May 2022 Intro Letter
The Supreme Court of the United States will soon rule on the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. For those who are not aware, this case is increasingly expected to overturn the 1973 Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, thus ending the current Constitutional right to abortion and sending the decision regarding the legality of abortion back to individual states. Four of the six states in which Converge Heartland ministers have "trigger laws" which will immediately ban abortions in their state upon the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The other two states also lean strongly toward abortion bans, albeit without a trigger law. The ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization will be a historic decision that Christ-followers must be prepared to discuss.
To assist you in your personal conversations, please consider the language used in Converge's 1981 update to our Resolution on Abortion.
"Recognizing the critical nature and complexity of the issue of abortion, be it resolved that the Baptist General Conference (Converge) opposes abortion on demand and encourages its members to influence public opinion in this regard and that our attitude toward those involved in abortion and abortion decisions, be able to speak the truth in love, seeking to bring to bear the forgiveness of God and healing through Christ's body, the church."
From Converge's 1971 and 1981 resolutions on abortion, we derive the following points that can help guide our dialogue on abortion today.
Stewardship of Life: Human life is a gift from God and a sacred trust.
Individual Responsibility: We ought not to regard abortion as a means of evading individual responsibility.
Christian Morality: The most effective solution to the abortion problem is the revival of the Christian concept of morality, especially related to sexual relationships.
Abortion is Sinful: We stand in opposition to abortion because this willful act of taking an unborn human life is tragically sinful and causes lifelong harm to those immediately involved.
Christian Response: We sympathetically speak the truth in love, bringing to bear the forgiveness of God and healing through Christ's body, the church.
May the Lord bless you with wisdom and discernment regarding your personal interactions on this important topic!
Our hope is in Christ!
