Uniting for Life
Winter, 1994
Articles
Rev. Ben Sheldon Accepts Position
of Executive Director For National Pro-Life Religious Council
The Rev. Benjamin Sheldon, recently retired as pastor of
the Bethany Collegiate Presbyterian Church in Havertown, Pennsylvania,
has accepted the post of Executive Director of the National
Pro-Life Religious Council. Rev. Sheldon is one of the founding
members of NPRC and is also the president of Presbyterians
Pro-Life.
The vision of NPRC is that every Christian denomination or
fellowship proclaim and obey Biblical teaching and historic
Christian tradition that affirms the sacred value of all human
life, and that they encourage public involvement in defense
of the lives of the unborn, disabled and elderly. Rev. Sheldon
recently said that he wants to see this vision come to fruition
through the cooperative efforts of the groups comprising NPRC.
Election 1994 -- Big Win for
Pro-Life
(Nov. 9) A deep and thunderous pro-life voice rolled across
our country on Tuesday, November 8. Not one pro-life incumbent
of either party was defeated by a pro-abortion opponent, while
about 30 pro-abortion incumbents lost their seats to pro-life
challengers. Out of 48 House seats open due to the incumbent
retiring or running for another office, 35 were won by candidates
who oppose federal-funding of abortion, the Freedom of Choice
Act, and abortion in health care. The net gain is about 40
seats in the House. On the Senate side, the net gain for pro-life
forces is six seats. Of the 11 newly-elected senators, only
one has a pro-abortion position. In an election dominated
by Republican victories, pro-life Democratic candidates did
quite well, relative to their pro-abortion party colleagues.
Another remarkable aspect of this year's election is that
six pro-life women were elected to Congress while eight pro-abortion
women were defeated. In spite of the fact that more American
women are against abortion than for it, Congress has not reflected
this in the women representatives and senators previously
elected.
In the governors' races, 14 pro-life governors were elected
which brings the total to 19 pro-life governors, with 28 pro-abortion
governors, and 3 with mixed record.
Congress has now clearly shifted in a pro-life direction.
However, President Clinton retains the veto power. Several
supporters of the "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA) legislation
that would extend Roe v. Wade even further and invalidate
all state restrictions on abortion, were defeated by candidates
who oppose the abortion agenda of the current administration.
Also many incumbents who had worked for federally-mandated
abortion in health care were defeated.
Poll after poll has shown that the majority of Americans
do not support abortion-on-demand, and are particularly opposed
to tax-funding of abortions. Americans will now have representation
in Congress that reflects that view.
Presbyterians Pro-Life
Adopt a "Call to the Church"
Richmond, VA (Oct. 7, 1994) The Board of Directors of Presbyterians
Pro-Life at a recent meeting in Richmond adopted a "Call to
the Church", urging the Presbyterian Church (USA) to renew
its historic and Biblical position of opposition to the destruction
of innocent human life through abortion. It called upon the
2.3 million-member denomination to renew its commitment to
preserve and nurture life at every stage of development, from
conception to natural death. "The Church must cease its approval
of abortion and abortion rights advocacy, remove its unlimited
coverage of abortion procedures from its Medical Plan, and
discontinue its participation in and support for the Religious
Coalition for Reproductive Choice (formerly RCAR)."
At the same time, it called on the Church to support women
in problem pregnancies through sacrificially compassionate
and loving ways that allow both mother and child to live and
be blessed by God. The Church should support adoption and
the many community pregnancy care ministries that provide
alternatives to abortion. Finally, the call to the church
urges it to extend the means of grace to those involved in
abortion, leading them gently to repentance and into full
restoration of fellowship with the heavenly Father and the
Body of Christ, the church. The 21-member Board, composed
of lay and clergymen and women, pledged to work within the
denomination to accomplish these goals for the Presbyterian
Church USA. Rev. Benjamin Sheldon is the president and Terry
Schlossberg is the Executive Director of PPL.
Task Force of United
Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality Promotes Pro-Life Education,
Encourages Sheltering Church
Pro-life and United Methodist are two terms that usually
do not appear in tandem. And for good reason. After all, there
are "official" structures of the United Methodist Church linked
to radical, pro-choice, political lobbies--such as the Religious
Coalition for Abortion Rights (RCAR) which is now known as
the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). So
strong is this linkage that, from 1973 until January 1994,
the national offices of RCAR/RCRC were located in The United
Methodist Building in Washington, DC.
Nevertheless, let it be known that there are thousands and
thousands of pro-life United Methodists, laity and clergy.
