Judge in Terri Schiavo Case Quits Baptist Church He Attended

What prompted him to withdraw his membership was a chain of events that began with some scathing editorial comment from The Saint Petersburg Times about his handling of the Terri Schindler-Schiavo matter. He said:

If I don't like what the St. Pete Times writes about me, my only recourse is to cancel my subscription.

And he said it to a church deacon, informing him that he would no longer pay his tithes and offerings. Naturally the pastor wrote him and asked him whether he cared to remain a member, if such would be his attitude. And he said, "No."

Frankly the pastor ought to have initiated Matthew 18 proceedings against him long ago. When a man persists in public sin and brings scandal on the Body of Christ as a result, first you tell him about it privately, then you tell him about it in front of a witness, and finally you bring the matter to the full church. And if he still does not listen, you say good-bye. [Matthew 18:15-20]