I’m not sure that anything makes me angrier than watching as self-proclaimed Christians professing to speak for God act in direct contradiction to what the Bible teaches. In recent years, this problem has seemingly grown ever more distressing, as liberal congregations embrace all manner of anti-Biblical lifestyles and philosophies. The latest example of this disturbing trend in the American church comes to us from Ohio, where leaders from United Methodist and Episcopalian Churches have come together to “bless” their local Planned Parenthood abortion mill.
The Reverend Laura Young recently led a prayer rally in front of her local abortion facility as a direct reaction to what she says is the “misguided faith” of pro-life Christians.
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?”
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Laura Young Abortion PreacherYoung also says religious groups are fueling the so-called war on women. She explained, “Women are being attacked at a moral level by the radical Religious Right. They’ve hijacked the political discussion. This event is an opportunity for progressive religious leaders to stop the silence. We need to be in the conversation.”
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She said, “It breaks my heart to know women are sitting in pews across the country feeling shamed, believing that they’re cursed for making this decision. That’s a question I get a lot on the phone, ‘Am I going to hell?’ When God instead is there to support women through it all.”
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In a statement the clergy said, “As faith leaders committed to justice, honesty, and liberty, we are troubled by the decades-long campaign of harassment against Planned Parenthood and those they serve. Our faiths demand care for those marginalized by poverty and other oppressions. Faith leaders have supported Planned Parenthood for nearly 100 years because of our shared goals: every person — regardless of income, race, or religion — deserves access to safe, affordable, high-quality health care.”
They concluded, “Our religious traditions call us to offer compassion, not judgment. People who work for Planned Parenthood give care and respect to those in need, doing God’s work. For this we are grateful.”
analysis (and others like her) of what Scripture teaches and how it should influence our thoughts on abortion, but the primary problem here is this: she has chosen to ignore the explicit teaching in the Scripture for a philosophy that she has developed based on her interpretation of the Bible. This is an old story, and as a dear friend once told me, this is exactly how cults are started.
Young has chosen to ignore the explicit commands on sin, murder, sexuality and the preeminence of God and instead has decided that her feelings about the Bible’s general tone are more important. In a nutshell, this is exactly the problem of modern liberal Christianity today, not just on the subject of abortion, but on a wide range of issues.
The apostate church that Young and others like her belong to is destroying the very fabric of our nation and the safety and health of the American church. I shudder to think what judgment awaits these false teachers who will one day stand before our Holy and Righteous God. My hope and prayer is that they repent because the penalty they will face otherwise… is terrifying.