"ABORTION IN POLITICS, PULPIT, AND PEW - A FAILURE OF DISCIPLESHIP" - by John Stonestreet and G. Shane Morris, Breakpoint.org, February 21, 2019; http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/02/breakpoint-abortion-in-politics-pulpit-and-pew/ [AS I SEE IT: Like the author of this article, I've always admired Cathollic leaders who deny commuinion to members who are in a political position to oppose abortion but instead support and even promote it. But I've always wondered why Protestant evangelical pastors don't take the same action toward members in such political positions, - in effect denying them fellowship and even membership. Also, should any member not supporting a pro-life position be denied any role of leadership in the church - whether to teach, be a deacon or elder, or even to usher. And what of members who go ahead and have an abortion themselves despite being counseled to the contrary...
Should there not be some consequence for them as well?- Stan]
Should there not be some consequence for them as well?- Stan]
I’ve talked a lot about abortion in the last month, since the New York legislature cheered it’s extreme late-term abortion bill. Part of that story was how badly the legislation reflected on Christians. Just days after touting his Roman Catholic faith in a speech, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Reproductive Health Act into law, making it legal to kill unborn babies in his state all the way up to birth.
I’m not Catholic, but I’ve long admired the Catholic Church’s moral clarity and courageous stand on behalf of unborn children. When many evangelical and Protestant churches were AWOL on abortion, Catholic theologians stood strong, denouncing it as the evil it is. Pope Paul VI went even further in his famous encyclical, Humanae Vitae, condemning the culture of death and identifying the wrong ideas about sex and the human body at its root.
In view of this history, the failure of top Catholic clergy to clearly confront and to, yes I will say it, excommunicate prominent members of their flocks like Cuomo when they openly defy church teaching on the sanctity of life is disappointing.
Thankfully, not all Catholic shepherds have been silent in recent weeks. Some, like Spokane’s Bishop Thomas Daly, spoke out boldly. In a public letter released recently, Bishop Daly urged that politicians in his diocese “who obstinately persevere in their public support for abortion should not receive Communion without first being reconciled to Christ and the Church.” He continued, “Efforts to expand access to abortion, allowing murder of children up to the moment of birth, is evil,” and “For a Catholic political leader to do so is scandalous.”
Amen! I wish we would see more of this kind of moral clarity and courage, and not just from Catholics. In many ways, most Christian denominations, and many evangelical non-denominational churches, show worrying signs that even official doctrinal stances against abortion aren’t accepted by average members.
According to a survey last year by Pew Research, a staggering 48 percent of self-identified Catholics believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Protestants aren’t doing any better. I’m not even talking about liberal mainline denominations, many of which already caved on Christian essentials and which have been mostly abandoned by Bible-believing evangelicals. Conservative churches must confront the problem in their midst as well.
Pew reports that an unbelievable 30 percent of self-identified Southern Baptists think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. For the conservative Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, it’s 46 percent. And Pew reports that a majority—54 percent—of those who belong to the Presbyterian Church in America say they support legal abortion.
Now, as Joe Carter points out at The Gospel Coalition, these numbers really are tough to believe. We’re talking here about theologically conservative denominations. Despite Pew’s excellent reputation, Carter suspects pollsters may have accidentally mixed in respondents from liberal, mainline churches.
But, even if the numbers are as much as 15 points off, they still represent a catastrophic failure of discipleship in our churches. For a third to half of Christians in officially pro-life denominations to support legal child-killing means that there is a massive disconnect between pulpit and pew.
Churches, Roman Catholic and Protestant and evangelical, ought to confront, withhold communion, and, if necessary, excommunicate members who support abortion, even those in the governor’s mansions, state legislatures, and the United States Congress. The New Testament instruction on dealing with grave and unrepentant sin includes phrases like “purge the evil person from among you,” and even “hand them over to Satan.”
