I have been reflecting on Virginia, the Rev. Samuel Davies, (1723-1761), and some insights from Presbyterian history.

Last month, I celebrated my 50th wedding anniversary (1974-2024). My bride and I met and were married in a Richmond, Virginia church (RPC-ES) that joined the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in 1982.

Now retired from vocational (but not from personal, volunteer) ministry, I did not attend the PCA’s 51st annual General Assembly in Richmond. But I have been reflecting on the history of Presbyterians in Virginia and on the current trends I observe in the PCA denomination.

Presbyterianism came to Virginia through the tireless efforts of Rev. Samuel Davies. Davies’ impact and legacy were immense. He received his early education from Rev. Samuel Blair, who himself trained for the ministry at Rev. Gilbert Tennent’s “Log College,” the precursor to the College of New Jersey, later Princeton.

Born in Delaware, Davies led his family into the Presbyterian church. At 23 years old, he was sent to Virginia as an evangelist. He ministered in Hanover County from 1748-59. Davies led a group of dissenters out of Virginia’s state-sponsored colonial Anglican church. They formed Hanover Presbytery, which included both Virginia and North Carolina congregations.

Davies died at age 37, but the legacies of his brief life are numerous. His powerful sermons inspired the oratory of Virginia patriot Patrick Henry. He was named the 4th President of the College of New Jersey, following the death of Jonathan Edwards. Davies was an early missionary to enslaved Africans. He was America’s first hymn writer. Davies led in the cause for religious and civil liberties. Middle Colony Presbyterians were among the most ardent supporters of the American Revolution.

Rev. Davies was a “New Side” Presbyterian. The “Old Side” and the “New Side” ministers had different ministry emphases and personal temperaments.

“New Side” ministers supported the Great Awakening and cooperated with Anglican George Whitefield and Congregational Jonathan Edwards. New Siders sought personal spiritual vitality and local church renewal. They founded educational institutions and adapted for ministry and missions. The old RPC-ES denomination with Francis Schaeffer bequeathed to the PCA New Side impulses and institutions.

By contrast, “Old Side” ministers emphasized a strict adherence to confessional standards, and a close examination of candidates for ordained ministry. They sought to maintain doctrinal distinctives and orderly church government. Old Siders stood for traditional Presbyterianism. They were not inclined to enter into inter-denominational partnerships for missions. Deep South Presbyterians were typically more “Old Side.” But they often had a “blind side” for ministries among minorities and for Christian racial reconciliation.

It has long been my conviction that these two “Sides” provided important checks and balances for each other. The “Old Side” provided doctrinal guard rails for those more outreach-minded. The “New Side” motivated the church to stay on-mission to outsiders.

The PCA is now accelerating on an Old Side trajectory, perhaps reacting to America’s changing cultural diversity. As I noted here before the PCA’s 50th anniversary, churches and ministers can become unbalanced because of temperaments and gifts.

“New Side” Presbyterians like Samuel Davies wanted to promote their faith across America, even to the cultural minorities — like the enslaved and indigenous Americans. The PCA seems increasingly concerned to preserve the faith in today’s post-Christian America with its increased social diversity and secular challenges.

My Prayer is for a restored and respectful rebalancing of the PCA’s Old Side and New Side impulses. Licensed in the old RPC-ES, I was drawn to its missional commitments. Ordained in the PCA, I now pray for its rebalanced commitments to orthodoxy and outreach. May God renew the PCA’s founding vision: Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.