San Joaquin Anglican October 2019 BISHOP'S CORNER

San Joaquin Anglican October 2019

BISHOP'S CORNER

There were several things that scandalized me about the “old church” and that lead to my departure in 2006. One of them was the day in 2006 I learned that the Episcopal Church actively promoted abortion and even lobbied for it through their funding of the “Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.” What? Since when is the taking of life a religious choice?

One of the things I am deeply grateful for in the Anglican Church in North America is the fact that we are founded upon biblical standards of morality that are reflected in our church’s canons or rules. These standards are found in Canon 8 sections 3 and 41:

God, and not man, is the creator of human life. The unjustified taking of life is sinful. Therefore, all members and clergy are called to promote and respect the sanctity of every human life from conception to natural death.

The Church is called upon to show Christ-like compassion to those who have fallen into sin, encouraging them to repent and receive forgiveness, and offering the ministry of healing to all who suffer physically or emotionally as a result of such sin.

As a result of this, our church makes a stand in opposition to immoral actions like abortion and euthanasia that go against the sanctity of life, but we are also called to do it in a way that shows compassion to those who have sinned and encourage repentance.

Contrary to what many in the world may think, this is not a new position of the Church. Jesus never specifically mentions abortion, but that’s because it was assumed abortion went against the commandment to love your neighbor, and even further back to the prohibition on murder in the Ten Commandments. The Didache, one of the church’s oldest documents from the second century clarifies this teaching by saying, “do not murder a child by abortion nor kill a newborn infant.2” Athenagoras, a Christian philosopher from Greece defended Christianity against accusations of immorality by writing to Emperor Marcus Aurelius and saying, “What reason would we have to commit murder when we say that women who induce abortions are murderers, and will have to give account of it to God?3” While the Jews forbid abortion, the practice in many parts of the Roman Empire was not only to abort babies but also to kill newborns through abandonment and exposure.

The church from the very beginning came out strongly against both of these practices. The fascinating thing is that the Christians didn’t confront these actions with words but with their own actions driven by their faith and love. Christians often rescued the children Romans had left outside to die of exposure. Romans were also quick to abandon children born deformed from failed abortions, and the early Christians brought these children into their homes and raised them as part of loving families. Christians didn’t push back against abortion in a hateful way, they did it in a way that was loving and affirmed how valuable all human life is.4

There were some changes in the church’s teaching after Christianity became legalized in the Roman Empire. Some theologians no longer saw abortion as the same thing as murder, but all agreed that abortion was an evil act. This continued through the Reformation with Martin Luther saying, “The God who declares that we are to be fruitful and multiply regards it as a great evil when human beings destroy their offspring.”5

This moral stand against abortion continued in the church, and was reflected in the 1930 Lambeth Conference when the Anglican bishops passed a resolution stating, “The Conference further records its abhorrence of the sinful practice of abortion.”6 The 1978 Lambeth Conference called for training for both men and women at the diocesan level, “to emphasize the sacredness of all human life, the moral issues inherent in clinical abortion.”7 Those teachings have never been overturned by Anglicans on a global level. At a national level the Episcopal Church in the United States diverged from Anglicanism in 1967 by advocating, “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions [about the termination of pregnancy] and to act upon them.”8 It was right before that decision in 1966 that Anglicans for Life was founded in order to advocate for pro-life positions in the Anglican Church. So while some may claim diversity of opinion exists in Christianity regarding abortion, that diversity has only existed since the 1960s and positions allowing abortion are clearly against the historic teaching of the church.

As Anglican Christians, we should stand up against abortion. We need to remember to do this not only in a loving and compassionate way but through our actions in addition to our words. There are a number of pregnancy care centers located throughout our diocese that support women during their pregnancies and would appreciate volunteers. From now until November 3 there are also pro-life groups participating in 40 Days for Life, an opportunity to pray and fast near abortion clinics for an end to abortion. These are both great opportunities to act in support of life and to do it in a loving and compassionate way.

All of us as Christians should at the minimum be praying for an end to abortion in our country. I ask you during this time to join me in praying for it to end and also for the women who have had abortions to know they have a loving God who is ready and able to forgive them for all the wrongs they may have done.

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Lord God, thank You for creating human life in Your image. Thank You for my life and the lives of those I love. Thank You for teaching us through Scripture the value You place on life. Help me to uphold the sanctity of life in my church and community. Give me the strength to stand up to those forces that seek to destroy the lives of those most vulnerable, the unborn, the infirm and the elderly. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, never to be forgetful of respecting life. I commit myself to protecting and defending the sacredness of life according to Your will, through Christ our Lord.

Bishop Eric Menees