The Layman – July/August 2007 Volume 40, Number 2 – Posted July 30, 2007

Unrestricted abortion remains the PCUSA’s dirty little secret ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ Jeremiah 1:5 Amidst ongoing theological battles, massive membership losses and the exodus of congregations to more Biblically orthodox sister denominations, the Presbyterian Church (USA) continues to explain away or cover up the 500-pound gorilla in its midst – the sanctioning of unrestricted abortion. Despite the many clear pronouncements of Scripture affirming the sanctity of life, the denomination repeatedly has approved statements that contradict those Biblical injunctions and, what is worse, offer a cultural revision of its own history: “This Assembly regards the destruction by parents of their own offspring, before birth, with abhorrence, as a crime against God and against nature.” General Assembly (1869) “The fetus is a human life to be protected by the criminal law from the moment when the ovum if fertilized. … As Christians, we believe that this should not be an individual decision on the part of the physician and couple. Their decision should be limited and restrained by the larger society.” General Assembly (1962) That “larger society” in today’s culture is, or should be, the Church acting through the Word of God. Unfortunately, today’s Presbyterian Church (USA) more often acts through the socio-political word of its officials or agencies like the Washington Office – dressed up in the language, but not the plain meaning, of Scripture. To be sure, those revisionists are careful to include in their policy pronouncements the mushy panacea that abortion is “of grave moral concern,” but, as is clear to anyone who can read Scripture as written (Genesis 4:1; Genesis 21:2; Genesis 29:33, 34, 35; 30:7; I Samuel 1:20; Matthew 1:20, 21; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:4, 5; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Job 31:15; Genesis 9:5, 6; Exodus 20:13; Ezekiel 20:31; Amos 1:13; Leviticus 18:21; and Jeremiah 32:35, among others), life is not a “concern” but a moral imperative. Children, the psalmist reminds us, “are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him” (Psalm 127:3). Some people may argue that the 2006 General Assembly marked a turning point for the better when commissioners approved a policy that superseded previous denominational policies on partial-term abortions. The new policy affirms: “That the lives of viable unborn babies – those well-developed enough to survive outside the womb if delivered – ought to be preserved and cared for and not aborted. In cases where problems of life or health of the mother arise in a pregnancy, the church supports efforts to protect the life and health of both the mother and the baby. When late-term pregnancies must be terminated, we urge decisions intended to deliver the baby alive.” Although better than previous statements, it must be remembered that commissioners acted under the shadow of a nationwide ban on partial-birth abortions that President Bush had signed into law in 2003 – a ban upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote April 17. For the three years leading up to the Birmingham General Assembly, then, the Presbyterian Church (USA) was the only denomination in the country that had on its books a policy sanctioning partial-birth abortion at the same time that federal law banned them. Far from acting on a Biblical mandate to rescind the denomination’s policy on partial-birth abortion, commissioners voted in favor of the revised statement because they had no other choice under the secular law of the land. Partial-birth abortion, however, is only the most egregious – and highly publicized – aspect of the dirty little secret within the Presbyterian Church (USA). Aside from it, the official stance of the denomination permits, for almost any reason, infanticide. Condoning abortion is a catastrophic moral failure that rivals the Old Testament sins of Israel as it left the Law of God and adopted the pagan practices of its neighbors. We strongly condemn our denomination’s failure to cherish and protect the lives of the unborn. Such callous disregard for the gift of life destroys our witness to the Lord God, the author and sustainer of life, whose son Jesus Christ came “that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10b). The continued sanctioning of abortion by the Presbyterian Church (USA) separates us from the Christian community worldwide and through the ages. It is an affront to all who are called to be “unashamed of the Gospel.” We urge all Presbyterians who share these convictions to express their concerns to their pastors and sessions, and to take appropriate actions in their presbyteries to elect commissioners to the 218th General Assembly who will restore Biblical integrity to the policies of the Presbyterian Church (USA). “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 The Layman Editorial Board

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