tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150444862561246132.post6418939559695712118..comments2018-05-28T17:19:25.192-07:00Comments on On a Journey to Where I Don't Know: Church DisciplineRitzhaushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00072044700181834479noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150444862561246132.post-4759507281610800562013-05-23T18:54:18.513-07:002013-05-23T18:54:18.513-07:00Forcing people to stay anywhere through any means ...Forcing people to stay anywhere through any means is punishment, and doesn't resemble living in faith in any sense. Such tactics, even when applied to others, should make anyone immediately question everything about that church.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03728525378121642318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150444862561246132.post-10577187218575567512013-05-23T14:18:47.040-07:002013-05-23T14:18:47.040-07:00Thanks for stopping by Bruce, I have enjoyed your ...Thanks for stopping by Bruce, I have enjoyed your blog and frequent it. I had never heard of SGM until I started checking out Wartburg Watch. There are lots of similarities between them and my old church. I can't understand why any church would want to not let people go who want to leave. I guess its because they want control and think they are the only true church.Ritzhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00072044700181834479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5150444862561246132.post-86215382090272712812013-05-22T22:56:55.931-07:002013-05-22T22:56:55.931-07:00I left the following comment on another blog.
In ...I left the following comment on another blog.<br /><br />In 1994, I moved from Ohio to Texas to co-pastor a Sovereign Grace Baptist church in Elmendorf, Texas. I wasn’t there very long before I realized I had made a huge mistake. After trying to find a way to make it work, I decided to resign and return to Ohio. Imagine my surprise when I was told I couldn’t resign. Since I had to have the church’s permission to join the church, I had to have their permission to leave the church.<br /><br />Well, I resigned anyway and the church exercised church discipline against me. I was excommunicated and to this day I am considered a publican and heathen. Keep in mind, my only sin was resigning. My wife and children were not excommunicated, the church said, because they were under my control.<br /><br />I was at the church for seven months. During this time they disciplined numerous people over things like not regularly attending church or disagreeing with the pastors.<br /><br />I am no longer a pastor or a Christian. Of course, in their eyes, this is proof that they were right in exercising church discipline against me.<br /><br />Since then, I have met and pastored a few people who were disciplined in Calvinistic Baptist churches. In every case, the person was disciplined for things that certainly did not warrant being excommunicated. In one case, a woman moved to Ohio from New Jersey. The church elders counseled her against the move, she moved anyway, so they excommunicated her.<br /><br />Using church discipline like this is abusive and quite harmful to people mentally and emotionally. It is troubling the practice is becoming more common.<br /><br />I can understand disciplining someone over gross, open sin. However, most often church discipline is used to control dissent and difference of opinion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com