David J. Stewart #fundie stewart1611.blogspot.com

I have lived on the island of Guam since 2004. There's a big independent Baptist church down the street from me—Harvest Baptist Church (founded in 1975). They are all Bob Jones University graduates. In 2014 the pastors kicked me out of their church, merely because I am King James Bible only in my beliefs, and I sometimes kindly shared my views with adult people I sat next to in church. This is America, not communist North Korea. There is a cult mentality of control at BJU. Even as a 47 year old man (at the time in 2014), I was not allowed to share my differing opinions with people at Harvest Baptist Church on Guam. I would never try to intentionally influence or contradict what the pastors preach from their own church pulpit, but what I share with people in private conversations is not their business nor right to control. I was just being myself.

I was confronted by the pastors and accused of causing "divisiveness" and "confusion." Sadly, the pastors were glad to see me go. I wept much as I left with a broken heart. I had just lost my church family, where I had attended and grown to love them for one year. But I was lonely and hurting to have a church family, with nowhere else to go. So in 2017, I begged Senior Pastor, Marty Herron, three times to please let me return. I apologized and poured out my heart. He cruelly refused. I think the problem is that as human beings, we tend to prioritize everything over caring for and loving each other. That is the defining quality that is supposed to separate Christians from the world, love. Faith and love.

I also shared my humble emails with two of their associate pastors, pleading for a second chance. I promised to keep my opinions to myself. I mentioned to them that I am a graduate of Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993), and I humbly pleaded for an opportunity to serve Jesus in the church voluntarily for free, even if just to gladly clean toilets. Pastor Herron coldly said to: "Go elsewhere." He spelled my name as "david" (with a lowercase d in disrespect). When I kindly emailed him back, he totally ignored me and refused to respond anymore.

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