Baptist Church Passes Resolution Calling for an “End to the Scourge of Legalized Abortion”

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Nov 12, 2020   |   12:16PM   |   Washington, DC

The Kentucky Baptist Convention approved a pro-life resolution Tuesday calling for prayers to end “the scourge of legalized abortion in our state and nation.”

Kentucky Today reports the resolution passed during the evangelical Christian group’s annual meeting in Owensboro.

The members spent a lot of time discussing the resolution, with some urging that its language be even stronger, according to the report. Clay Hall, of Lake City Baptist in Grand Rivers, said the resolution did not go far enough.

“We may say this is murder, but we don’t act like it,” Hall said. “We need the courage to go further. Look to God to take the next step to love our pre-born neighbor as we love ourselves and lead the way to actually abolish abortion in Kentucky.”

Jay Ingram, who chairs the Committee on Resolution, defended the language by emphasizing that Christians should celebrate every pro-life victory as they work toward abortions being completely abolished, the report continues.

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“While we all pray and hope for a day when it would be completely abolished, this resolution states we would celebrate with any legislator who stands for pro-life issues and that we would celebrate any incremental victory in the pro-life campaign,” Ingram said.

The resolution urges Kentucky Baptist leaders to educate their churches about abortion and the value of every unborn child. It notes that both the Bible and scientific evidence show that life begins at conception.

“The defense of the most vulnerable humans among us is a value that defines both the character and soul of any people (Proverbs 24:11-12),” the resolution states. “Abortion has left in its wake long-term mental and emotional devastation in the lives and families of those who have undergone the procedure, and Christians are called on to be committed to the redemptive ministry of Christ by embracing and supporting those who have experienced abortion.”

It urges Christians to commit themselves to “become a friend to the unborn with the ultimate goal of abolishing abortion in Kentucky.”

The resolution sends a strong message that Christians need to stand up for the rights of unborn babies.

While some pastors are strong advocates for life, research indicates that many church-goers never hear the life issue being preached from the pulpit. A 2016 Barna Group survey of pastors and priests found that just 1 in 10 mainline Protestant pastors has preached on pro-life issues in the last six months. That same year, a Pew Research Center poll found that 29 percent of church-goers said their clergy member spoke about abortion during a service. Most said their clergy spoke out against abortion (22 percent), while a few (3 percent) said their clergy spoke in support of abortion.