But ultimately, we must deal with the failure of our churches to effectively teach a Christian view of the sanctity of life in the first place. Otherwise, public denunciations will be nothing but a band-aid—certainly not enough to stem the flow of innocent blood flowing in this country.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
RESOURCES
"American religious groups vary widely in their views of abortion" - David Masci | Pew Research Center | January 22, 2018; http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/02/breakpoint-abortion-in-politics-pulpit-and-pew/
"Why Do So Many Evangelicals Support Abortion?" - Joe Carter | The Gospel Coalition | January 23, 2018; https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/many-evangelicals-support-abortion/
"Spokane’s Plain-Spoken Shepherd Makes Waves" - Joan Frawley Desmond | National Catholic Register | February 12, 2019; http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/spokanes-plain-spoken-shepherd-makes-waves
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PRAYER MATTERS:
"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan
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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
In February, Open Doors is focusing on the Top 5 places in the world where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian. In these countries, being a follower of Jesus is a death sentence for not only you, but also your family. This month, we invite you to join your hearts with ours as we pray for believers in the darkest places.
February 23 | BANGLADESH - Most Muslim-background believers are located in remote and rural areas where they are most prone to be persecuted and isolated. Ask God to help build a strong base of lay leaders in these small congregations.
*Names changed to protect identities
STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.- 2 Tim. 4:16
SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO SUFFER
The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves “brothers” and “sisters.” A former colleague who has done considerable travel among the persecuted says, “It is hard to believe that Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today. But it is even more difficult to believe that this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services. More Christians know the names of their favorite actors than their fellow believers who are in prison.”
He continues, “With every trip something in my heart breaks as I hear the echoes of suffering:
I remember the echoes of an Egyptian mother as she shared how her young boy was stuck in a haystack because she refused to deny Jesus.
I remember the sounds of weeping as fellow students in Indonesia shared how Sariman, their co-student, was hacked to death.
I remember the cries of anguish as we walked from church to church that was burned to the ground on the island of Lombok.
I remember the tears of Rebecca in Iran as she showed the picture of her father who was stabbed to death for sharing the gospel.
I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam as he shared how he was chained to the ground for six months.
I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan as she shared how her church was attacked and her friend was shot through the head.
Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea as he shared with tears how two dear friends were executed in front of him because of their faith.
And I remember the tears of Joy in the southern Philippines as she shared how her fiancé was shot to death in their church in Mindanao.
But, most all, I remember the deafening sounds of silence every time I return home.
RESPONSE
How can I be silent today? How can I not speak on behalf of those who suffer? How can I desert those that belong to the same body that I belong to and who desperately need the encouragement of my intervention?
I’ve talked a lot about abortion in the last month, since the New York legislature cheered it’s extreme late-term abortion bill. Part of that story was how badly the legislation reflected on Christians. Just days after touting his Roman Catholic faith in a speech, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Reproductive Health Act into law, making it legal to kill unborn babies in his state all the way up to birth.
I’m not Catholic, but I’ve long admired the Catholic Church’s moral clarity and courageous stand on behalf of unborn children. When many evangelical and Protestant churches were AWOL on abortion, Catholic theologians stood strong, denouncing it as the evil it is. Pope Paul VI went even further in his famous encyclical, Humanae Vitae, condemning the culture of death and identifying the wrong ideas about sex and the human body at its root.
In view of this history, the failure of top Catholic clergy to clearly confront and to, yes I will say it, excommunicate prominent members of their flocks like Cuomo when they openly defy church teaching on the sanctity of life is disappointing.
Thankfully, not all Catholic shepherds have been silent in recent weeks. Some, like Spokane’s Bishop Thomas Daly, spoke out boldly. In a public letter released recently, Bishop Daly urged that politicians in his diocese “who obstinately persevere in their public support for abortion should not receive Communion without first being reconciled to Christ and the Church.” He continued, “Efforts to expand access to abortion, allowing murder of children up to the moment of birth, is evil,” and “For a Catholic political leader to do so is scandalous.”
Amen! I wish we would see more of this kind of moral clarity and courage, and not just from Catholics. In many ways, most Christian denominations, and many evangelical non-denominational churches, show worrying signs that even official doctrinal stances against abortion aren’t accepted by average members.
