Posted on 11/08/2023 8:52:25 AM PST by Morgana
Earlier today, we reported on the sad reality that Ohio had voted to enshrine the right to murder babies into its Constitution, a seismic shift that was partially carried forward by an unlikely contingent—25 percent of white evangelicals according to exit polls conducted by the Washington Post. This alarmingly high minority within the evangelical community, by their ballot, have signaled a disturbing shift in the moral landscape of the Church.
In the face of such a vote, one must question the influence of evangelical leadership. Figureheads like Brent Leatherwood and organizations like the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), alongside the National Right to Life (NRLC), have been instrumental in steering the pro-life narrative towards a path of compromise and concession. Their stance has not been one of uncompromising resistance to the culture of death but rather a nuanced, and ultimately failing, attempt to regulate rather than to abolish abortion outright.
The approach taken by evangelical leaders and organizations, characterized by pragmatism over principled stances, has profoundly impacted the evangelical laity’s perspective on abortion. Influential entities—like the NRLC and the ERLC, under the guidance of Brent Leatherwood—have not only refrained from supporting measures that would criminalize abortion or hold mothers accountable but have vehemently opposed them, arguing for “compassion” rather than prosecution. This position was evident in their opposition to stringent anti-abortion bills, such as the one in Missouri that aimed to recognize abortion as murder, which these Evangelicals deemed too extreme and legally untenable.
At the 2021 annual meeting, Josh Wester, an ERLC employee at the time who later went on to work for former Southern Baptist Convention president, Ed Litton, argued passionately against a resolution that sought to eliminate any exceptions to abortion and criminalize it to the fullest extent possible. You can watch that exchange below:
By articulating these positions at major venues, including state legislatures and national conferences, and through public statements and signed letters, these leaders have effectively weakened the once-unified evangelical front against abortion. Their actions have not only contributed to the defeat of bold legislative initiatives but have also sown seeds of doubt within the evangelical community about the immutability of life’s sanctity. This fractured evangelical response has undeniably played a part in the broader cultural acceptance of abortion, exemplified by the passage of Ohio’s constitutional amendment on abortion rights.
Leaders and organizations are supposed to set the moral compass, to guide the sheep as examples in paths of clear biblical morality for His name’s sake. Yet, we now find ourselves adrift, with leaders who, instead of standing as shepherds, act as gatekeepers for policies that dilute and pollute the biblical command to uphold life. When men treat the murder of innocent children as a matter for political maneuvering, they open the door for people who profess the name of Jesus to openly rebel against His dictates without fear.
It’s this leadership that has paved the way for the grim milestone marked in Ohio. With their endless compromises, they have made abortion seem to some as a negotiable matter, a decision that 25 percent of white evangelicals took to heart as they cast their votes for Issue 1. This group, poorly guided by the very shepherds entrusted with their spiritual guidance, likely tipped the scales in yesterday’s vote in favor of what is an undeniable affront to the sanctity of life as ordained by God.
Thus, the passage of this horrific amendment is not merely a failure of policy but a failure of pastoral and Church leadership. A failure that has led to a moment of reckoning for the evangelical community. As the culture wars rage on, the evangelical voice has been diluted by the very leaders who should be fortifying it rather than turning it into a circus.
VIDEO ON LINK
This is The Dissenter, a Protestant site reporting this not me
This is no longer a “fundamentally conservative” country as Rush used to like to boast.
We have a nation of fat lazy cattle. No one will bother to read the issues themselves
They accept the advice of ‘others’
Any Christians that voted for abortion until birth have never read Matthew 7:1-2
Most of those who voted for it are likely young women, which says a lot about how they are living their lives at the moment.
Then they’re not Evangelicals.
Yep
They practice birth control no doubt and they don’t want to give that up
Switch the pro abortion to pro birth control and look at election results from there
Abotttoon is the final stage on any birth control plan. Without it you don’t have a birth control lifestyle.
Period.
They are not Christian. They are demonic hellspawn.
If your pastor is not pro life GET A NEW PASTOR!
The establishment definitely has a lot of voting machine influence. I see more Ohio county’s have been forced to go with Dominion since the 2020 elections:
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ohio-business-voting-machines-election-2020-26539bc13e0184863fcb509540ca7fd1
With that being said, what percent of leaders at churches, Catholic of Protestant do you think speak out against abortion? In Minnesota, it is probably around 5%.
I’m sure there’s a lot more “churches” that display a rainbow flag in front than there are churches that preach against the Rainbow or against abortion.
can we stop losing elections over this now? if the libtards want to kill themselves off, let them!
“Matthew 7:1-2 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. “?
There are many who claim the name of Christ, yet when they are judged by Him he will say “I never knew you”
I am surprised it was that low.
A majority of American Evangelicals are not what I would call Christian. When everything is about your feelings, you don’t have great theology.
We are all to be judged in the end; seems many use the passage you quoted as excuse for the very worst of behavior.
About 3 in 10 voters in Ohio were White evangelical or born-again Christians, according to network exit polls, and about three-quarters of them voted against the constitutional amendment. About 7 in 10 of the larger share of those who are not White evangelicals voted in favor of the amendment. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/07/ohio-issue-1-exit-poll-results/#EWVVVURG4JBO5MURSHGGYSAG2E-11Evangelical and born-again Christians as often not the same as Barna shows, but which stats, while deplorable, would means that the 75% of evangelical or born-again Christians opposed the constitutional amendment is the highest % among all religious groups, if consistent with Pres. elections in the decades past in which 80% even voted for Romney, versus the Demoncrate.
Leftists self-identifying as Evangelic Christians.
A lot of so called Christians just voted themselves a ticket to Hell.
Yes, it’s about hypocrisy. If you take a position, people will be watching to see if you live up to your position yourself. How you judge people by what they do is how you’ll be judged if you aren’t living to your own standards.
**Then they’re not Evangelicals.**
Be blunt: they are anti christs.
Now find the voting by Catholics if you think 75% against abortion is the worst.
Other data:
Ryan Struyk
@ryanstruyk
Ohio constitutional amendment by race, education and gender via @CNN
exit polling:
Yes +74% Black men w+w/o degree
Yes +62% Black women w+w/o degree
Yes +30% White women w/ degree
Yes +18% White men w/ degree
Yes +2% White women w/o degree
No +18% White men w/o degre
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