In addition, it should be known that, in 1987, a group of
lay people and pastors organized the Taskforce of United Methodists
on Abortion and Sexuality (TUMAS) to unify and guide the voices
of pro-life United Methodists.
Over the last seven years, TUMAS has evolved into an educational
ministry that advances Biblical and Church teaching on abortion
and abortion-prevention ministry in the United Methodist household.
TUMAS's quarterly newsletter, Lifewatch makes theological
connections between the problem of abortion and the doctrine,
morals and ministry of the church. The newsletter also reports
on, and offers proposals for, abortion-related matters in
the denomination.
While Lifewatch aims to change the heart and mind
of the United Methodist Church, women in crisis pregnancies
and their unborn children stand in immediate need. Every day
in the United States, more than 4,400 women without hope enter
abortion clinics for the purpose of killing their little ones.
Various studies of aborted women report that the overwhelming
majority say they would not have had abortions if they had
found people to assist them through pregnancy and prepare
them for children. Many of these women had attended church,
yet they had not heard the Biblical message that God creates
all people in His image and has a purpose for each life He
creates. Nor had they heard that God hates the hands that
"shed innocent blood." Nor had they heard the church offer
them the help they needed to protect and nurture their children.
Therefore, TUMAS promotes the Sheltering Church Movement,
which encourages congregations to preach, teach, and minister
in ways that lead women to love their children and resist
abortion. TUMAS believes that the local church is uniquely
equipped to provide compassionate care to women tempted by
abortion. By sacrificially giving of itself, and by networking
with other congregations and pro-life ministries, a Sheltering
Church can lead distressed women to life-saving support and
to escape from abortion. A Sheltering Church hears and obeys
Jesus' command to His followers to love one another. A Sheltering
Church knows that the measure of love is not found in words,
but in deeds. "Little children, let us not love in word or
speech but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18, RSV)
Evangelicals & Catholics
Declare Unity On Pro-Life Issues
Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics, after exploring
together areas of unity in a consultation begun in 1992, issued
a joint statement which included the following paragraphs
on pro-life issues:
"The pattern of convergence and cooperation between
Evangelicals and Catholics is, in large part, a result of
common effort to protect human life, especially the lives
of the most vulnerable among us. With the Founders, we hold
that all human beings are endowed by their Creator with the
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The
statement that the unborn child is a human life that--barring
natural misfortune or lethal intervention--will become what
everyone recognizes as a human baby is not a religious assertion.
It is a statement of simple biological fact. That the unborn
child has a right to protection, including the protection
of law, is a moral statement supported by moral reason and
biblical truth.
We, therefore, will persist in contending--we will not be
discouraged but will multiply every effort--in order to secure
the legal protection of the unborn. Our goals are: to secure
due process of law for the unborn, to enact the most protective
laws and public policies that are politically possible, and
to reduce dramatically the incidence of abortion. We warmly
commend those who have established thousands of crisis pregnancy
and postnatal care centers across the country, and urge that
such efforts be multiplied. As the unborn must be protected,
so also must women be protected from their current rampant
exploitation by the abortion industry and by fathers who refuse
to accept responsibility for mothers and children. Abortion
on demand, which is the current rule in America, must be recognized
as a massive attack on the dignity, rights, and needs of women.
Abortion is the leading edge of an encroaching culture of
death. The helpless old, the radically handicapped, and others
who cannot effectively assert their rights are increasingly
treated as though they have no rights. These are the powerless
who are exposed to the will and whim of those who have power
over them. We will do all in our power to resist proposals
for euthanasia, eugenics, and population control that exploit
the vulnerable, corrupt the integrity of medicine, deprave
our culture, and betray the moral truths of our constitutional
order."
Disciples for Life Questionnaire
Highlights Importance of Pro-life Religious Activity
In early November, Disciples for Life sent a questionnaire
and evaluation form to Disciples Congregations to find out
how members felt Disciples for Life should focus its ministry.
The questionnaire asked respondents to prioritize from 1 to
5 the most important to the least important of five areas.
The five areas listed were: political: those who try to influence
the outcomes of elections; cultural: those who seek to educate
the public about the value of life; crisis-pregnancy workers:
those who try to help the women; religious: those who hold
prayer vigils; rescuers: those who participate in civil disobedience.
