Methodist Pastors Promote Abortion, Call It a “Moral, Pro-Life Decision” Made “in God’s Will”

Life News ^ | October 28, 2015 | Steven Ertelt

[Morgana]

Sadly, the United Methodist Church is one of a handful of Protestant denominations with clergy who strongly support abortion. LifeNews.com has frequently profiled UMC pastors and church leaders who advance abortion and the denomination has often pushed abortion as a member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

Now, a pro-life writer has posted a collection of quotes from Methodist pastors pushing abortion. Here are a few selections form that list:

Pro-abortion Methodist pastor John M. Swomley:

It is not enough to say that abortion is not violent. Abortion is a positive decision and not a lesser evil. …[Abortion] is therefore profamily and pro-life. (1)

Rev. Phillip A. Wogamen, then affiliated with Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.:

Real love for children means having the number of children that one can care for responsibly and lovingly…. Bringing every conceived child into existence is not “pro-life”: it is certainly not pro-love. (3)

Rev. Julia Mayo Quinlan, pastor of Parkway United Methodist Church in Pompano Beach, said the following at a service commemorating the 23rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade sponsored by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice:

Pro-choice is about choosing life. And it is moral.

Rev. Karen Vannoy, then pastor of Travis Park United Methodist Church, on her support of abortion:

I am willing to take whatever heat would be generated by my support of what I think is right and in God’s will.

As LifeNews reported, in Ohio, United Methodist Church pastor, Reverend Laura Young, says she believes pro-life protesters in front of Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities have “misguided faith.” In fact, she thinks these clinics should be blessed, which is why she went out to an abortion facility called Preterm on October 8th in Cleveland. In 2014, Preterm was involved in the abortion-related death of Lakisha Wilson.

Young explained her acceptance of abortion like this: “Christianity, like most faiths, is founded on love. Watching protesters shouting judgment and hate based on what they call religion is horrible. Is that loving God? Is that loving your neighbor as yourself?”

The United Methodist Church’s abortion advocacy is one many reasons millions of Christians have left the denomination and sought home churches that better espouse Biblical concepts and values. As the remaining members age and millennials look for churches that more accurate reflect their pro-life Biblical beliefs, Methodist churches are closing across the country and the denomination is struggling to remain a viable entity within organized Christendom.

[Albion Wilde]

Lovely!

[Albion Wilde]

People who don’t sell out are few and far between. I was told this when I was young and didn’t know whether to believe it; now I am old and can’t deny it.

[paltz]

I prefer to interpret the commandment as “Thou shalt not murder”

[boatbums]

That's Hilliary's church. She really believes she is supporting a "good" thing in abortion. At the Al Smith dinner she confirmed that Methodists and Catholics both teach that the way to heaven is by faith and good works. The deception is deep.

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

Liberals exist in the American society. Liberals exist in the United Methodist Church. However, author Steven Ertelt, as well as perhaps others within this organization, has with pointed deliberation collected liberal viewpoints of some individuals within the U.M.C to justify a continuing attack and perversion of doctrinal stances of the United Methodist Church . However that being said, THIS IS AN EVIL, LIBELOUS ARTICLE, The article found in LifeNews published 10-28-2015, over a year ago, is not UMC polity. FALSE. Below is the response I sent to the publicatio0n: Dear Editors: Although it is Nov, 3,, 2016, I recently received this article: "Methodist Pastors Promote Abortion, Call It a “Moral, Pro-Life Decision” Made “in God’s Will”" Steven Ertelt Oct 28, 2015. No Bishop, no clergy can speak as an authority for the United Methodist Church. The only authority of the United Methodist Church for any issue is the Quadrennial General Conference. The Book of Discipline is updated and published every four years following General conference. The UMC position on Abortion can be found in the 2012 Book of Discipline: https://issuu.com/abingdonpress/docs/9781426718120_online_part1/127. Incidentally, the 2016 General Conference voted that the two United Methodist entities withdraw immediately from membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). It is understandable that you are misinformed on the doctrinal polity of the United Methodist Church. As I have stood against abortion outside Planned Parenthood clinics, time and time again having to correct this reprehensible misinformation against my denomination. It really is imperative to immediately correct these calumnious, deceptive statements regarding the United Methodist Church if you want your organization to be considered to have integrity and credibility. Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:12-13 NASB

[Bryanw92]

>>No Bishop, no clergy can speak as an authority for the United Methodist Church. The only authority of the United Methodist Church for any issue is the Quadrennial General Conference.

