Last week there was an article in the Wall Street Journal about churches across the United States that are taking a stricter approach to their congregations. In these churches, people are being publicly criticized for their sins and sometimes even shunned by the community. A woman in her seventies was banned for questioning the authority of her minister, and when she tried to return, the minister called the police to arrest her for trespassing.

I understand that churches want to promote their belief system and to create a place that is holy. But something that these churches' leaders seem to have forgotten is that all people are sinners. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," the Bible says. We are all sinners and therefore unworthy of passing judgement on our peers. That job is reserved for God. I believe that it is the responsibility of Christians to stand up for what is right and to try always to do the right thing, but shunning those that they perceive to be extra-sinful is just wrong. When Jesus walked the Earth, He was criticized by the Pharisees for hanging out with prostitutes, robbers, and other extra-bad people. But the reason He did so was because He felt they were the ones who needed Him most. A church is supposed to try to bring more people to God, but by shunning those who need God the most, they only drive more and more people away. That is not what we have been called to do.