By Marie Bowen, Presbyterians Pro-Life.
“A rally in support of abortion giant Planned Parenthood took place inside a Presbyterian Church in Louisiana last month,” reports Carole Novielli of LifeNews.com.
“Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast organized the “Stand with Women” rally in support of a new abortion facility in Crescent City. The rally took place at the First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans affiliated with the PCUSA. Rev. Fred J. Powell, III is the church pastor.”
Novielli’s article includes this link to video of the rally. Rally speakers present a familiar well-scripted message intimating that Planned Parenthood cares about women’s health, women’s bodies, and women’s rights, and “reproductive justice”—especially the “full spectrum” of reproductive justice. What they don’t say but what “full spectrum of reproductive justice” really means is abortion.
How should pro-life Presbyterians and pro-life Presbyterian churches respond?
Rev. Gerrit Dawson, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Baton Rouge (EPC) located about 80 miles from the planned abortion facility had this to say in response to the PCUSA church’s rally:
“My heart always hurts when I read about people who bear the name of the Lord of life supporting the ruse of Planned Parenthood. It’s all so Orwellian to me: language of “health” covers what all but the most gullible know: Planned Parenthood not only provides but encourages and profits from abortion. By contrast, I am so thankful for our ministry partners which truly love the pregnant women who come to them, caring for them through every stage of pregnancy and even in the early years of parenting. They work bravely and tirelessly to show with costly action the value of every human life.”
I believe his response touches exactly the right balance between truth and care, both important components if we are to effect change and ministry that leads to life.
10 Comments. Leave new
The general apostasy and persecution of the faithful by the Presbytery of South Louisiana is both well documented and known, as well as their general numeral decline and slide into extinction.
PSL, the PCUSA’s embrace of the culture of death infects their mindset and orientation to the world. They cheer the burning of Ferguson as social justice, as wish the destruction of Israel as means or restorative justice in their pathological addiction to all things Palestine.
While the defenseless and most innocent are continued to be flushed down the drain, all cheered on by the PCUSA, the PCUSA and PSL is going down the same nihilistic drain with them as well.
May God forgive them.
It’s one thing to be pro-choice, however it’s an entirely different thing to promote it in the house of God. Just Incredible the hubris and gall these people have.
A Roman Catholic pro-life friend of mine sent me the URL to this story when it was published elsewhere last week.
She was shocked by it as was I.
I took some time to explain to her that this was the doing of only one apostate denomination and not all presbyterian denominations.
Non-presbyterians are not likely to draw a distinction between the various denominations who call themselves “presbyterian” or “reformed”, so we all get tarred with the same brush.
I explained to her that I was not a member of that denomination and that my denomination does not support abortion. I sent her the URL of the EPC position statement on abortion.
http://www.epc.org/file/main-menu/beliefs/position-papers/PositionPaper-Abortion.pdf
That documents states in part:
“The Evangelical Presbyterian Church affirms that the Bible does not distinguish between prenatal and postnatal life. It attributes human personhood to the unborn child. This extends to the unborn child ex utero as no less a human being than the child in the mother’s womb.”
The PCUSA brings discredit upon all Christians by its behavior.
A sad but not surprising story: yet, how each of needs an holy grace/mercy, it’s hard to criticize the culture-at-large when the visible church has so stumbled in areas like this, perhaps, stemming from origins confusion that became widespread in the late 1800’s. A family in my P.C.A. flock had been very involved in First Presbyterian, Wilkes-Barre, left because of its pro-death stance, even receiving an offering to support “abortion education.” Let’s yearn/pray for revival; may the Spirit grant this beginning with us. Soli Deo Gloria, Dale
The PCUSA Presbytery of South Louisiana, of which the First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans, is a member, has declined from more than 12,000 members to just a little over 5,000 member in about a decade. It looses membership every year. It seems to be headed for extinction.
You just know that Molech is smiling while he sits on whatever pile of children’s skulls he currently uses for a throne.
This church had at least these two choices…celebrate child murder or support a pregnancy care center. Only one represents a Christian choice.
Hundreds, probably thousands of ‘confused, misguided and/or lost’ PCUSA leaders participate in these religious abortion ceremonies across the nation. They should donate time, money and goods to pregnancy support groups.
Could be the idol/fallen demon Molech, or could be the idol Sophia, who some Presbyterian women danced and threw colorful balls for, in Minneapolis a couple years ago.
We must speak up for the little ones…. that PC(USA) supports this organization is a travesty.