To be Presbyterian is to be governed according to the pattern of elders seen in the Old and New Testaments. It's always encouraging when someone can't force their mouth to say what their heart knows is wrong. Jewish Reconstructionist Federation. In his memoir, The Ploughhand, Maffett describes his conversion experience. We look to our churches to provide pastoral and tangible support to women in problem pregnancies and to surround these families with a community of care. In the 1950s and 1960s, prohibitions against abortion drove anywhere between 200,000 and 1.2 million women to obtain illegal abortions. (8), Areas of Substantial Agreement on the Issue of Abortion. A reader can search high and low throughout ECO's online site, and nowhere will they find a single, solitary word about gay people or homosexuality. Yesterday, a new Presbyterian denomination was born: the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians -- or, for short, ECO. We derive our understanding of human life from Scripture and the Reformed Tradition in light of science, human experience and reason guided by the Holy Spirit. "I think the piece that is under-acknowledged is the extent to which this is an issue of religious freedom. We anticipate that this will certainly hurt Black people, Indigenous people, people of color more than it will those of us who are white.. (3), The church also affirms the value of children and the importance of nurturing, protecting and advocating their well-being. endstream endobj 285 0 obj <. In the meantime our would-be friends at ECO are stuck, as it were, inartfully singing along with the Cowardly Lion: I'm sure I could show my prowess / Be a lion, not a mouse / If I only had the nerve. Even before . In fact, early Christian theologians had mixed views on the sinfulness, or not, of abortion, and, in fact, the Bible says little about it except when God himself demanded it. Lesley Carroll, who is running for election in the Irish Assembly, recently waded into the abortion debate when she gave a public statement to the pro-abortion Belfast Feminist Network, according to the News Letter. Meanwhile, the pro-abortion mainline Protestant churches are experiencing disastrous slumps in membership. We recognized that [todays Supreme Court] decision was likely to come, he said. The 204th General Assembly (1992) adopted the most comprehensive policy statement on pregnancy and abortion. Religious leaders from many denominations are working to preserve access to abortion care if Roe v. Wade is overturned. I didn't want anybody, my parents, or anybody to suffer for anything I did. Q Returns! But contrary to what some might think, we dont see this aspect of ECO as freeing us up to take a more aggressive public stance on this issue, but rather just the opposite. Baptists believe that, biblically, human life begins at conception, that abortion is immoral and a destruction of a human being created in God's image (Job 31:15; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:44; Proverbs 31:8-9; Galatians 1:15). While that was certainly not the only reason we ultimately decided to leave, it was the issue that pushed us to enter into a discernment process, and it would have been disingenuous not to mention it. We believe the artificial or induced termination of a pregnancy is a matter of careful ethical decision of the patient and therefore should not be restricted by law.. They're against gay people being ordained as ministers, and so started their own sub-denomination. PIP: Abortion was frequently practiced in North America during the period from 1600 to 1900. He also heard that the administration of Mayor Frank Rizzo had ordered OB-GYNs working for the city to perform compulsory abortions on any and all women on welfare. 2014-12-31T21:30:50-05:00 Under the specter ofsafe and legal abortion ending in much of the country, let's look at the struggle for reproductive justice inside the PC(USA). John Crosby, now the president of ECO, said, "We [the Presbyterians] have tried to create such a big tent trying to make everybody happy theologically. Humans are empowered by the spirit prayerfully to make significant moral choices, including the choice to continue or end a pregnancy. The possibility of such a usage here . Relying on foundations of Christian belief, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) provides clear guidance regarding personal agency and choice. Click for excerpt from The Ploughhand, Robert Lee Maffett, after 1977. In a statement, the UK government said the law requires it to implement recommendations made by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) report in 2018, including. endstream endobj startxref BREAKING: Top Hunter Biden Associate Eric Schwerin (who ran Rosemont Seneca) Just Flipped! (9) Minutes of the 204th General Assembly (1992), Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), pp. Pastors have a duty to counsel with and pray for those who face decisions about problem pregnancies. Weve learned a lot about the RINOs since President Trump came onto the scene in 2015. The considered decision of a woman to terminate a pregnancy can be a morally acceptable, though certainly not the only or required, decision. The dialogue called for a major presentation on each of four views on abortion, and a . This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Many others believe that while abortion is a regrettable reality, it can be a morally acceptable action . Word The Protestant Churches on Abortion: Complex, Contradictory, and Challenging. Zolton J. Phillips of Tallahassee