Results were as follows:
Rated as "Most Important"
- Cultural Activities: 44%
- Religious Activities: 44%
- CPC Work: 11%
Rated as "Very Important"
- Cultural Activities: 33%
- Religious Activities: 28%
- CPC Work: 28%
- Political Work: 11%
Rated as "Significant"
- CPC Work: 50%
- Cultural Activities: 22%
- Religious Activities: 22%
- Political Activities: 5%
Comments by Participants in Survey
Thank you so much for trying to save the lives of the unborn
babies." (Princeton, WV)
It's hard to prioritize....My reason for being part of Disciples
for Life is to encourage the "adoption option" among Disciple
clergy and laity. ...It is too easy to say stop the abortion
(which I agree with) but we have to provide reasonable support
for those birth mothers who choose to give life! It's not
a one-stop deal!" (Indianapolis, IN)
"Of course all are important. Individual prayer is of the
utmost." (Deerfield, IL)
"We are supporting our local Pregnancy Crisis Center in Winchester,
Indiana with time and money." (Union City, IN)
The abortion problem is a problem of the heart, the result
of a western culture that has taken individual rights to mean
selfish concern for my wants. Until the church addresses the
heart of the nation the problem will remain." (Alexandria,
IN)
"#1 - education. Modern science allows us to see the developing
child; the very point the abortion industry denies. A picture
is worth a thousand words." (Denver, Colorado)
Friends For Life Determines
to Broaden Outreach & Network
By Rev. John Brown
United Church of Christ Friends for Life is undergoing a
time of transition. As with most mainline denominations, UCC
continues to support liberal, left-wing policies both politically
and theologically. Many parishes which have been supportive
of spiritual renewal and pro-life issues are finding themselves
alienated and are leaving UCC. This has resulted in a decreasing
base of support for UCC Friends for Life. Finding new supporters
for those desiring to continue a pro-life witness within the
UCC is one of our biggest challenges for 1995.
Friends for Life continues to support pro-life education
and concerns both in congregations and at the conference and
general synod levels. This is done through our newsletter,
literature tables, banquet, and provision of noted pro-life
speakers, particularly at General Synod which is held every
two years. At the next Synod in Oakland in July 1995, we hope
to address the issue of euthanasia which some congregations,
pastors and denominational officials are poised to support.
All of these efforts of Friends for Life will be coordinated
by the new executive director, Mary Ellen Stone.
In 1994, Friends for Life took steps to establish contact
with the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference,
a fellowship of more than 200 congregations which hold a strong
pro-life position. Many congregations leaving the UCC have
sought refuge with the CCCC. Networking with other churches
and fellowships has become an increasing necessity, but also
an opportunity for a wider and more effective ministry on
pro-life issues.
In conjunction with the Abortion Dialogue Committee of the
Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the UCC, Friends for
Life will be supporting the development of a Sheltering Network
for women facing a crisis pregnancy. The NPRC also supports
this project and CARENET has undertaken primary responsibility
for promoting it nationwide. The project in Southeastern Pennsylvania
will seek to involve church, counseling, and educational resources
with area crisis pregnancy centers to provide a "free offer
of life", as Steve Wissler, originator of the Sheltering Church
network idea, described it. A dozen churches, including a
counseling center and several CPC's, have already voiced a
strong interest. Hopefully this project once fully operational
will serve as a model to other communities.
FFL will continue to work with NPRC wherever and whenever
there is opportunity to do so, in hopes that together we can
provide a solid and fruitful ecumenical voice for the pro-life
movement.
Friends for Life Hires
Research Director
Friends for Life, UCC, has hired Rev. Dr. Randall E. Otto
as Director of Research. Reverend Otto has recently completed
a study on euthanasia and assisted suicide and is the author
of several articles, reviews, and two theology books. He is
currently seeking a grant to do follow-up work on the hospice
movement in order to provide pastors and congregations guidance
in establishing or supporting local hospice programs. The
results of this work, as well as the euthanasia study, will
be available to UCC churches and to member organizations of
the National Pro-life Religious Council.
Lutherans for Life Director
Comments On Abortion within Christian Congregations
Rev. Edward Fehskens, Executive Director of Lutherans
for Life, made the following remarks in his speech to graduating
theology students at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort
Wayne, Indiana, on February 18, 1994.
"The Church of Jesus Christ has had an unbroken pro-life
witness for its 2000 years of existence. I know you've probably
read some of the very strong statements of the church fathers.
We stand upon the tradition of the church and its clear witness.
