Public Renouncement or Public Performance? Social Media, Conviction, and the BGLO Debate

Janet

Alright family, welcome back to the Sacred Greeks Podcast. I’m Janet, and I’m sittin’ here with my brother, Dr. Lyman Montgomery.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Hey everybody, glad to be back. This one might step on a few toes, but we’re gonna do it in love.

Janet

In love… but for real. So today we’re talkin’ about this wave of public renouncements—folks gettin’ on social media, makin’ big declaration videos about leavin’ organizations, especially the Black Greek world.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Yeah. And what we’re asking is: why is so much of this happening online instead of in the prayer closet, the pastor’s office, or just in quiet reflection before God?

Janet

See, I’m old-school church. When the Lord was dealin’ with you, you went to that little side room in the back with the tissue box. You cried it out, got some counsel, maybe you testified later. But the process started private.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Exactly. Now we’ve shifted into what I’d call “announcement culture.” The first impulse is, “Let me go live. Let me post a three-part series. Let me change my bio so everybody knows where I stand.”

Janet

And social media loves that. The algorithms reward the dramatic stuff. You say, “Hey, I had a nuanced, thoughtful journey with the Lord,” that might get five likes. You say, “I broke this covenant with darkness,” that thing goes viral.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Right. Bold, absolute statements… they get shares, comments, duets, reaction videos. The platform literally feeds on intensity. So even if a person starts from a sincere place, they can get swept into what I’d call digital validation—“Look how many people are affirming my decision; this must be God.”

Janet

Mmm. And that’s where we gotta slow down. Because Jesus actually warned us about doing spiritual things to be seen. Matthew 6:1 says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them…” Otherwise you already got your reward.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

That’s it. If the main goal becomes visibility instead of obedience, the algorithm becomes your audience—and your judge. And then Galatians 1:10 hits us: “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? … If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Janet

So when you feel stirred—about Greek life, about any affiliation—the first question isn’t, “How fast can I post this?” It’s, “Lord, are You dealing with me… or am I just responding to what’s trending?”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

And we’re not saying there’s never a place for public testimony. There absolutely is. But if the process skips prayer, skips Scripture, skips wise counsel, and goes straight to “hit record,” that’s a red flag.

Janet

Yup. Some of y’all are making spiritual decisions with comment sections as your confirmation. I say that with love. The applause feels like anointing, but those are not the same thing.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

So today we’re gonna keep circling back to one key question: In all this public renouncing, are we seeking obedience to God… or approval from an audience?

Janet

Sit with that, y’all. Because how you answer that shapes everything else we’re about to talk through.

Janet

Alright, let’s dig into how these videos actually sound. A lot of them start in a place that, honestly, I respect. Someone says, “Y’all, God’s been dealing with me. I can’t keep doing this, I don’t feel peace about my letters, my rituals, my involvement.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Yes. That “I can’t continue in this” language—that’s personal testimony. That can be valid conviction. God does lead individuals differently at times.

Janet

But then, somewhere in the edit, that “I” turns into “you.” It shifts into, “No REAL Christian should be in a fraternity or sorority,” or, “If you’re still Greek, you’re blind, you’re in covenant with demons,” all of that.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

And now we’ve crossed a line. Romans 14:4 asks, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master they stand or fall…” In other words, that brother or sister in Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta, Delta—they ultimately answer to God, not to your comment section.

Janet

Come on. And James 4:11 says, “Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.” When you go from, “Here’s what God showed me,” to, “These folks are deceived, demonic, not real Christians,” that’s not just testimony anymore—that’s public accusation.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Conviction is personal, humble, and specific. It sounds like, “I studied this, I prayed, I sought counsel, and in my conscience, I cannot remain.” It leaves room for, “God may be dealing with you differently.”

Janet

Condemnation? That’s loud, sweeping, absolute. It says, “No Christian anywhere, under any circumstance, can be in a BGLO and be right with God.” There’s no nuance, no curiosity, no, “Help me understand your walk.” Just verdict.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

And let’s name the impact. Young believers watch these videos and think, “Wait… my aunt who’s been a deaconess for 30 years and she’s a Delta—is she secretly in witchcraft?” You create confusion in people who were walking faithfully and peacefully with God.

