I am thankful to be part of an association of churches across the United States that has grown to see the importance of upholding the glory of God and the truth of His gospel in light of the evil of abortion. For many years our churches and leaders did not stand against the sin of racism. In the same way they did not stand against the sin of abortion. It is encouraging to see how the power of God’s word has changed hearts and minds so that more consistently God’s churches call sin what He calls sin. As that happens those churches also more consistently demonstrate His unfailing love in a world wrecked by sin.
In a time when bold leadership is needed, SBC churches are giving that leadership. At this year’s annual business meeting of the convention, some very important business happened. A resolution was passed denouncing Planned Parenthood for its sinful practice of abortion. That means tens of thousands of churches nationwide and millions of church members expressed their voices in unity through their messengers. That voice calls our lawmakers to “Defund and investigate Planned Parenthood now!” Killing babies is a sin against God. Harvesting and selling their body parts is a crime against humanity. Using taxpayer dollars to fund it forces us all to participate.
Nathan Finn wrote an article posted at the Ethics And Religious Liberties Commission website giving more of the details. Go see it here: Southern Baptists call for the defunding and investigating of Planned Parenthood. Here is some of what you will see.
The resolution passed at the convention explains the following reasons for denouncing Planned Parenthood (read the full resolution text here):
- Planned Parenthood is responsible for over 300,000 abortions per year, and the number has grown in recent years
- Though the organization provides some legitimate healthcare services, such as cancer screenings, Planned Parenthood is primarily an abortion mill that generates considerable profits and receives significant funding from the federal government
- For two years, the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) has been producing undercover videos that expose Planned Parenthood staff engaging in illegal practices such as harvesting fetal tissue and organs for profit
- The abortion industry has attempted to have CMP censured and has brought numerous lawsuits against the organization, despite the fact no credible evidence CMP has done anything except expose the actual words and actions of Planned Parenthood employees
- Both the U.S. House of Representatives Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee have made criminal referrals to the Department of Justice and the FBI related to illegal activities conducted by Planned Parenthood
- The House of Representatives voted to approve H.R. 3134, Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015, though the legislation has languished and Planned Parenthood has continued to receive federal funding
The resolution states what we will do in response to these facts:
- Reaffirm our commitment to the sanctity of human life
- Denounce the “immoral agenda and practices” of Planned Parenthood and its affiliates
- Urge Congress “to defund Planned Parenthood immediately and completely of all federal government support and that all state and local government funding that supports Planned Parenthood be withdrawn immediately and permanently”
- Urge the Department of Justice “to pursue criminal charges against Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates for their use of illegal abortion methods, trafficking in and profiting from the harvesting of unborn babies’ tissues and organs, and any other actions that may be in violation of federal law”
- Commend the ERLC for prioritizing the defunding of Planned Parenthood and tasked ERLC with distributing a copy of the resolution to the appropriate government leaders
Here are two things you can do now to put this into action. One, forward this message to all church members and attendees in your contact list, both Southern Baptist and others. Inform them of the actions to be taken and how they can speak against this evil with one voice. Two, make contact with your senators and congressmen, both federal and state, and express these things to them. Urge them to take the above actions. You can do this by making a personal visit to their office at the capitol or at their local office. You can also make a phone call to their office. Find your U.S. representative here. Find your U.S. senator here. Find Ohio representatives here. Find Ohio senators here.
