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Legally, what churches call "church discipline" -- the specific exclusion of one former member from church activities as punishment for sin -- doesn't seem enforceable unless the congregant signed an official membership contract, I'd imagine. I don't know of any church that considers its membership agreement to be a binding legal document.<br><br>Frankly, I wish more American churches were full of congregants who questioned their pastor's teachings if found to be objectionable. It would be a refreshing change from merely bitching about chorus vs. hymns or pews vs. chairs.<br><br>Keely<br><br><br><br><br>> Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:01:56 -0800<br>> From: godshatter@yahoo.com<br>> To: thansen@moscow.com; vision2020@moscow.com<br>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Banned From Church<br>> <br>> Expelling your congregation one-by-one doesn't seem<br>> like a smart move to me. Eventually, you'll end up<br>> preaching to an empty room.<br>> <br>> Does a church have the right to call the cops to<br>> arrest someone for trespassing at a public service? <br>> Sure, they own the land, but they don't have to pay<br>> taxes on it because they are supposed to be providing<br>> a community service. I can see removing someone for<br>> disorderly conduct or something, but how can you be<br>> trespassing at a public event?<br>> <br>> Paul<br>> <br>> --- Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com> wrote:<br>> <br>> > Cops arrest and handcuff little old lady banned from<br>> > church because she<br>> > didn't like the pastor.<br>> > <br>> > >From the Wall Street Journal at:<br>> > <br>> > http://tinyurl.com/2kjjh6<br>> > <br>> ><br>> -------------------------------------------------------------------<br>> > <br>> > Banned From Church<br>> > By Alexandra Alter<br>> > <br>> > --------<br>> > <br>> > Listen to 911 call<br>> > http://tinyurl.com/34wx2a<br>> > <br>> > --------<br>> > <br>> > On a quiet Sunday morning in June, as worshippers<br>> > settled into the pews at<br>> > Allen Baptist Church in southwestern Michigan,<br>> > Pastor Jason Burrick grabbed<br>> > his cellphone and dialed 911. When a dispatcher<br>> > answered, the preacher said<br>> > a former congregant was in the sanctuary. "And we<br>> > need to, um, have her out<br>> > A.S.A.P."<br>> > <br>> > Half an hour later, 71-year-old Karolyn Caskey, a<br>> > church member for nearly<br>> > 50 years who had taught Sunday school and regularly<br>> > donated 10% of her<br>> > pension, was led out by a state trooper and a county<br>> > sheriff's officer. One<br>> > held her purse and Bible. The other put her in<br>> > handcuffs. (Listen to the 911<br>> > call)<br>> > <br>> > The charge was trespassing, but Mrs. Caskey's real<br>> > offense, in her pastor's<br>> > view, was spiritual. Several months earlier, when<br>> > she had questioned his<br>> > authority, he'd charged her with spreading "a spirit<br>> > of cancer and discord"<br>> > and expelled her from the congregation. "I've been<br>> > shunned," she says.<br>> > <br>> > Her story reflects a growing movement among some<br>> > conservative Protestant<br>> > pastors to bring back church discipline, an ancient<br>> > practice in which<br>> > suspected sinners are privately confronted and then<br>> > publicly castigated and<br>> > excommunicated if they refuse to repent. While many<br>> > Christians find such<br>> > practices outdated, pastors in large and small<br>> > churches across the country<br>> > are expelling members for offenses ranging from<br>> > adultery and theft to<br>> > gossiping, skipping service and criticizing church<br>> > leaders.<br>> > <br>> ><br>> -------------------------------------------------------------------<br>> > <br>> > Seeya round town, Moscow.<br>> > <br>> > Tom Hansen<br>> > Moscow, Idaho<br>> > <br>> > "If I wanted to overhear every tedious scrap of<br>> > brain static rattling around<br>> > in your head, I'd read your blog."<br>> > <br>> > - Bill Maher<br>> > <br>> > <br>> > <br>> ><br>> =======================================================<br>> > List services made available by First Step<br>> > Internet, <br>> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br>> > <br>> > http://www.fsr.net <br>> > <br>> > mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> ><br>> =======================================================<br>> > <br>> <br>> =======================================================<br>> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br>> http://www.fsr.net <br>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> =======================================================<br><br /><hr />Helping your favorite cause is as easy as instant messaging. You IM, we give. <a href='http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=text_hotmail_join' target='_new'>Learn more.</a></body>
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