν]. Post-Babel, Scripture defines the differences amongst people groups as "nations" which are kingdom-states in different regions ("lands") consisting of "tribal-clans" that often speak different "languages." Genesis 10:20 says, "These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations." (see also Genesis 10:5; 10:31-32).

What is missing from these God-given descriptions about people groups? Skin color. Melanin is not a distinguishing feature of humans in God's book.

According to the Bible -- which is God's interpretation of humans -- I am not "white." I am an Irish-Polish-German-Scottish English-speaking American, with DNA derived from many different tribal clans. Even if "white" was a culture, it is not monolithic.

Nor is "black" a (monolithic) culture. If culture consists of customs and a way of life, it is false to say there is a monolithic "white" or "black" culture. Even fellow African-Americans and I are both Americans, often sharing many cultural similarities such as the food we eat, the music we listen to, or enjoying American activities like baseball, football, and Nerf gun battles.

The way this podcast lumps "whites" together diminishes the various cultural backgrounds of European-Americans. Moreover, the way the podcast racializes (and colorizes) "diversity" diminishes the many cultural (and especially Spiritual) common traits we have as Christ's One chosen race (1 Peter 2:9).

It is also unfortunate that in the PCA we have justified a race-based version of Affirmative Action, called the Unity Fund, which helps to fund seminary training for "minorities." While the podcast praises it, simply put, the Unity Fund is partiality. Godly, gifted men -- from any background -- should be raised up to be equipped as pastors, based on the qualifications of Scripture (1 Tim. 3:1ff), and last time I checked, CRT-based "race" distinctions are not one of them. It is also insulting to those who allow themselves to be called "people of color" to receive funding based on man-made categories of diversity. When theological institutions have race-based scholarships, instead of merit-based scholarships, the result is that there are countless non-minority seminarians who are deprived of funding based on their skin color. Partiality! The Unity Fund also assumes certain people are disadvantaged and oppressed based on "racial" categories.

It is both grievous and hilarious that this podcast uses the phrase, "white resources" (at the 6:31 timestamp)! Are not the funds of all Christians, those which they received from the Lord (1 Cor. 4:7)? Don't all Christian funds belong to the Lord (Ps. 24:1)? How far will they go with this stuff? Not only do they racialize and colorize God's people, but also their money!

Pastor Devin Coleman of the Columbia Presbyterian Church -- mentioned in the podcast -- should be celebrated as a godly, Spirit-filled, gifted preacher of Christ - not tokenized nor treated as an anomaly as a "black" man. Let us celebrate God's glory in the fact that each of us are "awesomely and wonderfully made" in His image, as opposed to making much of the flesh.

At Olive Street Presbyterian Church where I pastor, I praise the Lord that He has organically, sovereignly, bound His people together in love. From a worldly perspective, Olive Street is a "diverse" Church. Based on DEI definitions of diversity, which uses skin color, race, and majority/minority distinctions, OSPC is very diverse. But this has not come by waving a racial diversity flag, pretending we are enemies in need of "racial reconciliation", nor from guilting people who supposedly are of a "dominant white culture." Rather, it has come about through Christ's means of grace - by the preaching of Christ from all of Scripture, and through the love of His people for one another. (Not to mention, even if we did not have one person whom the Critical Race Theorist deems a "person of color," our Church is already diverse based on the Biblical categories of people groups referenced above and specified in Dan. 7:14 and Rev. 5:9; 7:9!)

How long will we in the PCA allow the real, tragic, historic racism of our nation's past history to be the permenant, current narrative of the present? How long will we boast in the flesh about "race-based diversity" and pretend that "white" is a culture? I have been there, done that, and got the tee-shirt. But those "righteousness points" did not satisfy!

To my shame, I once allowed those who run the "cross-cultural" and "racial-diversity" train of the PCA to use my family and I as their poster childs. I once bought into their assumptions that certain people in the 21st century are oppressed or disadvantaged based on skin color or from being a minoroty. But thanks be to God that the Lord Jesus Christ has awakened us from worldly wokeness! And I pray He does the same for the MNA, MTW, Columbia Church, the PCA, Christian Hip-Hop, and the broader Reformed and Evangelical Church.

Please know that we will keep pushing back against y'all's soft (yet blatant) wokeness until we all repent of such worldliness!

For more on this topic, read Timothy's blog, "Thinking Biblically About Race" or listen to his song "Melanin" featuring Voddie Baucham.

Rev. Timothy Brindle (Th.M., M.Div., Ph.D. candidate) is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church of America, a Board Member of Covenant College, the Senior Stewardship and Recruitment Officer of Westminster Theological Seminary, and the Associate Pastor of Olive Street Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania where He and his wife and eight children reside. He is the author of The Unfolding and the co-author of the 4 part "Acostic Theology for Kids" books. He has released 11 Christian hip-hop albums including his most recent project, "Fault Lines" based on Voddie Baucham's book.