re: #48 Walter L. Newton

Well, it did in the first century church. What happened?

The Catholic Church still practices excommunication, but it has to be pretty egregious to merit such action. Jehovah’s Witnesses disfellowship people left and right. Some churches practice what Paul teaches (I forget which book): confront the sinner privately and encourage repentance; if that doesn’t work, take it before the congregation. At that point, most people will slink away in embarrassment, but I’ve heard of lawsuits by former members against churches that have tried to kick them out. That’s also unBiblical, since scripture calls for church disputes to be decided within the church.