[Dr. Coffin,] “since the libel was public, I am publicly asking you for a public apology and retraction. If I do not receive one, then I regret to inform you, I will be sending a letter to your presbytery asking that they begin a 31-2 investigation into this matter.”

This morning, Dr. David Coffin, a longtime member of the PCA SJC, published a letter in the @AquilaReport in which my name and the names of the other individuals listed in the infamous Post-it note were once again dragged through the mud. I have sent the following response to @DominicAquila3, which I hope will also be published in The Aquila Report:

Dear Dr. Coffin,

On May 22nd of this year, I was made aware that Bryan Chapell, the Stated clerk of the PCA, had done a podcast interview with Collin Hansen of The Gospel Coalition, and that during that interview, he had held up a Post-it note with a number of names on it, saying,

“Collin…I’m going to show this to you quickly. I keep the note on my desk. Those are the names of the scandalizers, the people who have invested hours every day attacking others for their supposed lack of faithfulness, for their compromise, whose identity comes from scandalizing others.

And every name on that list has either left his family, left the faith, or taken his life. Every name on that list. It amazes me. I’ve done this for almost 50 years now, I’ve been in ordained ministry. And I can tell you almost with certainty: those who build their reputations on destroying the reputations of others will end up with terribly dark lives.”

My name, along with many others such as D.G. Hart and Carl Trueman, was on that Post-it note that Chapell flashed in front of the camera, perhaps forgetting that with the internet, every image is forever.

I will freely admit I was shocked. Since leaving the PCA in 2020, my family and I have been very happy in the ARP, and I have found a collegial brotherhood where I can finally be useful. Since joining the ARP I have served as both a moderator and on a number of committees including as the Chairman of Outreach North America, a position that I have a particular interest in as I began my own time in the pastorate 24 years ago as a church planter and my congregation is currently in the process of trying to plant a new ARP congregation in Raeford, NC. I say all of that to indicate that I certainly have not left my family, left the faith, or taken my life as Chapell initially alleged.

After the scandal broke, Dr. Chapell contacted me by phone offering a sincere apology in which he confessed his sin against me and the other people on the note. He also indicated that he would be retiring from his position as Stated Clerk. Following that phone call, I published the following public statement:

“Today I received a gracious apology call from Bryan Chapell, and I sincerely forgave him. Given his announcement, I regard the matter, as far as it concerns me, to be at an end. I would earnestly encourage people to pray for him as he goes into retirement.”

As I publicly stated, Dr. Chapell had done the honorable thing as a Christian gentleman, and I believed the matter was at an end. That was until I was made aware this afternoon of your open letter entitled “Concerning the Resignation of Dr. Chapell,” published in the Aquila Report, in which you argued that Dr. Chapell should not retire as he had done nothing wrong. In fact, you state in your letter, “And the fact is, on the evidence, I do not believe you lied.”

I will confess that I was amazed that a long-time member of the Standing Judicial Commission of the PCA would make such a statement. I know you realize this, but If Dr. Chapell did nothing wrong and did not lie about the individuals on that list then you have publicly stated that you believe, “on the evidence”, that I have, “either left [my] family, left the faith, or taken [my] life.”

Which of those assertions is true, Dr. Coffin? Have I left my family even though I am still happily married to and living with my wife of 31 years? Have I left the faith, even though I love the Lord Jesus Christ and am serving His Body, the church, as a minister in good standing in the ARP? Have I taken my life and somehow, like Samuel’s ghost, I have returned to rebuke you from the grave? I ask again, which of these is true? Because if there were no lie, then by your bold assertion, at least one must be true.

The fact is that none of those assertions are true; they are bold-faced lies, and once again, my name and the names of several other individuals have been slandered (or, in this case, libeled) in public.

Therefore, since the libel was public, I am publicly asking you for a public apology and retraction. If I do not receive one, then I regret to inform you, I will be sending a letter to your presbytery asking that they begin a 31-2 investigation into this matter.

Your Servant in Christ,
Pastor Andrew Webb
Providence ARP Church
Fayetteville, NC