PCA Pastor Zachary Garris suspended indefinitely for ‘unwholesome speech’

The Rio Grande Presbytery, a regional governing body of the Presbyterian Church in America, has indefinitely suspended Zachary Garris, pastor of Bryce Avenue Presbyterian Church in White Rock, New Mexico, for “unwholesome speech” stemming from a series of exchanges on X directed at religion professor Anthony Bradley.

The presbytery did not immediately respond to calls from The Christian Post on Friday, but PCA minister Sean McGowan reported the decision on X on Thursday.

“At trial, the Rio Grande Presbytery (PCA) found Rev. Zachary Garris NOT GUILTY of Charge 1 regarding his comments on slavery from June 2024,” McGowan wrote. “However, Garris was found GUILTY of Charge 2 for ‘unwholesome speech’ per Ephesians 4:29, based on a 2023 interaction on X with Anthony Bradley. The Presbytery has indefinitely suspended him.”

Garris has not made any public statements on his suspension, but he did retweet McGowan’s report on X.

Garris, who is married with two sons, is also a trained attorney with a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary. Bradley currently serves as a distinguished research fellow at The Acton Institute and research professor of interdisciplinary and theological studies at Kuyper College.

According to screenshots shared in McGowan's X thread on the suspension, it is alleged that on or about October 9, 2023, Garris made a public post on X directed at Bradley stating, “Even here you only speak of ‘some’ situations. Sometimes things are more complex than a PhD can handle.” A day earlier, Garris also stated that, “You started by misusing a Bible verse and then calling others ‘biblically illiterate.’ But arrogance can’t tolerate banter.”

Bradley’s original tweets have been deleted. Garris was also accused of making racial comments in another exchange on X with Lamont English, an assistant director at the Presbyterian Church in America’s mission agency Mission to the World, but he was cleared of that charge.

The decision to suspend Garris indefinitely for what some interpret as simple sarcasm has drawn strong rebuke from some pastors online.

“What happened to my friend @ZacharyGarris was a travesty of justice. Not only did they convict and suspend him from ministry for what can only be described as a few ‘mildly harsh tweets’ at best, but at trial they did not even admit any evidence for the second charge, nor did they have any witnesses testify, thus taking away the right of Garris to defend himself,” McGowan wrote in a statement on X Friday. “This whole thing comes across as pure malicious lawfare. It must been (sic) made right.”

David D. Edgington, a certified biblical counselor who serves as the founder and executive director of Compassionate Counselors, Inc, and preaching pastor at Christ's Community Church, said he wasn’t surprised by Garris’ suspension.

“I don’t know why everyone is shocked at what happened to my friend @ZacharyGarris. This is not a PCA problem. This is a church-wide problem with White Knights just acting according to their cowardly, anti-biblical natures,” he wrote on X Friday.

“It’s exactly what happens to husbands with Reviling Wives. The effeminate church ladies of both genders rule the day & displace & attempt to destroy good men every chance they get. God will not be mocked. He will throw out these pseudo shepherds when His wrath is kindled. I’m hoping it’s getting close to that Day,” he added, citing Matthew 21:43. “Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you & given to a people producing its fruits.”

Other critics of the decision to suspend Garris, like Tom Ascol, senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida, and president of Founders Ministries, responded with a bit of sarcasm of his own.

“I’m old enough to remember when Anthony Bradley said, ‘Evangelicals have never had the gospel. Ever,’” he wrote. “‘Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up,...’ —Ephesians 4:29.”