Janet

And then you got faithful Christians in BGLOs who love Jesus, serve their communities, disciple students on campus. They log on and suddenly they’re being called compromisers or idolaters by folks who’ve never even sat down with them.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

That produces shame and unnecessary division in the body of Christ. Over letters. Over paraphernalia. Over narratives that might be based on one person’s pain or one negative experience, then projected onto millions of believers.

Janet

And here’s the thing—I’ve worked in social work long enough to know: many of us tell our story from our wounds, not our scars. When you speak out of fresh hurt and then universalize it—“No Christian should ever…”—you’re putting your trauma on everybody else’s theology.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

So if God has called you personally out of a BGLO, steward that testimony carefully. Share it as YOUR journey, not as the final word on what God can or cannot do with Christians who stayed.

Janet

Because the moment your conviction becomes a measuring stick for everybody else’s salvation, you’ve moved from witness… to judge. And that’s a role none of us are qualified to hold.

Janet

So let’s talk about what’s actually driving all this renouncement content. ‘Cause it’s not just “God told me” in every case.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Yeah, I usually see three big drivers. First: personal pain or trauma. Maybe something ugly happened during intake, maybe there was hazing, maybe there was betrayal or church hurt tied to Greek life.

Janet

And pain is real. If you were harmed, it makes sense that you start seeing the whole organization through that lens. But that’s different from, “I’ve carefully studied Scripture and history and here’s what I concluded.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Second driver: pressure from church or spiritual authorities. Some pastors or online ministers strongly preach that all BGLOs are inherently evil. If you’re under that teaching, you might feel like, “If I don’t renounce publicly, I’m disobeying God,” even if you’re still wrestling inside.

Janet

And then the third one—let’s just call it what it is—is the trend cycle. You see one renouncement video do big numbers, then another, then a whole series. You start thinking, “Maybe I should say something too… maybe that’s the bold stand God wants from me.”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Proverbs 18:13 warns us, “To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.” So before we “answer” publicly about Greek life, have we really listened—to Scripture, to both sides, to the Spirit?

Janet

And 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us God didn’t give us a spirit of fear. If your move is driven mainly by fear—fear of hell, fear of people, fear of cancellation—that’s not the Holy Spirit’s fruit, even if the video sounds super spiritual.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

So, what does responsible discernment look like? A few things. One: study before you denounce. Don’t build your whole theology on a 60‑second clip or one book—mine included. Go to the Word. Read, pray, cross‑reference.

Janet

Two: define terms biblically. When you say “idolatry,” “covenant,” “altar,” make sure you’re using those the way Scripture does, not just the way a viral post did.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

Three: separate symbolism from worship. Just because something has symbols, hand signs, calls, doesn’t automatically mean it’s worship. The real question is: Who or what has your heart’s ultimate allegiance?

Janet

And four: distinguish cultural critique from spiritual warfare. You might have legit concerns about how some Greeks act on your campus—that’s culture. That doesn’t automatically mean every Greek letter event is a demonic portal. I know somebody just clutched their pearls, but it’s true.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

In my book Sacred, Not Sinful, I use the PROOF framework to help people walk this out—asking hard questions about Purpose, Ritual, Oath, Order, and Fruit. We won’t re-teach that here, but that kind of structured discernment is way healthier than impulse decisions.

Janet

And while everybody’s watching the folks leavin’, we forget: there are a LOT of believers who stayed. Faithful Christians in BGLOs, livin’ quiet, steady lives—servin’, prayin’, mentoring, not conflicted, not double‑minded.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

1 Thessalonians 4:11 tells us to “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life…” Quiet faithfulness doesn’t trend, but heaven sees it. Just because their story isn’t viral doesn’t mean it’s less valid.

Janet

So if you’re wrestling right now, hear this: Do not make a permanent, public decision in an emotional season. Before you hit “post,” ask, “Is this conviction shaped by Scripture, or pressure shaped by applause?”

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

If you need help sorting that out, start with some tools: go to SacredGreeks.com, read Sacred, Not Sinful, and walk through the Christian Greek Life Study Guide—ideally with a mature believer or small group.

Janet

Let God speak in the secret place before you speak to the timeline. If He’s truly callin’ you out, obey Him. But if it’s just the algorithm callin’… baby, you can ignore that call.

Dr. Lyman Montgomery

We’re gonna keep having these conversations—honest, biblical, and balanced. Janet, always a joy to wrestle through this with you.

Janet

Same here, Doc. Alright y’all, take this, pray on it, and we’ll see you next time on the Sacred Greeks Podcast.