Public repentance?

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Faithful_Fay

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Since moving, I've been visiting local churches to find a home church and ran into an interesting situation. Well, maybe mostly interesting to me since I've just recently started attending English speaking churches. I don't exactly know what the norms are in American churches.

During the service, an obviously heavily pregnant young woman stood before the church and confessed her sin of pregnancy out of wedlock before the entire (very packed) church. I must admit, I was taken aback, I've never experienced an event like that. It was such an intense and emotional moment for her and the entire congregation.

But, it left me wondering, is this a commonplace occurrence? Is the encouragement of parishioners to confess shortcomings publicly normal?

I've been doing some research and wanted to see what you all might think.
 
It doesn't mean repentance is not true because it's not public because GOD looks at the heart but if it is true and you were reborn then you would be obedient to GOD's WORD and as long as you were alive in the body in this world you seek to purify yourself(sanctification).
 
It's not a Biblically based requirement.... AND it is not "repentance."

If it is something this girl felt led by God to do, then, for her, it was the right thing to do.
 
To repent is to turn away from.

To confess appears to be what this young lady was doing. Public confession can be very difficult for people, but it is most important to confess to God, then REPENT (turn away from the sinful life) and turn to Him.
 
p_rehbein said:
To repent is to turn away from.

To confess appears to be what this young lady was doing. Public confession can be very difficult for people, but it is most important to confess to God, then REPENT (turn away from the sinful life) and turn to Him.
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I got revelation from that.Thank you :).
 
Thanks for the input, guys. From your responses, I'm gathering that this form of confessing is not typically done?

I've usually seen figures of authority within the church tell the church folk when they've stumbled, but not so much everyone else. I can't say that I feel any certain way about what I observed other than momentary discomfort since it was such a public display. I'm amazed at the woman's bravery since she didn't seem uncomfortable or forced, but who knows. Again, I am unfamiliar with the church.

Thanks, p_rehbein, for suggesting the substitution of confession for repentance.
 
This is really still pretty common in some more traditional churches...of course it comes from James where we are told to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other...But the fact that she was pregnant and unmarried, make me think she might have just been trying to get through and see if her church would still have fellowship with her...I mean eventually ..folks would have figured it out...right. I hope it did bring some healing for her and I hope she lives with more self-control.
 
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