it remains controversial as to whether racial tensions may have contributed to the formation of the pca. many in the pca have adamantly maintained that race played little role in the genesis of the new denomination, but many outside the pca have a historical memory of racial animus irrefutably contributing to the desire for exodus from the southern presbyterian denomination, the pcus. however, on june 23, 2016 the general assembly of the presbyterian church in america voted to approve a statement on racial reconciliation that specifically recognized “corporate and historical sins, including those committed during the civil rights era, and continuing racial sins of ourselves and our fathers such as the segregation of worshipers by race; the exclusion of persons from church membership on the basis of race; the exclusion of churches, or elders, from membership in the presbyteries on the basis of race; the teaching that the bible sanctions racial segregation and discourages inter-racial marriage; the participation in and defense of white supremacist organizations; and the failure to live out the gospel imperative that ‘love does no wrong to a neighbor’ (romans 13:10).” this admission of "historical sins" during the civil rights era has helped to ameliorate the conflict that some black members of the pca may have felt about the denomination's failure to fully embrace and protect the rights of african americans both within and outside of the church during the pca's formative years.