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