wrote, It is my conviction that abortion is the evil work of a society devoted to hedonism and self-worship. Our Reformed Tradition recognizes that people do not always make moral choices, and forgiveness is central to our faith. Our desire is to make this issue a less visible aspect of our public face to the community so that we can do a better job communicating the core truth of the Gospel to our neighbors. When late-term pregnancies must be terminated, we urge decisions intended to deliver the baby alive. ECO honchos! Presbyterian polity is reflected in the way Presbyterians address health issues at every level. By Kathleen Sweeney. We remain a Matthew 25 church led by a savior who said, As you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me.. Central to Calvin's theology is the concept of predestination, essentially the belief that God has foreordained salvation for some people, known as the "elect." Calvin did not see . Simply put, abortion is murder. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Please share your thoughts about this article below. Microsoft Word - EPCECOPCUSA comparisonchart 6 20 2014.docx In one pamphlet, the Rev. This is no less true for those making decisions about whether and when to have children. They used a variety of methods including the use of black root and cedar root as abortifacient agents. The 55 million babies lost to surgical abortions in America since Roe v. Wade is just the beginning. The church ought to be able to maintain within its fellowship those who, on the basis of a study of Scripture and prayerful decision, come to diverse conclusions and actions. This is a headline Ive been dreading ever since my church began the discernment process to determine whether we should leave our denomination. and therefore should not be Watch a response from PC(USA) Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson II. (1) Minutes of the 182nd General Assembly (1970), United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., p. 891 The overturning of Roe v. Wade will have drastic negative impacts on individuals around the nation, with the greatest burden falling on low-income communities of color. Because we are made in the image of God, human beings are moral agents, endowed by the Creator with the capacity to make choices. The following are excerpts from the 1992 policy: There is [both] agreement and disagreement on the basic issue of abortion. v]E%yo>_sDY~ Mac OS X 10.10.1 Quartz PDFContext The Biden Administration must use its executive authorities to guarantee reproductive freedom. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion! Thank you! If we can be considerate of what they give us, then we need them to be healthy in mind, body and spirit in order to lead congregations. FAQ states that all life is sacred Ownership of Church Property Held by congregation for . 6. ECO was formed by pastors and laypeople in response to PCUSA's decision to join the 21st century. Lewis became strongly pro-life in the late 1960s when he and his wife sought to adopt a child, believing they were unable to have biological children. Responding to Overture 44, on unscriptural views of marriage, divorce, and infanticide, the commissioners wrote, This Assembly regards the destruction by parents of their own offspring, before birth, with abhorrence, as a crime against God and against nature., A century later the 1962 UPCUSA General Assembly adopted the report of itsCommittee on Responsible Marriage and Parenthoodholding that abortion could not bean individual decision on the part of the physician and couple. . NATIONAL POLL: Should Fauci Be Prosecuted For LYING To Congress? The United Methodist Church affirms the sanctity of life in these two statements in the Social Principles: Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion. uuid:3c5eda1a-d845-314e-8b5c-8686efded080 So, what we want to offer you first, O Lord, is our laments our sorrow, the loss and the grief that comes with such a change in our countrys way of doing things But Lord, what we really want to do right now is walk forward into hope. PHS accession 92-0206b. As a Presbyterian church, ECO adheres to Reformed theology and Presbyterian polity. I am not ashamed and I don't feel sorry for what I did. the Health, Safety and Benefits Committee twice voted on items that reaffirm the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)s stand on choice and reproductive justice. Release from Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, 1994. Unitarian Universalist Association. Reporting to the Assembly Committee on Justice and the Rights of Persons, the standing Council on Women and the Church and the Committee on Womens Concerns wrote, Acts of terrorism are being committed against abortion clinics and counseling centers. Certain religious groups, well-organized and well-funded, are increasing their efforts to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision of the Supreme Court, and to legislate a ban not only on abortion but on contraceptives as well. The Assembly adopted the committee's report, which reaffirmed reproductive choice, deplored harassment of women seeking abortions, protested the ongoing terror campaigns against abortion clinics and urged congregations to start volunteer networks to escort women to abortion clinics. They're against gay people being ordained as ministers, and so started their own sub-denomination wherein such a thing would be prohibited. Presbyterians opposed to gay clergy split from the church on Thursday, . 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