BY MEEHOO
BERRIEN SPRINGS—In a dramatic demonstration of solidarity, support, and Christian love during a special service on Friday, the united Seminary student and faculty body courageously overcame the shock and revulsion they experienced after 2nd-year seminarian Nicholas Stinson concluded a session of public confession by confessing to a pornography addiction, and proceeded to minister to the three other students who had confessed sins before Stinson spoke up.
The session of public confession came at the behest of Dr. Linus Gallaway, who preached a sermon based on James 5:16. During his sermon, Dr. Gallaway outlined the importance of exposing hidden sins to light. His appeal prompted one confession of anger and domestic abuse, one confession of envy, one confession of sloth, and one confession of pornography addiction, which soured the mood of goodwill and support the seminary body had been feeling toward the confessors up till now.
“Eric Rashore was crying and saying that he didn’t want to hit his wife anymore, and he needed help controlling his anger, and me and a whole bunch of students were just about to move in and comfort him,” said Sally Newman, “but before we could that Stinson stood and blurted out his confession, and that just sucked the life out of things. You could hear a pin drop. Then we got this disgusted, slimy feeling in our stomachs.”
Other students reported similar reactions. Jason Vasquez was on his way to pray with Aaron Williams, a self-sponsored student who confessed to bankrupting his family in order to keep up with the iphones, cars, clothes, and other fortunes of a sponsored rival with a guaranteed prestigious job, when Stinson confessed.
“My heart was overflowing for Aaron, and I wanted to do my Christian responsibility to help him. But then Stinson spoke, and all of a sudden, I felt nauseous. I mean, that dude watches what? What’s this hypocrite doing in the Seminary?”
“Forget that, what’ll he do in ministry?” added Professor Samantha Kim, who was offering to be an accountability partner to Michelle Smith when Stinson’s addiction hit. Smith confessed to an addiction to TV, media, and romance novels that sucked up hours of her day at the expense of homework, children, husband, and house.
Students report that Stinson’s confession hit them like a revolting blow, and many detailed the vast emotional struggles they had to decide if or not they wanted to go on assisting every other student but Stinson. The fiercest struggle was fought by Professor Kim, who actually had to pass by Stinson on her way to the pew where Smith was.
“I did not want to get anywhere near that guy,” Kim said. “It was a struggle just to put one foot in front of the other.”
But shock and disgust proved no match for the united might of the bretheren, who bravely soldiered on to their ministry targets, put Stinson out of mind, and initiated support. Soon, circles had formed around Eric, Williams, and Kim. Comforting words were spoken. Hands were laid. Prayers were said. Accountability partners were set up. Tears flowed from the confessors, 3/4ths of whose faces now shone with renewed hope in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit and the strong support of people who cared, understood, and were willing to go out of their way to help.
For his part, Stinson, sat quietly alone in a row of four cleared-out pews with his head down, though several students noticed how a beam of light from one of the windows emitted an uncanny likeliness of a strange, shining being sitting by Stinson and covering him with its wings. But this was dismissed as an optical illusion or an application of 2 Corinthians 11:14.
“I just want to be free,” said Stinson, looking wistfully at the prayer and accountability partners of those who confessed to other sins. “But I guess mine isn’t a sin that we’re willing to talk about and assist with yet.”
“Perhaps the Seminary beat the stats when it comes to pornography,” he added, before slowly walking out of the chapel by himself.
