Shun the sinner
3/5/21 23:27![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kiaa posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpoliticsChristian woman told to repent her ‘homosexual lifestyle’ or be banned from church
Short version: Krystal Cox, a salon owner in Woodstock GA, had been a congregant of the Woodstock Church of Christ for about five years. At some recent point, she divorced her husband, and started a relationship with another woman. In December, when the church elders learned of the relationship, they sent her a letter requesting that she meet with them to "discuss her situation and the condition of her soul." She ignored the letter.
In April, the church elders sent her a second letter, stating that if she failed to meet with them and repent before April 30th, she would not only be removed from the roster of church congregants, but her removal from the congregation would be announced to the rest of the congregation during services the following Sunday, directly encouraging the community to shun her.
Cox shared the letter on social media. Due to the public outcry, the church website and Facebook page have been taken offline, and none of the church elders are responding to media inquiries.
Don't get me wrong. It seems that according to US law, places of worship have the right to deny religious services to anyone, for any reason. They can legally refuse to admit black people. They can legally refuse to admit people in wheelchairs (places of worship are completely exempt from the ADA). Any reason at all. So you may or may not have any problem with their rejection of Krystal Cox from the congregation.
However - the threat to make her exclusion a part of Sunday morning's announcements is a clear attempt to intimidate the rest of the congregation into shunning her and her business, and that's beyond the pale. It is ironic and satisfying that these church elders are now experiencing something very similar to what they had hoped to inflict on Krystal Cox. And I hope that other churches understand that if they want to kick someone out of their church - that legal. But do it quietly. Otherwise it will all backfire on you very badly.
Short version: Krystal Cox, a salon owner in Woodstock GA, had been a congregant of the Woodstock Church of Christ for about five years. At some recent point, she divorced her husband, and started a relationship with another woman. In December, when the church elders learned of the relationship, they sent her a letter requesting that she meet with them to "discuss her situation and the condition of her soul." She ignored the letter.
In April, the church elders sent her a second letter, stating that if she failed to meet with them and repent before April 30th, she would not only be removed from the roster of church congregants, but her removal from the congregation would be announced to the rest of the congregation during services the following Sunday, directly encouraging the community to shun her.
Cox shared the letter on social media. Due to the public outcry, the church website and Facebook page have been taken offline, and none of the church elders are responding to media inquiries.
Don't get me wrong. It seems that according to US law, places of worship have the right to deny religious services to anyone, for any reason. They can legally refuse to admit black people. They can legally refuse to admit people in wheelchairs (places of worship are completely exempt from the ADA). Any reason at all. So you may or may not have any problem with their rejection of Krystal Cox from the congregation.
However - the threat to make her exclusion a part of Sunday morning's announcements is a clear attempt to intimidate the rest of the congregation into shunning her and her business, and that's beyond the pale. It is ironic and satisfying that these church elders are now experiencing something very similar to what they had hoped to inflict on Krystal Cox. And I hope that other churches understand that if they want to kick someone out of their church - that legal. But do it quietly. Otherwise it will all backfire on you very badly.
