Pastor Jamal Bryant criticizes people for mocking an ex-prostitute's testimony

According to The Christian Post, Pastor Jamal Bryant of Northwest Baltimore's Empowerment Temple says the church is failing Christians such as former prostitute Sonia Menzie. The popular pastor says his heart and spirit are broken because of the jokes and mockery made by Christians after the woman tried to give her testimony on New Year's Eve. Leaders of the church thought her testimony was too graphic, and they took the microphone away from her.

The video

The video of the part of the woman's testimony that she was allowed to give went viral after it was shared on social media by @TrevonPowell.

Pastor Bryant said several Christians sent him the video.The name of the church where she was speaking is unknown. The woman began sharing what her life was like as a former prostitute including very vivid details before her testimony was ended when church officials stopped her. The video has been shared by millions of people online as a joke.

The pastor speaks out

It is a tradition in some churches for people to stand and give their testimonies on the last night of the year. The former prostitute's story was indeed different from the other testimonies. Even so, Bryant believes Menzie's testimony should not have been treated as a laughing matter. He concluded that the church let her down her by not allowing her to finish telling where God has brought her from.

The woman, who appeared to be in her 30s, told how she lived a life of a prostitute when she was a teenager. She used words to describe the sexual acts which disturbed those in the church. The point of her testimony was that she has been delivered. When she began telling the graphic details, the associate pastor lowered the microphone.

When the woman continued with the accounts of her past behavior, the mic was taken away from her, and she was not allowed to finish.

Bryant's suggestions

Pastor Bryant argued that the church handled the situation the wrong way because the woman's testimony made church folks uncomfortable and it became entertainment for people to laugh at.

In spite of what Bryant said about what others did, he admits that the former prostitute would probably have gotten the same reaction at his church. Even though it would not have been right to cut her off in any church, Bryant suggested that maybe it is time for the churches to listen to more honest testimonies.

The pastor thinks the congregation and the people online who mocked the woman missed the point of what an honest testimony is. It is simply sharing about the deliverance from a sinful act.