Princess gets restraining order
The Witness, October 19, 1998
A year ago, a pleasant, vibrant woman named Princess Davis began attending First Congregational Church UCC in Sharon, Massachusetts. Thinking that her enthusiasm for Jesus Christ would be welcome, she plunged into a Bible study group at the church, sharing her faith freely both with other members of the congregation and Pastor John Condon. But when Princess raised questions about Pastor Condon’s own belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, he became extremely defensive and made Princess well aware that her evangelical convictions were not acceptable at First Congregational.
Pastor Condon made his views known to the church in a letter in which he said, “IT IS TIME for us as Christians to say that it is NOT a Christian thing to do to try to make everyone else in the world Christian … it is NOT a Christian thing to do to tell other religious people they are wrong.” [Emphasis his.] He concluded his epistle by saying, “It is time for Christians to know their Bibles do not encourage them to make judgments about other people, and rather respect them, listen to them, possibly even learn from them.”
But apparently Rev. Condon’s tolerance didn’t extend to his new parishioner. When Princess was not easily dissuaded from participation in church life he took an active role in literally forcing her out of the church with a restraining order!
In March, Ms. Davis received a threatening letter from the Diaconate of First Congregational which read in part, “It has come to the Board’s attention that over the last several months, you have conducted yourself in respects that are detrimental to, and destructive of, the church community. The Board has further learned that when you were confronted on the matter of your inappropriate conduct, you directly refused to correct and conform your conduct to acceptable Church and Christian norms, including tolerance and respect for differing views on religious and spiritual matters. The Board is informed, in fact, that you insisted that you intended to continue your effort to change the members and leadership of the Church to what you regarded as the correct path. … “For these reasons, the Board of Deacons has determined to instruct you, by this letter, that you are no longer welcomed or invited to attend services at the First Congregational Cchurch of Sharon, and that you are no longer welcomed or invited to attend Church related activities whether they take place on Church property or other locations.The Board of Deacons hopes that you will honor this instruction. Should you not, the Church reserves its legal rights against you, including its seeking your prosecution for criminal trespass.”
The letter was copied to the Sharon Police Department.
Not all members at Sharon agreed with the highly unusual action of the Diaconate. At least one member wrote in response “Wow! Can it be that I am the only one to see the irony of your letter to Princess Davis? Can it be possible that during Lent, a religious group frustrated over an upstart preacher, threatens that person with arrest and persecution because their leader is afraid and cannot (or will not) understand that person’s perspective, in direct difference with his beliefs? What exactly are the leader’s beliefs? Are any with strong beliefs not welcome? … Can it be that the same group accuses that person of intolerance and disrespect yet they themselves cannot tolerate any differing opinion? Give us Barrabas! … While I disagree (strongly) with Princess Davis’ theology, I have always found that she is a lady and well sopken. I honor her in her beliefs … However, I find the lack of leadership in religious issues in our church to be deplorable. We accept the status quo; we are so afraid of challenging members that we bend over backwards to accommodate everyone. No, obviously not everyone.”
Another member, Johyn Messenger wrote, “I join you in deploring the fact that many people who call themselves Christians are overly critical or judgmental of others … However, to the extent that your letter seems to suggest that Christianity is at bottom nothing more than a vague ethical system that teaches people to be nice and get along with other, and discourages its adherents from holding or expressing any opinion with which others might disagree, even about ‘faith and religion,’ I must strongly object. Christianity since its inception has been rooted in and energized by a story, an account of a message the truth and importance of which underlie everything else. Mankind has sinned and is under judgment from a just and holy God, Who in His love and mercy sent His son Jesus to die on the cross in atonement for our sins. Through His death and resurrection, Christ has conquered sin and death, and represents the way of salvation unto eternal life for those who believe in Him. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. This story is not the recent creation of some fanatical cult or sect; it is the … doctrine taught by the Church universal down through the centuries.”
Princess has since found fellowship in another church, but she wrote to say, “Greetings in that wonderful name we love so much – Jesus! He is indeed Lord … although I’ve been given the left foot of fellowship, First Congregational will never be the same because ‘His Word will not return void,’ and it has been planted there. They kicked me out, but the Lord is still there and at work. Please keep praying for them.”