[Vision2020] A Christian Excommunicated? Is that possible?

[Michael]

Thank you Corbin.  A friend pointed me to your Blog; I tried to send you a
note but couldn't figure out how.  I think your analysis here is generally a
good one.  Note that the 'vows' I took were between my household and the
entire congregation.  This impulsive letter from the Session of Christ
Church was just after I had asked which Sunday would be best for me to have
10 minutes in front of my congregation-something I'm sure many in the
congregation would have appreciated before I ended this kind of decade long
relationship to them.  Removing my membership (did they in reality even
succeed in doing this?) is simply consistent with Wilson's and Jones'
determination to keep me away from the other elders and the rest of the
congregation as much as possible; this I think provides some sort of
explanation for you.  

 

I don't think you could call this excommunication however; they have been
trying to show everyone how tolerant they are with dissent from the
congregation, and they have been making a big show about how they don't
discipline for this. Wilson said explicitly on his Blog, in explanation of
his action toward me, that he was trying to mitigate Vision 2020 having fun
with anything.  Unfortunately, this just reveals their hypocrisy, since my
public criticism of them is obviously the reason I have been handled this
way.  Although I was not excommunicated, releasing me as not a member in
good standing effectually excommunicates me from other conservative
churches, since many churches require that you be a member in good standing
somewhere-if a church were to inquire of my last membership, they would
discover that I was released as a member in bad standing, which would
function very similarly to hearing that I had indeed been excommunicated.  I
was not given the opportunity to transfer membership to another church in a
reasonable amount of time, and so this action is, which they know, very
ecclesiastically malicious. 

 

There is a lot of evil here, and I suspect this is just a bit more puss from
what will turn out to be a larger infection than many of us imagined.  And
am grateful for Scimitar's words of counsel today; while they might be a
rebuke for Wilson and associates, they are also encouragement for others.  

 

And may Wilson and his apologists please come to this public community forum
to defend themselves. Skilled in classical rhetoric and logic, certainly you
can quickly put to rest any falsehoods asserted here.  

 

Blessings,

Michael Metzler

 

 

How can a Protestant church excommunicate a Christian man whose only sin
is--not

upholding "their" membership vows?  I thought that Christ said you weren't
to take

vows.  Let your yes be a yes and your no be a no.  It's not Kirker-ish, but
it is biblical.

Shouldn't they stick to the Bible?

 

So, Mr. Metzler, what are they going to do to you if you still want to go to
church?  

Have two NSA boys bounce you out?  And will they expect money from you, or
will

you be excluded from tithing?

 

What is this Mother Kirk their letter states?  I swear to goodness I thought
I was 

reading a Star Trek fanfiction piece for a minute.

 

As a Christian belief, other Christians are to try and restore the brethren,
not place the

 responsibility to formulate accusations on the person who's "confused."  If
you know

 there is discord, fix it.  Don't excommunicate the person before he has a
chance to 

come to you.  Be a man, people!  Don't hide behind the skirts of your
friends, Mr. 

Doug Wilson.

 

"We're, now, merely freeing you from our supposed "tyranny.""  That's
appropriate.

Sarcasm in an excommunication letter.

 

What is a member in good standing to them?  Would they really be writing a
letter

of "excommunication" to someone who was in "good standing" with them?

 

And I thought the Catholic Pope was the one who excommunicated.  Just what
are

you trying to confirm to us, Doug?

 

--Corbin

 

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