Christian teenager’s apology to her church for getting pregnant out of wedlock sparks online protest

[Michie]

A Christian teenager’s tearful apology to her congregation for getting pregnant out of wedlock has sparked an online protest from members of the public, including “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin, especially after her pastor banned members from throwing her a baby shower as punishment for her sin.

An approximately 1.5 minute video clip of the apology at True Vine Apostolic Church of Christ in Hampton, Virginia, first highlighted by Larry Reid Live, shows the church’s founder and pastor, Bishop Terry W. Jackson, directing the young woman where and how to stand before she offered the congregation her brief apology and revealed her condition.

“I want to apologize to everybody in here because I am pregnant. I’m sorry y’all,” she said, wiping away tears from her eyes. “I just hope that y’all forgive me.”

Continued below.

Christian teenager’s apology to her church for getting pregnant out of wedlock sparks online protest

A Christian teenager s forced apology to her congregation for getting pregnant out of wedlock has sparked an online protest from members of the public

www.christianpost.com

 

[Mike McK]

A Christian teenager’s tearful apology to her congregation for getting pregnant out of wedlock has sparked an online protest from members of the public, including “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin, especially after her pastor banned members from throwing her a baby shower as punishment for her sin.

An approximately 1.5 minute video clip of the apology at True Vine Apostolic Church of Christ in Hampton, Virginia, first highlighted by Larry Reid Live, shows the church’s founder and pastor, Bishop Terry W. Jackson, directing the young woman where and how to stand before she offered the congregation her brief apology and revealed her condition.

“I want to apologize to everybody in here because I am pregnant. I’m sorry y’all,” she said, wiping away tears from her eyes. “I just hope that y’all forgive me.”

Continued below.

Christian teenager’s apology to her church for getting pregnant out of wedlock sparks online protest

A Christian teenager s forced apology to her congregation for getting pregnant out of wedlock has sparked an online protest from members of the public

www.christianpost.com

Could not have handled this worse if they had tried.

First, Christian pastors don't have the authority or the right to "ban" people from doing things. That, right there, tells us that this isn't a church, but a cult.

Second, since when is being pregnant a sin? The sin was fornication, not pregnancy.

The Bible says pregnancy is a blessing, not something to be punished. And who does this guy think he is, anyway, punishing her for something Jesus has already taken her punishment for and forgiven?

Third, church discipline is supposed to be restorative, not punitive, and certainly not for the purpose of humiliating someone.

Fourth, imagine the message this sends to the girl and to her child. Is the child somehow less valued because it was conceived in fornication? Certainly not according to the Bible.

Wish we could take that girl and her child into our church.

If this were our church, we would separate the pregnancy and child from the fornication. We would lovingly but firmly call her to repent for the fornication, but we would also surround her and her baby with love and welcome that little one into our church family. And, yes, the ladies would throw her a baby shower.

 

[Michie]

Terrible, traumatizing experience imo. She messed up. A lot of us do then make the resolution not to do it again. I’d run out of that Church. I see this as abuse.

 

[Rose_bud]

This is terrible indeed.

 

[Michie]

From the op:

One man was so upset by the teenager’s apology he went to the church to confront the pastor, according to a video shared by The Official Tyesse Report on YouTube.

“Y'all being shamed across the whole country and your church going to be shut down soon. Just know that we'll be protesting y'all, boycotting y'all, getting that girl the help that [she needs]. Y'all want to get publicly shaming people? Now it's time for y'all to be publicly shamed,” the man said, noting that he grew up in the church.

“It's a shame this church used to be Calvary Community Church where they welcome people and they didn't publicly shame people and chastise them for sin. All y'all sinless? None of y'all sin in this whole church? When y'all sin everybody had to go to the front like that?” he asked.

The mother is standing by the pastor.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I was unaware there shouldn't be consequences for sin. I guess this girl should be encouraged and other girls incentivised to do what she did.

 

[JustaPewFiller]

For what it is worth, some years ago I was a deacon in a small church.

A lady in the congregation had "stumbled" in her walk with Christ shall we say and what happened was well known in the church.

Another lady requested a meeting with us (the deacons - we were without a pastor at the time) and asked if we were going to make the lady publicly apologize in front of the entire congregation. This lady said years ago a church had made her daughter apologize when she got pregnant as a teen. The lady was in favor of her daughter being made to apologize all those years ago and thought this lady should as well.

I asked some questions -
Me: - "How did that work out?"
Lady - "Well she apologized in front of the church as she should!"
Me - "No, I mean how did it work our for your daughter? Is she still a Christian?"
Lady - "I don't know, we no longer speak, but I do not think she attends any church."
Me - "Can you explain a little more?"
Lady - "On the day of her 18th birthday she moved out and has refused all contact with me, her father or the church. I do not think she attends any church."

Needless to say, the lady that "stumbled" did NOT have to apologize in front of the church.

I can never understand why people think public humiliating and shunning are the way to go.

Note, I am not saying the lady in my story or the pregnant teen in the article did OK in the eyes of God. Of course, they did not. I am saying there are far, far, far better ways to handle it though.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

.

I can never understand why people think public humiliating and shunning are the way to go.

Do you think other women or men who are publically shamed would be more or less likely to be promiscuous if they personally witnessed it? Are there to be zero consequences for promiscuity?

 

[JustaPewFiller]

Do you think other women or men who are publically shamed would be more or less likely to be promiscuous if they personally witnessed it? Are there to be zero consequences for promiscuity?

