More and more often the following situation is coming up in America: Churches are being challenged - are we going to do what God has commanded despite what the liberal media and society says - or will we compromise? I just found out from Dr. James White's YouTube channel that FOX News is reporting on a woman complaining against her church because they are going to publicly admonish her for engaging in premarital sex with her boyfriend who is not a church member. She says that they have no right to publicly disclose her private life and that they should leave it alone because she resigned from the church. The church followed Biblically mandated steps for restoring a member who has fallen into sin. Again, it's interesting to compare what secular sources report versus Christian sources. Fox News calls it an "outrage" and "extortion". Here is that article. I like the articles on the Christian blog called Church Matters. The bloggers there are correct. The idea of a church holding a member accountable for the choices they make in their day-to-day lives seems foreign in a world that tells us that you can do anything you want and live any kind of way and no one has the right to judge you. This is exactly opposite what the Bible teaches. A Bible-based church will be persecuted for taking this position. We must be. This world is not our home. We are merely passing through. The world considers it strange that what this woman does outside of church would affect anyone who goes and it does. Although she resigned, the church must still deal with situation. Just because she left, does not mean it's over. The church leaders must also consider the ones who are left in the church. They must make a public declaration that sin is sin and can't be tolerated. It really is "Holiness or Hell". The Fox News article tries to make the woman out to be a victim. "Look at the bad, intolerant, and unloving church!" I'm reminded of the snarling monkey from Family Guy that is always pointing a finger.
Such is the state of our society. Interesting enough the actual letter the church sent to the woman has been posted on the Internet. I can't find anything mean or unloving in it. It appears that they are pleading with her to all them to help her restore her relationship to Jesus. Here is the letter (just Click on it to read it):
Here are Dr. James White's Comments
I've got to admit, while I do see a Biblical mandate for church discipline, it's not at all clear to me why she continues to be disciplined since she has left the church. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the church is doing wrong (and indeed, the letter does seem very straightforward and loving), but I don't see the point in dragging it on.
ReplyDelete