Posted on 10/10/2008 3:29:49 PM PDT by HaplessToad
In books and speeches, I have often said that God is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I have contended that to make either party "The God Party" is idolatrous. This does not mean that Christians should abandon political activism. It has been said that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.
Consequently, I have long called for Christians to be involved in both political parties, striving to be the "leaven" that permeates both parties with biblically-based judgments and values derived from Christian beliefs.
Taking my own advice, this year I became involved in politics by accepting an appointment to the platform committee of the Democratic Party.
In this role, I played a part in framing the abortion plank of the party's platform. I helped the party to take what some have called an "historic step" by having the party become committed to abortion reduction.
More than 60 percent of all abortions are economically driven. The reality is that without provisions for hospital coverage, pre- and post-natal care, maternity leave so that a woman giving birth will not lose her job, and nursing assistance to help single mothers transition into parenthood, millions of women who want to carry their pregnancies to term will not do so. I became a member of the Democratic platform committee to address these concerns.
The good news is that, with help from Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics, and others, the party platform now calls for these needs to be met. It also calls for education programs to reduce unwanted pregnancies, including the teaching of abstinence, and asks for government agencies to make adoptions easier.
These achievements were lauded by Democrats for Life and by the Catholic Alliance for Life. While at the Democratic National Convention, religious leaders of other faith traditions personally thanked me for my efforts. Even leaders of some pro-choice organizations hailed this compromise, claiming that at last they could find some common ground with pro-life advocates.
Purists, on the other hand, have had hard words for me, claiming that I should not have been involved in any way with a political party that is pro-choice. While I understand their desire to settle for nothing less than the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, I nevertheless believe that my decision to work for abortion reduction was a good one.
Consider these questions: If ten children are drowning in a swimming pool and you can only save six of them, should you save the six? Or should you wait until help arrives that can save them all, even if you know that the six you could save will be lost in the meantime?
To my Christian brothers and sisters who are part of the party that has a pro-life platform, I have to ask whether they are willing to hold the Republican Party to its pro-life commitments. For several years, the Republicans controlled the White House and both houses of Congress and had a Supreme Court wherein seven of its nine judges were Republican appointees. Yet no effort was made to overturn Roe vs. Wade-and very little pressure to do something about this was put on Republican leaders by the Evangelicals who had given them 82 percent of their votes in 2004.
In addition, are they willing to demand that provisions such as I worked for in the Democratic platform become policies of their party? To fail to do so would be to protect the unborn child and then abandon the child and the mother in the delivery room. And do not raise the matter of how much money these proposals will cost. We all know better than that.
For those who condemn any compromise on this divisive issue of abortion, may I suggest that they consider not paying their taxes, since they are financing a government that supports a woman's right to have an abortion-and in some instances even gives money to organizations that perform them.
There are legitimate concerns about my actions, but I decided that if some of the unborn could be saved, it would be wrong for me not to do what I could to save them.
Ummmmmmmm no. Murder is murder.
“Can there be common ground on abortion?”
Yes. We can stop it.
Tony Campolo, IIRC, is the “evangelical” pastor who counseled Impeached 42 after his Lewinsky admission.
Comfortable with faux repentant liberals, Campolo seems to me to be less than orthodox...I think he is a relativist.
What a pitful excuse for reasoning.
He has no beliefs other than expediency.
Can there be common ground on adultery?
Can there be common ground on thievery?
Can there be common ground on covetousness?
Can there be common ground on lying?
“In this role, I played a part in framing the abortion plank of the party’s platform. I helped the party to take what some have called an “historic step” by having the party become committed to abortion reduction.”
My hero. How about reduction....to zero?
Abortion is wrong. Abortion is being used for birth control and that is wrong.
Partial birth abortion is murder. And I don’t care if the child is retarded or deformed.
Those doctors that preform such procedures are murderers and should be treated as such. Those politicians who support these procedures should be stoned in a public square.
“More than 60 percent of all abortions are economically driven.”
Funny, I thought it was to prevent “saddling...them with a mistake.”
President Bush vetoed the Embryonic Stem Cell federal funding bill. He has had a direct and positive effect in regards to pro-life issues you dope.
Only 4 of the 9 members of SCOTUS are conservative you double dope.
I’m sure Mr. Campolo would say, “Yes,” to all of those, if the person’s emotional, psychological, financial, or physical desires caused them to engage in behavior that causes others to be judgmental.
I wonder if he did anything to remove tax-payer paid abortions from the platform...
He has been a phony christian for a long time!
Absolutely not unless that common ground is that it is evil. You might as well ask if we can all agree that, if I believe that 2 + 2 = 4 and you believe that 2 + 2 = 6, we can therefore agree that 2 + 2 = 5.
The founding fathers were very clear. There shall be no government involvement in religion, but there shall be plenty of religious involvement in politics. God may neither Democrat or Republican, but each party and each member of each party must choose to be with God or reject God. I personally approach politics based upon my faith and core convictions. At the end of it all I usually find my self saying; "hey, what do you know, I'm a Republican" far more often than not.
What was this "historic step" Tony? Your party is absolutely committed to unlimited abortion period. Your nominee is considered radical on abortion by anyone's standard.
The reality is that without provisions for hospital coverage, pre- and post-natal care, maternity leave so that a woman giving birth will not lose her job, and nursing assistance to help single mothers transition into parenthood, millions of women who want to carry their pregnancies to term will not do so.
This is sheep’s cover. There already are provisions for hospital coverage for the “poor” along with pre & post natal care. I do not favor subsidizing the middle & upper classes sexual choices. They are going to have abortions because it is just plain inconvenient. Anyone who fires someone these days for being pregnant will be looking at a lawsuit quickly. Nursing assistance? Huh? I never got that and I raised two kids. and single mothers transition into parenthood? That happens quickly all by itself.
This is all smoke and mirrors. I cannot find any place for abortion on the democratic platform or any other. Murder is not a platform issue, it is legally and morally bankrupt of any consideration.
There already is common ground on abortion. The courts say it is okay and we can’t do crap about it or any other judges that make up laws.
The Standard Bearer of your party has no problem letting babies that survive a botched abortion to die in a closet without any medical help to save them. By supporting him you are supporting infanticide you dummy. You can try and rationalize it all you want but you will need to answer to God.
TC = a lib pretending to be an evangelical
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