I think they are far less likely to return to the church in question and less likely to go to any church. Also they are possibly less likely to remain Christian depending on how deeply rooted their faith is. This is based on what I have personally witnessed.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I think they are far less likely to return to the church in question and less likely to go to any church. Also they are possibly less likely to remain Christian depending on how deeply rooted their faith is.

Alright. So there should be no consequences for sexual promiscuity and churches should accept it without judgement or comment. If the goal is get everyone to return and the church cannot shame people it seems as if that is the Church's only option.

 

[Rose_bud]

I was unaware there shouldn't be consequences for sin. I guess this girl should be encouraged and other girls incentivised to do what she did.

I don't think the point was not having consequences for sin, but rather the unloving manner this was handled.

She would of most likely have been reminded and "judged" for her transgression for the rest of her nine months. In addition as one comment or pointed out, the other person responsible for this situation will not bear any of this scrutiny. Humiliating the girl in front of the congregation and refusing her child gifts that accompanies and celebrates life is unwise and distasteful.

 

[RileyG]

Terrible, traumatizing experience imo. She messed up. A lot of us do then make the resolution not to do it again. I’d run out of that Church. I see this as abuse.

Agreed. Absolutely terrible

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I don't think the point was not having consequences for sin, but rather the unloving manner this was handled.

Is it unloving to inculcate shame for sin? She shouldn't feel shame or embarrassment?

She would of most likely have been reminded and judged for her transgression for the rest of her nine months.

Is that wrong?

Humiliating the girl in front of the congregation and refusing her child gifts that accompanies and celebrates life is distasteful.

Is it more distasteful to shame sexual promiscuity or to be sexually promiscuous?

 

[Mike McK]

Alright. So there should be no consequences for sexual promiscuity and churches should accept it without judgement or comment.

Could you please show us what verse you believe says the church is to hand out "consequences" for sin?

If the goal is get everyone to return and the church cannot shame people it seems as if that is the Church's only option.

Then you go to a lousy church.

The Bible never says we're to shame people, but to restore them.

 

[JustaPewFiller]

Alright. So there should be no consequences for sexual promiscuity and churches should accept it without judgement or comment. If the goal is get everyone to return and the church cannot shame people it seems as if that is the Church's only option.

That is the furthest, most extreme, most aggressive interpretation of what I actually espoused and not in any way true.

Riddle me this.

Are public humiliation (and maybe stoning) the only acceptable consequences for such actions?

What other ones may be acceptable in your view?

I really do not understand your argument.

It is like you are saying "If you are not in favor of the consequences that I am in favor of, then you think that all sin is just fine and should be accepted by the church!!"

That could not be further from the truth.

There are plenty of other ways for consequences and accountability.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Could you please show us what verse you believe says the church is to hand out "consequences" for sin?

So Churches are to be affirming institutions which do not rebuke or punish or publically out people? Is this your position?

Then you go to a lousy church.

I belong to the Orthodox Church which is the one true Church.

The Bible never says we're to shame people, but to restore them.

So would you condemn St Paul for what he did to the man who was sleeping with his Father's wife in Corinthians?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

A Christian teenager’s tearful apology to her congregation for getting pregnant out of wedlock has sparked an online protest from members of the public, including “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin, especially after her pastor banned members from throwing her a baby shower as punishment for her sin.

An approximately 1.5 minute video clip of the apology at True Vine Apostolic Church of Christ in Hampton, Virginia, first highlighted by Larry Reid Live, shows the church’s founder and pastor, Bishop Terry W. Jackson, directing the young woman where and how to stand before she offered the congregation her brief apology and revealed her condition.

“I want to apologize to everybody in here because I am pregnant. I’m sorry y’all,” she said, wiping away tears from her eyes. “I just hope that y’all forgive me.”

Continued below.

Christian teenager’s apology to her church for getting pregnant out of wedlock sparks online protest

A Christian teenager s forced apology to her congregation for getting pregnant out of wedlock has sparked an online protest from members of the public

www.christianpost.com

My apologies, but I don't think there's enough detail to warrant an agreement or disagreement either way on this one.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

That is the furthest, most extreme, most aggressive interpretation of what I actually espoused and not in any way true.

Riddle me this.

Are public humiliation (and maybe stoning) the only acceptable consequences for such actions?

What other ones my be acceptable in your view?

I really do not understand your argument.

It is like you are saying "If you are not in favor of the consequences that I am in favor of, then you think that all sin is just fine and should be accepted by the church!!"

That could not be further from the truth.

There are plenty of other ways for consequences and accountability.

What consequences should there be for promiscuity then? I'm not automatically In favour of this Church's method but I'm not against it, especially in an age such of ours which seeks to be as lenient as possible to sexual sin. Only the non Christian world would defend this girl and her actions as not being worthy of some shame.

 

[Rose_bud]

Is it unloving to inculcate shame for sin? She shouldn't feel shame or embarrassment?

She most likely already was.

Is that wrong?

Yes and demonstrates a lack of godly wisdom.

Is it more distasteful to shame sexual promiscuity or to be sexually promiscuous?

Nobody is condoning sexual promiscuity, but rather pointing out the manner in which this was approached.

Out of curiosity, would this have been your approach, shaming your congregant after they are already ashamed and possibly terrified of the consequences of being responsible for another living being?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

What consequences should there be for promiscuity then? I'm not automatically In favour of this Church's method but I'm not against it, especially in an age such of ours which seeks to be as lenient as possible to sexual sin. Only the non Christian world would defend this girl and her actions as not being worthy of some shame.

While I'm not for willy nilly acts of discipline by leaders in churches, one does have to ask when Paul's admonitions to the Corinthian Church would apply as a pattern for discernment in these instances.