A viral video of Pastor Terry Jackson of True Vine Apostolic Church of Christ, Hampton, Virginia, publicly rebuking a young woman for being pregnant outside wedlock has sparked outrage and debate on social media.
The footage, which reportedly happened on Sunday, shows the pastor instructing the visibly emotional woman to address the congregation.
Standing at the centre of the church, she tearfully apologised, saying, “I want to apologise to everybody in here because I am pregnant. I’m sorry, y’all. I just hope that y’all forgive me. Keep on praying for me.”
In his response, Jackson condemned her actions, describing the situation as “out of order.”
He further declared that the church would not celebrate her pregnancy with events like a baby shower.
“If you sin, you don’t wait later to repent. We don’t condone sin. Ain’t no baby showers. That’s what you lose when you have a baby out of wedlock, ain’t nobody in this church bout to attend one.”
“Thank God that God didn’t take you out of here,” the pastor said.
The video has drawn widespread criticism, with many accusing the pastor of public shaming.
Others supported his approach, arguing it was necessary for discipline.
A commenter on Instagram, blk_charleston, wrote, “Why does she need people’s forgiveness? Did they die for her sins?”
Deedle, tweeting as @VanillaDeedle, “Why does she have to apologise for her sin in front of everyone in the church?? All those people sitting in those pews should be up there confessing theirs also. You know they’re all full of sin as we all are.”
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Republican Rach 
, tweeting as @patrioticmaine, “You can condemn the sin of sex outside of marriage without condemning the individual or the innocent life she is carrying. Nothing a bout this is biblical or Christlike.”
On X, The Watcher, tweeting as @bythebookjulie,”The Pastor of True Vine is a hundred per cent correct. Sometimes it takes shaming bad choices that will effect the lives of everyone else and her future generations!”
Despite church members seemingly in agreement with the pastor’s actions, Black Twitter was not as kind. X user, @nitaliciousss, said “Making a teen girl come up to the front of the church to apologize for being pregnant out of wedlock makes want to b*rn every church DOWN.”
Another user, @NinaBrown101, agreed, saying “Extremist practices like this are seen within cults.”
After the Sunday, Jan. 5 incident, one man even took matters into his own hands and confronted the pastor for embarrassing the young girl… but it didn’t go exactly as planned.
In a video he took confronting Pastor Jackson, the man asked “Are you the pastor that publicly shamed that lady?” He was eventually kicked out the church by “the church goons,” as he called them.
Despite the outrage, True Vine Apostolic Church wasn’t the first nor is it the only church set in such an old-school practice. But in light of the bad press True Vine is receiving, X user @gorgeous_enigma said she hopes this doesn’t stop people from attending church.
“Lord, I didn’t know they still do this. I hate how this will reach so many ppl and keep them turned away from the church,” she wrote.
Another user said this is exactly why so many young folks have turned their back on the church in the first place. “And ppl wonder why so many in the younger generations don’t go to church! Who are they for her to be apologizing to?” wrote @adoseofmeaux on X.
She even posed a question that so many online are curious about: where was the unborn child’s father in all of the madness?? One user @Fancy_That1989 even said “So why isn’t the man who impregnated her not up there with her? It takes two to tango.”
In response to the foolishness, the girl’s own mother came out on Facebook telling people to mind their business. On Facebook, Dee Myles wrote “I do want you to know that you all are interrupting my peace and is causing more damage than good.”
The woman continued saying her daughter “willingly approached the congregation and was welcomed and embraced with open arms. I stand on what I’ve been taught, and I’m raising my daughter to do the same.”
The pregnant woman has yet to come forward and speak on the matter. But in the meantime, she has the support of many in the community and online who continue to come to her defense.
