When Faith Meets Letters: Why Some Christians Are Walking Away

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Welcome back to the Sacred Greeks Podcast. I’m Dr. Lyman A. Montgomery, and today we’re diving into a question a lot of you have been inboxing us about: what’s behind all these public renouncement videos?

Janet

And I’m Janet, hey y’all. Listen… if you’ve opened YouTube, TikTok, Instagram in the last year, you done seen it. Folks in letters crying on camera, burning jackets, cutting up line shirts, saying, “I renounce this in the name of Jesus.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Exactly. We’re not here to mock anybody’s tears or question whether they’re sincere. Some of these brothers and sisters are genuinely wrestling with God. That’s holy ground. But we do need to slow down and ask: why is this blowing up right now?

Janet

Right. ‘Cause baby, it’s a whole wave. You got long testimony videos, “God told me leave my org.” You got quick clips, “POV: When the Holy Spirit shows you Greek life is demonic.” And that stuff spreads fast, especially to young Christians who already feel nervous about going Greek.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

I see at least three streams coming together. One is genuine spiritual concern: people opening their Bible for the first time around this topic, asking, “What did I actually vow? What do these symbols mean? Did I compromise?” Those are real questions.

Janet

Then you add social media on top of it. The algorithm loves drama. A quiet, thoughtful Bible study about this? Fifty views. A tearful “I escaped a satanic cult” story? That might hit half a million. So the loudest, most extreme voices rise to the top, and it shapes the narrative.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Third piece is pressure—from church and from unresolved pain. Some of you went through hazing that honestly was abusive. You were humiliated, maybe physically harmed. Now you get saved or go deeper in your walk with Christ, and all that buried pain comes rushing back.

Janet

Mmm, yeah, let’s park there for a second. Some of y’all aren’t just wrestling with theology; you’re wrestling with trauma. You can’t unsee what you saw, can’t unknot what your body went through on somebody’s “process.” And instead of having a safe space to heal, you got churches saying, “Either those letters go or you go.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

So you end up with this swirl: spiritual fear, social media extremism, church ultimatum, plus unhealed wounds. And that swirl can make everything feel very “all or nothing.” Either you are a sold-out Christian who burns your paraphernalia on camera, or you’re a compromised, lukewarm Greek. That’s the false choice many people are being given.

Janet

Which is wild when you remember the history. These same Divine Nine orgs helped Black folks get through Jim Crow, fight for civil rights, build schools, hospitals, scholarships. My own family—whew—half the people that kept food on our table were educated ‘cause some Black Greek gave them a scholarship.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

That’s right. BGLOs have never been perfect. We can acknowledge problems—elitism, hazing, pride—without pretending they did nothing for the Black community. There’s a difference between honest critique and rewriting history to say, “It was all demonic from day one.”

Janet

But the climate right now is suspicion and fear. “If you wear letters, you’re worshiping idols.” “If you step, you’re doing witchcraft.” People saying, “I didn’t know, now God showed me, so EVERYBODY still in must be blind.” That’s that all-or-nothing rhetoric, and it’s hurting people on both sides.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

So today, we want to sit right in the tension. We’re not here to tell you, “Stay no matter what,” and we’re not here to say, “If you leave, you’re weak.” We want to help you slow down, think biblically, and separate spiritual conviction from emotional reaction and online pressure.

Janet

And if you’re listening like, “That’s me, I’m in the middle of that swirl,” I want you to stay with us. Don’t click off after one soundbite on TikTok and build your whole theology from a ninety-second clip. Let’s take a breath, open the Word, and talk like family.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Let’s get into the big theological claim that’s driving most of these renouncement videos: “All Black Greek Letter Organizations are idolatrous and demonic.” People point to three things—vows, symbols, and secrecy.

Janet

Yep. The vows piece sounds like, “You made a covenant with this org, pledged your life, your body, your soul.” Then they pull a few dramatic phrases from rituals—sometimes out of context—to say, “See? You swore allegiance to something other than God.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Then the symbols. Folks zoom in on every crest, every hand sign, every Greek letter. “That looks like this pagan symbol; that reminds me of that false god.” And the logic becomes, “If any symbol anywhere ever had a pagan use, then your org is automatically satanic.”

Janet

And secrecy—Lord. “If it’s secret, it must be occult.” They’ll say, “If you can’t tell me every detail of your ritual on TikTok, then you’re clearly hiding something evil.” Now, do we need to talk about what’s appropriate to pledge, how far language goes, and what’s healthy? Absolutely. But that blanket jump from “secret” to “satanic” is a leap.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Here’s where we have to be careful. Some Christians genuinely read Scripture, pray, look at their org’s practices and say, “For ME, this feels like idolatry. My heart is too attached. I can’t participate in good conscience.” That is a valid personal conviction.

Janet

But some of what I’m seeing online is not just conviction. It’s church hurt. It’s hazing trauma. It’s shame. Somebody got called out in their church, or they never felt fully saved because they were Greek, and now renouncing becomes a way to finally feel accepted, finally belong, finally be “one of the holy ones.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

And hurt can dress itself up as revelation. “God showed me ALL BGLOs are demonic” might, underneath, be “I was deeply wounded and never processed it, and condemning the whole system makes my pain feel justified.” I’m not saying that’s always the case, but we have to at least ask the question: am I being led by the Spirit, or driven by my scars?