Most rank-and-file Methodists know almost nothing about GC or even AC. They don’t deal with the Bishop either. For them, the DS and their own pastor speak with authority and they accept their words as the policy of the greater UMC.

And since the UMC does not accept the inerrancy of scripture, the authority of those men (and women) carry more weight than they should.

[MEG33]

We all get tarred with the same brush. because of these lib pronouncements.

The Discipline is holding steady despite the assaults.

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

I am sick and tired of ignorant comments stated against the U.M.C. This LifeNews publication I used to reference for up to date info. But, what integrity do they have with continuous pointed slander without fact-checking?

I’m sorry, the author of this article DELIBERATELY went to only pro-choice individuals

[Bryanw92]

>>I am sick and tired of ignorant comments stated against the U.M.C.

What did I say that isn’t true?

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

Absolutely.
I’m sorry, I lost my temper.

I am very tired today and dashed off a letter to LifeNews & this response to FreeRepublic. I’ve had just enough of this distortion and slander.

[MEG33]

Thank you for telling it like it is!
God Bless You

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

Nothing you said was false. It was this ignorant article that had me fired up.

But, I truly wish U.M. clergy & laity would respond to outrageous slander against the denomination, i.e. this article printed in LifeNews newsletter!

Enough. It just has to stop.

[Bryanw92]

>>It was this ignorant article that had me fired up.

>>I’m sorry, the author of this article DELIBERATELY went to only pro-choice individuals

Because they are easy to find in the clergy of the UMC. I left the UMC after returning from Annual Conference in 2014. During the floor debate on some abortion-related motions, I heard things that I would never want to hear in the Body of Christ ever again.

I heard a pastor say, “we just don’t know when life really begins” and received a standing ovation from a large number of delegates.

I heard a pastor telling another pastor, “I’m sick of these extremists trying to push their agenda” when a Pro-Life pastor spoke.

I saw men with rainbow stoles walking around advocating abortion and then later seeing the women pastors lobbying for a gay-related motion. I know it was quid pro quo because I saw one particularly obvious gay pastor acting as whip to get these women up and yelling because he had supported their defeat of the abortion motions.

What the author wrote about is not ignorance. It is awareness. You know that the only reason why there aren’t openly practicing homosexuals in UMC pulpits is because of bible-believing African and Asian United Methodists—who are considered to be little more than Baptists by the left-leaning clergy in the UMC. Even with that, gay pastors usually just get by with a wink and nod as long as they don’t come out publicly.

There are are good conservative clergy in the UMC, but every year, they get harder and harder to find. I miss the “method” of Methodism, but the weak theology and Progressive politics at the Bishop level have rendered it useless to the kingdom of God. Now I say “weak” theology because it can only survive in a strong Christian culture. In our humanist culture today, it lacks the ability to overcome the lures of humanist/naturalist worldview.

[Louis Foxwell]

I am sick about the hate and venom spewing from the mouths and hearts of leaders in the UMC.

[Albion Wilde]

That is an excellent letter, and I sincerely wish more UMC pastors would, indeed, follow the bound agreements of the National Conference. Please forgive my personal experience with ultra liberal, abortion-, IVF- and agay-supporting pastors in the Philadelphia and Baltimore Conferences who go about gaily ignoring the Discipline.

[Mamzelle]

Should have talked to the pro life Bishop Olivetti. Oh, wait...