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Church tells lesbian to dump her girlfriend or be excommunicated

Church tells lesbian to dump her girlfriend or be excommunicated

Last updated on: April 23, 2021 at 1:59 pm by Barry Duke

Church tells lesbian to dump her girlfriend or be excommunicated 2021-04-23T13:59:33+02:00 Barry Duke

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THE Woodstock Church of Christ in Georgia is playing hard to get, refusing to speak to the media after it came under fire this week for threatening to excommunicate one of its member, hairdresser Krystal Cox.

CBS46 screenshot

In a video interview with CBS46, a tearful Cox, above, who runs the popular Hair Bar Salon in Woodstock, told of how she’d received a letter from the church after it had learned that she’d divorced her husband and began dating another woman.

In the letter church elders informed her in writing of their opposition to her homosexual relationship. They told her to repent by April 30th or they would remove her as a member and inform the congregation they would no longer treat her as a sister in Christ.

Well when I opened it, I was kind of enraged. Like, why am I getting picked on and getting called out when everyone has sin?

She said that “it didn’t feel right” that the church planned to reveal her relationship to the entire congregation and tell them that she was no longer welcome.

Krystal Cox. left, and her girlfriend. Image via Instagram/Krystal Cox

Cox has decided not to return to the church.

I look at my relationship and how much love I have with her and think, how can people think this is so wrong?

I just really don’t want anything bad to come out of this. Like I want it to be good. I don’t want people to be saying ugly things to them and sending them ugly stuff. I just don’t want that, that was not my intent.

CBS46 contacted four elders of the church named in the letter sent to Cox and none of them have responded.

The Christian Post adds that Cox published the warning letter on Instagram dated April 1. In the document, Woodstock Church of Christ Elders Rick Reynolds, Gary Kyle, Don Williams and Eric Dotson explain how they have tried to reason with her about going against the church’s teachings on sexuality since last December.

As we have previously stated, we feel it is crucial to remind you that our Lord considered it vital that no one can be involved in homosexuality and be in a pleasing relationship with God.

We sent you a letter in the second week of December 2020 that was confirmed by the USPS as delivered on December 10, 2020. A copy of that letter is enclosed. In that letter, the Eldership requested an opportunity to discuss with you this situation and the condition of your soul. We have not received a response to that letter.

Material published on Woodstock Church of Christ’s website notes that:

Our authority in religious matters is found only in the inspired Scriptures. Therefore, we seek to be governed in organization, faith, worship and work by God’s holy Word.

The local congregation selected the four Woodstock Church of Christ elders to serve as pastors or overseers of the church

To teach and exhort the church in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict the truth.Elders are involved in the lives of the members, providing spiritual guidance, prayer and visits in time of sickness, comfort and support in times of bereavement, counseling, and spiritual nourishment as members experience the realities of this life.

Elders are to lead by example and will provide instruction for ‘equipping the saints for the work of ministry’ as well as provide the edification needed for healthy relationships within the church (Ephesian 4:11-12). These men are shepherds of this congregation and their primary interest is helping the souls of this congregation reach heaven together.

The elders wrote:

If we fail to hear from you by April 30, 2021, we would understand you are not repentant and do not desire to be forgiven of your sinful behavior. That being the case, an announcement to that effect will be made to the Woodstock Church of Christ on the following Sunday. We will announce that we have withdrawn fellowship from you following efforts to establish a dialogue to persuade you to repent.

Your name will be removed from our membership role [sic] until you decide to make your life right with the Lord.

It is important that you understand after fellowship has been withdrawn from you, Christians must not interact with you except to encourage you to repent and seek forgiveness (1 Corinthians 5:11-13 and Ephesians 5:11).

Since Cox publicised the letter, the church has disabled its social media accounts and website. Calls made to the elders and the church by The Christian Post on Tuesday also went unanswered.

LGBTQ advocates are now slamming the church online with negative reviews and have driven down the church’s rating on Google to two stars.

“Incredibly judgmental and close-minded,” wrote reviewer Alyssa Bowden. “Very rude. God must be very ashamed.”

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