But we also stand upon the witness of Scripture which says
that "Life is not ours; life is a gift from God!"...God has
a stake in each individual life. Life is impossible apart
from God. As I say these words, I am struck with a sense of
fear that we should have come to a place where one of every
three children conceived in this nation is aborted, and where
we are facing an administration demanding and requiring us
under penalty of law to pay for them!"
"The saddest thing of all is that the church has become
so jaded by the nonsense, rhetoric, confusion, and deception
of death in our culture today. We have lost our moorings to
some degree. I make that statement bearing in mind the statistics
that show that one out of six women who have abortions profess
to be born-again Christians. Recently I read some other statistics
from Carol Everett, a former abortionist and owner of two
abortion clinics who later came to faith in Jesus Christ and
is now a pro-life advocate. Carol Everett recently published
some statistics that claim 79% of the women who enter abortion
clinics profess to be believers in Jesus Christ; 29% attend
church weekly. They're sitting in our pews. They will be in
front of you as you preach from the pulpit. We're not talking
a problem "out there." We are talking about a problem we confront,
in all honesty, in our own families, in our circle of friends,
in our community--in our congregation. In my own congregation,
our pastor is very supportive and prays for Lutherans For
Life every Sunday in the general prayer. Someone made the
comment, "Why should he do that? Why doesn't he pray for `Lutherans
for Choice'"? Thank God, no such group exists. But the point
is, the opposition is there, and we have a task as Christians
and particularly you as pastors, to boldly speak the truth
in love. But not just to them; to ourselves, to our congregations."
News Notes
Southern Baptist Convention Condemns Abortion-Clinic Violence
The Southern Baptist Convention confronted the debate surrounding
the killing of two abortion doctors and their aide in Florida
by issuing a strong statement declaring that killing abortion
doctors "is not a moral option for Christians."
"The premeditated use of deadly force is reserved to the
government," the statement asserted. At the same time, the
statement made "an urgent plea for intensified Christian involvement
in all morally permissible forms of anti-abortion activities...Pro-Life
Christians must act quickly and vigorously to prevent a small
but vocal band of militant activists from destroying the credibility,
effectiveness and witness of the mainstream Christian pro-life
movement. The 12-page statement is titled, The Struggle
Against Abortion: Why the Use of Lethal Force is Not Morally
Justifiable. It was written by a panel of ethicists and
Southern Baptist officials. NPRC to Publish Book of Sample
Pro-Life Sermons. A book of sample pro-life sermons is currently
being prepared for publication by NPRC. Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth,
United Methodists' editor of Lifewatch, has agreed
to serve as editor of the book. The collection is intended
to assist and encourage pastors in the preparation of their
own sermons on pro-life issues. Submissions of such sermons
from pastors are welcome and may be sent to NPRC at 1023 15th
St., NW, #500, Washington, DC 20005.
Interdenominational Prayer Service Sponsored by NPRC January
23
On the morning of the March for Life, the National Pro-Life
Religious Council will hold a prayer service at 9:30 am at
the Simpson Memorial Chapel of the Methodist Building, 100
Maryland Avenue (next to the Supreme Court). The service will
last about an hour. It is sponsored by NPRC and the Task Force
of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality. Pastor John
Brown, United Church of Christ Friends for Life, will be the
preacher.
Abortion Resource
Book Available from NRLC
A book titled Abortion, The Bible and the Church by
Tj. Bosgra is available from the National Right to Life Committee
at the price of $3.50 per copy. The book offers strong biblical
arguments in favor of the pro-life position, and should be
of use to anyone involved in church-based pro-life work. It
also includes brief statements from over 200 religious groups
reflecting their positions on the abortion issue. To order,
send checks payable to the Outreach Dept., National Right
to Life, 419 7th St. NW, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20004.
NPRC Seeks New Members
This is your opportunity to join with other Christian pro-life
leaders to help restore legal protection to the unborn child.
The National Pro-Life Religious Council, Inc. (NPRC) is a
Christian pro-life coalition which acknowledges Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior, and is called to witness to and affirm
the biblical standard of the value, dignity and sanctity of
human life.
Associate membership is open to any individual, church, or
group who subscribes to NPRC's principles.
NPRC currently has members and affiliates working within
pro-life groups associated with the following denominations/
churches: American Baptist, Baptist, Catholic, Episcopalian,
Evangelical, (National Association of Evangelicals), Lutheran,
Lutheran Missouri Synod, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints (Mormon), Orthodox, Presbyterian, Southern Baptist,
United Church of Christ, and United Methodist.
Please join NPRC today and help us end the tragedy of abortion!
Click here for a membership
form. |
