Post Trial Interview
Reporter Returns to Appomattox
(Sarah has returned after the verdict)
Good morning. I’m back in Appomattox, Virginia — the place where our nation once laid down its divisions and began the long road back to unity. It was here that I first met Linda Wall, and it is here that I’ve returned to speak with her again — this time, after the conclusion of the trial she brought before the Church.
When we began this journey, we stood on this same soil, talking about the hope that the people of God might one day be reunited — not around a doctrine, but around Jesus Christ Himself.
Today, after the verdict has been rendered and the evidence has been weighed, I’ve asked Ms. Wall to meet me here for closure.
(Cameras are rolling.)
SARAH: Ms. Wall, now that the trial has concluded and a guilty verdict has been rendered, what do you believe this means for the Church?
LINDA: I believe we are standing in the same situation we read about in the days of King Josiah. The Book of God's Law was rediscovered in the temple. When Josiah heard the Word of God, he realized something devastating: the people of God had drifted so far from truth that they no longer recognized their own disobedience.
That is exactly what has happened in our generation. For decades, the words of Jesus, Paul, and John have been buried under tradition, emotion, and repetition. The Church has been taught escape instead of endurance and sensationalism instead of Jesus.
Today is no different from Josiah’s day, the drift is so deep that most believers don't even know anything is wrong.
SARAH: And you see the trial as part of that rediscovery?
LINDA: It could be. In 1981 the day after I surrendered to the Lord, I met with Pastor Philips. His words still ring in my ears: "Ms. Wall, you just don't know how long it has been since I saw someone truly repent."
That's all it takes, Sarah. True repentance, turning away from going in the wrong direction, and following Jesus.
SARAH: I can tell you sincerely believe the Church today is in the same position Israel was in under Josiah?
LINDA: I do. And turning back to Jesus Christ is the way to recovery for the Church. If God’s people do that, He will do the rest.
