Sorry Jarretta, No Mistakes Allowed Here!

When I got home from work this morning I walked in the door and saw that my wife was watching the Today Show. I'm not a Today Show type of guy, I prefer SportsCenter, Mike & Mike In The Morning, The Herd, you know, the show's that really touch the issues of life. I normally wait for her to blink before quickly turning the channel, but today they were discussing something interesting. It was the story of a teacher who was fired because she had premarital sex. (Click here for full article.)



The school where she worked was a private Christian school, so clearly they had a moral standard to uphold; but did they go to far? Would they have fired her if she walked in and said she told a lie a few weeks earlier, even a "little white lie?" I don't think they would have. So now the lady is suing, and in this particular instance I hope she wins so much money that they rename the school after her. The school officials acted irresponsibly, but even worse, they didn't display the compassion and forgiveness that is found in the same Bible they used to condemn her. They found no room for forgiveness or reconciliation, and to make matters worse they told the entire community, including her 4th graders, what she did. Why didn't they just stamp a huge "A" on her forehead? That would have saved everybody a little time.

Don't get me wrong, I think religious institutions should have the right to be selective about who they hire; they should also have the right to fire someone who decides to live a lifestyle that is contrary to their mission. But this is not one of those situations. This lady was already an employee, an excellent one at that, and she made what she describes as a mistake. So should she be punished this severely? What type of message does that send the rest of the staff or students? Now people will be afraid to confess anything lest they be punished, embarrassed, and terminated.

Stories like this make me sad for a few reasons. The main reason is that it puts a spotlight on Christianity for all the wrong reasons. It spreads the message that "unless you are perfect, you shall be put out!" If that was the case I would've been cast out a long time ago, but I wouldn't have been alone; chances are you have committed a sin since you became a follower of Jesus, but thankfully the gospel isn't about casting out, it is about reconciliation. Are there instances where a person should be removed from the community because of sin? Of course there are, you can read of one example in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5. If you read that passage, or the others, you will see that the ultimate goal is to see the person restored to their place in the community. That doesn't seem to be the case here.

Hopefully it serves as a teaching moment and reconciliation takes place; but if it doesn't, I hope they spell her name correctly on her newly inherited school.

My Opinion.