The 3 - March 3, 2019

This week's edition of The 3 spotlights a Day of Mourning that occurred to lament the dreadful decision of New York's legislature to allow abortion up until the time of birth.  Also, the U.S. Senate turned back an attempt to protect children who survive an abortion attempt.  And, United Methodists, in a special meeting, decided to uphold traditional teaching on marriage and homosexuality.

3 - Gathering mourns New York abortion law

The response continues to be strong and passionate regarding the decision of the state of New York's legislature and its governor to allow legal abortion up until the time of birth.  The news of this becoming law was cheered by lawmakers, but pro-life Christians have a different viewpoint.

Recently, a Day of Mourning was held at the state capital in Albany, New York, and the Times-Union, a local newspaper, reported that:

Thousands of people donning black clothing prayed, prostrated and proclaimed their opposition to abortion — and New York's recently-signed Reproductive Health Act — during a "Day of Mourning" event at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Saturday afternoon.

The article continued, stating:

The event's speakers painted the issue as a moral crisis facing the nation, and called on Christians of all denominations to protest outside of abortion clinics, or "killing centers", as they were described by Elizabeth Johnston, a pro-life advocate and the event's main speaker.

Speakers at the Day of Mourning event included Johnston, an author and social media advocate, as well as Justin Reeder, founder of a Charlotte, N.C.-based pro-life ministry, and Blythe Mullen, an eight-year-old girl whose mother decided against abortion after an unplanned pregnancy and put her up for adoption.

Reeder said at the event, according to the newspaper "It's time to rebuild, pick up the pieces," adding, "I'm talking about a culture shift, where families stop running to the abortion center for the answer, and they begin running to the local church. That's the shift that I believe (in)." Johnston is quoted as saying, "We are standing with these forgotten and thrown-away children, and promising to do all that is in our power to end the bloodshed and defend the weak..."  Other cities in the nation had similar events planned.

2 - U.S. Senate rejects protection for babies surviving abortion

Discussion on abortion has continued throughout our nation over the past couple of months; not only was the anniversary of Roe v. Wade commemorated during January, including the March for Life in Washington, but with New York's offensive legislative action and an attempt to promote infanticide in Virginia, the issue of life is continuing to take center stage.

And, the U.S. Senate had a chance to weigh in on the protection that a child who survives an abortion attempt should have. By a 53-44 vote, in which all but three of the body's Democrats voted against
such a measure, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act was not allowed to move forward; it needed to get 60 votes.

As the Family Research Council reported, bill sponsor Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska said (according to Breitbart), "We've heard speech after speech after speech that have nothing to do with what's actually in this bill. I urge my colleagues to picture a baby that's already been born, that's outside the womb gasping for air. That's the only thing that today's vote is actually about. We're talking about babies that have already been born… We're not talking about Roe v. Wade."

National Review Online's Alexandra Desanctis said, "Although the bill doesn't restrict abortion rights, it brings into crystal-clear focus the irrationality of the pro-abortion position," adding, "If those who support abortion concede that perhaps there is something wrong with permitting an infant to die the moment after birth if it was meant to have been aborted one minute earlier suddenly the question becomes, 'Why is it acceptable to perform that abortion one minute earlier?'"

And, there may be a cost to the Democratic party, which has embraced a pro-abortion agenda with greater fervor than ever.  FRC points out that "In the four weeks since Democrats cheered the deaths of innocent babies in New York, Americans finally understood the horrors of what they stand for. And the masses have started walking away. There are 14 percent more pro-life Democrats today than last month. Fourteen percent more who will fight to end this generation's nightmare." 

This comes as some Christian leaders are decrying partisan politics, criticizing single-issue voting (with that issue being abortion), and attempting to equate abortion with other issues which they say also shows a lack of regard for human life. But, it begs the question, which has been pointed out and even debated: what issue is there that rises to the level of the state-sanctioned murder of unborn, defenseless, vulnerable human beings, which takes thousands of lives in America every single day?

1 - United Methodists uphold traditional church teaching on homosexuality

Almost three years ago, during a contentious General Conference of the United Methodist Church, leaders made a decision to deal with matters concerning the Church's treatment of homosexuality in a specially-called General Conference.  That conference occurred in St. Louis recently, and delegates voted to uphold the traditional view of homosexuality in the Church's Book of Discipline, continued to uphold the Biblical definition of marriage as one-man and one-woman, will not allow the ordination of gay individuals.

The Institute on Religion and Democracy stated in a press release posted on its website...

...delegates gathered in St. Louis adopted a plan advocated by traditionalists which increases accountability measures for clergy and local bodies.

The United Methodist Church is the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States, but has a global membership of more than 12 million members in the United States, Africa, Europe, and the Philippines.

The denomination’s longstanding official standards are that all people are welcome in its churches, while also teaching that marriage is only between one man and one woman.

John Lomperis of IRD, who is the United Methodist Action Director for the organization, is quoted as saying:

“This was a historic turning point for our denomination, and will hopefully help make the United Methodist Church look refreshingly very different from what we have seen in the last several years.”

He was a guest on The Meeting House in advance of the conference.  You can find that audio here.

Lester Spencer, Senior Pastor of Montgomery (AL)'s St. James UMC and President of the Alabama-West Florida Conference Chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, provided a post-conference report, which you can find here.  

In a statement on its website, the Association shared its thankfulness for the Conference's decision, and stated:

We recognize that persons of divergent positions have been harmed by the acrimonious and bitter debate exhibited at the recent special General Conference. As Christians, we are called to exhibit grace and to speak the truth in love. We are committed to conversations and actions that affirm the sacred worth and love of all people regardless of their perspective in our church’s decades-old debate.

The statement also said:

From its inception, the WCA has been unwavering in its commitment to restore the good order and missional effectiveness of the UM Church. Our work will continue unabated as we address factors that have contributed to dysfunction and ineffectiveness. We are committed to working with other United Methodists to achieve that end at the next General Conference in 2020, including a gracious exit provision. And should circumstances warrant, we remain prepared to launch a new Methodist movement.