“This is truly a matter of the heart,” said the Rev. Robert Sirico, founder of the Michigan-based Acton Institute. “To portray it as something other is to mischaracterize our intentions.”
But the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the document was very political.
“I am optimistic that the people in the pews will not heed their leaders’ misguided call to action,” he said. “Polls show that most churchgoers do not want to see their faith politicized. But I am also well aware that religious leaders have vast lobbying power that cannot be ignored.”
The document does portray a gloomy picture of the current political situation, citing the “pro-abortion ideology [that] prevails today in our government.”
It adds, “The present administration is led and staffed by those who want to make abortions legal at any stage of fetal development and who want to provide abortions at taxpayer expense. Majorities in both houses [of Congress] hold pro-abortion views.”
The first 148 signatures include Southern Baptists, Anglicans, the Orthodox Church of America (OCA), members of Reformed, evangelical, Hispanic Protestant, Church of God in Christ, Antiochian Orthodox and Evangelical Free Church traditions plus the executives of numerous parachurch ministries.
There were only a handful of Presbyterians, United Methodists and Pentecostals, and no apparent signatories from Seventh-day Adventist, Messianic Jewish and Episcopal churches.
Julia Duin is the Times’ religion editor. She has a master’s degree in religion from Trinity School for Ministry (an Episcopal seminary) and has covered the beat for three decades. Before coming to The Washington Times, she worked for five newspapers, including a stint as a religion writer for the Houston Chronicle and a year as city editor at the ...
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Although contemporary American politics is an unforgiving environment, it’s still wide open to implement a legitimate worldview based on timeless Biblical values.
We all eat, and food should be fun and healthful. Food Commune celebrates the food we eat, the people we eat with and the spirits we enjoy.
First over-the-counter column approved for fast and effective relief from even your worst media-induced headache.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
