Does Paul excommunicating a man who slept with his father’s wife shows that the Church should be strict and exclusive? Many would kick certain sinners out, but which sins and where would we draw a line? Too many Christians make Paul the last word, rather than Jesus. There may indeed be a rare time when the only choice is to sadly ask someone to leave. However, that is the exception and not the rule. The rule is the example that Jesus set, not Paul. In Luke 15:1-10 Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them without judgment. The debate between inclusion and exclusion is 2,000 years old. Should the Church be small-minded and exclusive or welcoming and inclusive? How can we choose? Which way should a church really be? Shall we begin with Jesus’ rule rather than Paul’s exception?
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