Christian teenager’s apology to her church for getting pregnant out of wedlock sparks online protest
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.”
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Jackson then offered support for the teenager’s action, noting that what she did was right instead of waiting later to repent.
“If you sin, you don’t wait no two, three, you don’t wait ‘til the baby come to repent. You repent now,” he said to approving shouts of “amen.”
“You just don’t do it again. She already know what time it is. The church is praying for you. We ain’t goin’ condone your sin now. We ain’t goin’ do that. Ain’t no baby showers going on. That’s what you lose out on,” he said, highlighting what he asserts are consequences for having a baby out of wedlock.
“When you have a baby out of wedlock, ain’t no showers. And nobody at this church ‘bout to attend one. Momma shouldn’t have one neither. You got to take care of your granddaughter, but you can’t condone sin.”
As the video went viral on social media, the religious practice of the conservative and predominantly black congregation quickly grabbed the attention of sports reporter and podcaster Jemele Hill who shared the video with her nearly 860,000 followers on Instagram.
“A Virginia pastor made a teenage girl stand up before the congregation to apologize for being pregnant. I have a lot of thoughts but I’m going to let y’all have it. But I’ll just say this: The only person who should be ashamed in this scenario is the pastor. I hope she finds a new church home,” she wrote.
Retired Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. cited John 8:4,6-7, suggesting that having the teenager repent as publicly as she did isn’t something Jesus would condone.
The verses highlighted by Godbee from the book of John say: “They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. [6] This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. [7] So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
Hostin, in reply to Hill, appeared to find the act of denying the teenager a baby shower too harsh a punishment and offered to host one for her.
“I will host the baby shower. Pls contact me sweetheart. Your baby will be celebrated and loved,” Hostin wrote.
Many critics who shared familiarity with the practice of punishing unwed women who get pregnant in black conservative churches pointed to the inherent inequality of how the punishment is applied. Critics asked why the male who got her pregnant wasn’t similarly made to apologize before the congregation. They also asked if everyone who sinned in the church had to confess publicly.
“I am a preacher that holds true to presenting your life holy before God. However, the truth is, we can’t be saved except by God’s grace. Ephesian 2:8-9. What happened to this young lady was not of God. Matt 18: 15-17 gives us the outline that you were trying to follow. However. What you did was step three in the process. And furthermore the sin was not committed against you. It was committed involving the man and the woman. Therefore, you was out of line,” wrote Leonard King Jr. in a popular comment posted on a prayer video on the church’s Facebook page.
“Lastly, if the woman were to stand there the man should have to. Time to stop the oppression of our women by shaming them and giving the man a slap on the wrist. Get right church and let’s go home. Because this definitely was not it. Now we wonder why so many people are leaving the faith. It’s because of things like this. Prayers for this whole situation!” he added.
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.
Pastor Jackson nor the teenager’s mother responded to interview requests from The Christian Post on Thursday. But in a public statement attributed to the teenager’s mother, identified as Dee Myles, and cited by Larry Reid Live, she urged the public to respect her and daughter’s religious liberty and refrain from disrespecting her pastor.
“To everyone that’s concerned, we greatly appreciate it. However, I do want you to know that you all are interrupting my peace and is causing more damage than good,” Myles wrote.
“You are showing up disrupting my church, my beliefs, and disrespecting my pastor. I am where I want to be and where I chose to be. We were not forced or manipulated to stand before the congregation. My daughter willingly approached the congregation and was welcomed and embraced with open arms,” she added. “I stand on what I have been taught, and I’m raising my daughter to do the same. I stand with my pastor!”
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