Janet

Yeah, ‘cause if every “word from the Lord” you get just so happens to validate your bitterness, that might not be Jesus talking. I say that with love. I’ve had to check my own heart like, “Girl, that’s not discernment, that’s just you mad.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

So how does the Bible help us here? Let’s start with Romans 14. Paul is talking about believers arguing over food, holy days, external practices. Some thought eating certain meat was sinful, others felt free. Paul doesn’t just pick a side and cancel the other group. He says, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind,” and “Who are you to judge another man’s servant?”

Janet

In plain language: some stuff is clearly sin—no debate. But there’s a whole category of issues where it comes down to conscience and context. For some, participation is sin because of what it does in THEIR heart. For others, it’s not. And Paul’s saying, “Don’t despise each other over that.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Exactly. First Corinthians 8 hits the same theme. There, the hot topic is meat offered to idols. Paul says, “We know an idol is nothing,” but some believers still felt defiled. His solution? Knowledge plus love. If your freedom makes your brother stumble, limit your freedom out of love. But again, he doesn’t say the meat itself is automatically cursed. He’s after the heart and the impact on others.

Janet

So if we bring that to Greek life: one Christian might say, “This ritual language, these practices—my spirit can’t rest. I need to step away.” Another might say, “I can serve God wholeheartedly here, challenge anything unbiblical, and be light.” Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 say: respect both convictions and don’t play Holy Ghost police over each other.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Colossians 2:16–23 rounds it out. Paul says, “Don’t let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival.” He warns about people who take pride in harsh rules—“Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”—but those rules, he says, have “an appearance of wisdom” yet don’t actually change the heart.

Janet

That one hits this whole, “If you were REALLY saved, you’d tear up your membership card on live.” Paul is like, adding extra rules and spiritual posturing doesn’t make you more holy. Christ does. Now, if the Lord truly convicts you to leave, obey Him. But making up a new rule—“No real Christian can be Greek”—and acting like that’s Bible? That’s not what Colossians teaches.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

So, are there real questions about vows, symbols, secrecy? Yes. Should you study them and weigh them against Scripture? Absolutely. But labeling every BGLO as automatically idolatrous and every member as demonized goes beyond what the Bible clearly says. We’re back to conscience, liberty, and love, not fear-based blanket judgments.

Janet

Let’s talk real practical. Somebody’s listening like, “Okay, I hear y’all. But I still feel this tug to leave. Do I HAVE to hop online, do a thirty-minute expose, and call everybody else deceived?”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Short answer? No. You can obey God quietly. You can send a formal resignation letter, step back from activity, process it with your pastor or a trusted mentor, and never make a single post about it. Heaven still records your obedience even if Instagram doesn’t.

Janet

Say that again for the folks in the cheap seats. Everybody doesn’t need a platform. Now, if part of your story is sharing how God walked you through it, fine. But there’s a difference between testimony and public condemnation. “Here’s what God did in ME” is different from “God told me you’re all in a cult.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

And if you stay, staying doesn’t mean you ignore problems. You might need to challenge language in rituals, refuse to participate in anything that looks like abuse, or advocate for reform in your chapter. You may feel called to be salt and light right there. Romans 14 gives room for that kind of nuanced obedience.

Janet

Either way—leaving or staying—you gotta do some heart work first. Let me just run through some questions I ask my mentees. Number one: Am I making this decision mainly out of fear of people? Fear of my pastor, my parents, social media comments?

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Number two: Have I actually studied this for myself? Not just binge-watched renouncement videos or listened to pro-Greek voices. Have I opened the Bible, read Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8, Colossians 2, and asked, “What is God saying to ME?”

Janet

Number three: Have I dealt with my hurt? If you were hazed, humiliated, or spiritually shamed, have you sat with a counselor, a wise elder, someone safe, to process that? ‘Cause if not, you might be calling trauma “discernment.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

And number four: Who’s walking with me? Big decisions like this shouldn’t be made in isolation or in echo chambers. Get counsel from mature believers who aren’t trying to control you—people who can say, “I love you whether you stay or go, but let’s make sure you’re hearing God, not just the algorithm.”

Janet

I also tell folks, test your motives by your mouth. If the main fruit of your decision is pride—“Look how much holier I am since I left”—or bitterness—“I can’t stand those folks anymore”—you might need to hit pause. The Holy Spirit leads us into truth, but He also grows love, joy, peace, patience… not just spiritual arrogance.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Here’s how I’d sum it up: Leaving can be a faithful act of obedience. Staying can also be a faithful act of obedience. But rewriting history and demonizing everyone who makes a different choice? That’s not faithful. That’s flesh.

Janet

Whew. You might need to rewind that one. Look, family, you don’t have to choose between your faith and your legacy in a panic. You can move slow, with wisdom.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

In my book, Sacred, Not Sinful, I walk through what I call the PROOF framework to help you process this stuff step by step. We don’t have time to unpack it all here, but if you’re wrestling—really wrestling—go to SacredGreeks.com and click on the “Start Here” section. That’s your on-ramp. Let’s study deeply before we decide dramatically.

Janet

Yeah, don’t let TikTok be your only theologian. Take your time, get the book, walk through PROOF, pray, journal, talk to wise folks. And whatever you decide, decide in faith, not fear.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

We’re gonna keep having these conversations, y’all. This is not the last word, just today’s word. Janet, thank you for bringing that big sister wisdom as always.

Janet

And thank you for pastoring us through the Scriptures, Doc. Alright family, we love you, we’re praying for you, and we’ll see you next time on the Sacred Greeks Podcast.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Grace and peace, everyone. Take care.