According to a survey last year by Pew Research, a staggering 48 percent of self-identified Catholics believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Protestants aren’t doing any better. I’m not even talking about liberal mainline denominations, many of which already caved on Christian essentials and which have been mostly abandoned by Bible-believing evangelicals. Conservative churches must confront the problem in their midst as well.
Pew reports that an unbelievable 30 percent of self-identified Southern Baptists think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. For the conservative Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, it’s 46 percent. And Pew reports that a majority—54 percent—of those who belong to the Presbyterian Church in America say they support legal abortion.
Now, as Joe Carter points out at The Gospel Coalition, these numbers really are tough to believe. We’re talking here about theologically conservative denominations. Despite Pew’s excellent reputation, Carter suspects pollsters may have accidentally mixed in respondents from liberal, mainline churches.
But, even if the numbers are as much as 15 points off, they still represent a catastrophic failure of discipleship in our churches. For a third to half of Christians in officially pro-life denominations to support legal child-killing means that there is a massive disconnect between pulpit and pew.
Churches, Roman Catholic and Protestant and evangelical, ought to confront, withhold communion, and, if necessary, excommunicate members who support abortion, even those in the governor’s mansions, state legislatures, and the United States Congress. The New Testament instruction on dealing with grave and unrepentant sin includes phrases like “purge the evil person from among you,” and even “hand them over to Satan.”
But ultimately, we must deal with the failure of our churches to effectively teach a Christian view of the sanctity of life in the first place. Otherwise, public denunciations will be nothing but a band-aid—certainly not enough to stem the flow of innocent blood flowing in this country.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
RESOURCES
"American religious groups vary widely in their views of abortion" - David Masci | Pew Research Center | January 22, 2018; http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/02/breakpoint-abortion-in-politics-pulpit-and-pew/
"Why Do So Many Evangelicals Support Abortion?" - Joe Carter | The Gospel Coalition | January 23, 2018; https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/many-evangelicals-support-abortion/
"Spokane’s Plain-Spoken Shepherd Makes Waves" - Joan Frawley Desmond | National Catholic Register | February 12, 2019; http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/spokanes-plain-spoken-shepherd-makes-waves
----------------------------------------
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PRAYER MATTERS:
"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan
------------------------------------------------------------
Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
In February, Open Doors is focusing on the Top 5 places in the world where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian. In these countries, being a follower of Jesus is a death sentence for not only you, but also your family. This month, we invite you to join your hearts with ours as we pray for believers in the darkest places.
February 23 | BANGLADESH - Most Muslim-background believers are located in remote and rural areas where they are most prone to be persecuted and isolated. Ask God to help build a strong base of lay leaders in these small congregations.
*Names changed to protect identities STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.- 2 Tim. 4:16
SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO SUFFER
The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves “brothers” and “sisters.” A former colleague who has done considerable travel among the persecuted says, “It is hard to believe that Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today. But it is even more difficult to believe that this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services. More Christians know the names of their favorite actors than their fellow believers who are in prison.”
He continues, “With every trip something in my heart breaks as I hear the echoes of suffering:
I remember the echoes of an Egyptian mother as she shared how her young boy was stuck in a haystack because she refused to deny Jesus.
I remember the sounds of weeping as fellow students in Indonesia shared how Sariman, their co-student, was hacked to death.
I remember the cries of anguish as we walked from church to church that was burned to the ground on the island of Lombok.
I remember the tears of Rebecca in Iran as she showed the picture of her father who was stabbed to death for sharing the gospel.
I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam as he shared how he was chained to the ground for six months.
I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan as she shared how her church was attacked and her friend was shot through the head.
Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea as he shared with tears how two dear friends were executed in front of him because of their faith.
And I remember the tears of Joy in the southern Philippines as she shared how her fiancé was shot to death in their church in Mindanao.
But, most all, I remember the deafening sounds of silence every time I return home.
RESPONSE
How can I be silent today? How can I not speak on behalf of those who suffer? How can I desert those that belong to the same body that I belong to and who desperately need the encouragement of my intervention?
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