NY Preacher Pregnant Out Of Wedluck Refuses To Step Down from Pulpit

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A female preacher in New York who has become pregnant outside of wedlock is refusing to step down from the pulpit, stating that she is not “sorry or ashamed.” Desiree Allen serves as the pastor of arts and spiritual formation at First Corinthian Baptist Church in New York City, which also runs the non-profit Dream Center in Harlem, reports Christian News. 

Recently, Allen, who is engaged to be married, wrote a blog post outlining that she had discovered in May that she had become pregnant with twins. “My immediate reaction was shock. This was not planned. Yes, I know it’s a potential consequence of having sex, but not one readily expected,” Allen wrote. “With the exception of living a pretty much celibate lifestyle in my twenties I had been having sex on and off since I was 15 and had never been pregnant. In fact, I assumed when I was ready it would be very hard for me to conceive. Boy, did I miscalculate that.”

“What had my stomach turning, other than nausea, was me being pregnant and a pastor,” Allen outlined. “Let’s face it. The Church has not had a good track record of accepting unmarried women who got pregnant. If you’ve been in church for any period of time, you’ve heard or witnessed the aftermath. Shunning, slut shaming, being sat down from your position, having to go up in front of the church and confess your sin, etc. etc.”

Allen has chosen to hold her head up high during this time. "I decided I was going to walk with my head held high, because I was proud and excited to be pregnant,” Allen wrote. “Often, when people think you’ve done something wrong or have sinned they want you to walk around with your head low in guilt. Otherwise, how would THEY know you were sorry? Well, I wasn’t sorry or ashamed. Shame and happiness cannot reside in the same place.”