It has been almost half a century since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the United States in the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. In the interim more than 50 million abortion procedures have been reported in this country (no one knows how many have not been reported). Beginning about 1995 The Pew Research Center’s annual polls showed that the percentage of Americans who favored keeping abortion legal in all, or most, cases was dropping. It fell from 60% in 1995 to about 50% a decade ago. That was a positive sign that Americans were waking up the serious moral shame of abortion. However, since then it has risen back to the current level of 59%. Those opposed has stayed about the same: 38% in 1995 to 39% in 2021. Thus about 3/5 of Americans still turn a blind eye to this ethical scandal. These and other statistics concerning public views on this topic were recently published recently by Pew: www.pewresearch.org/ABORTION.
In a related story, the Roman Catholic Church’s United States Conference of Bishops, who are usually quite liberal on social issues, voted last week 168-55 (with six abstentions) in favor of drafting “a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.” The statement suggests that local priests can prohibit the sharing of the Eucharist (communion) to politicians and others who publically support pro-abortion policies and practices.
The sacrament of the Eucharist is for Catholics the focus of their worship and their understanding of how to receive saving grace. Anyone who commits a serious sin, as the church defines them, and does not confess it to a priest, is technically ineligible to participate in the Eucharist. Essentially, that means he or she is cut off from receiving saving grace. The Roman Catholic Church has for centuries declared that having or performing an abortion, or supporting its practice, is a major sin and a violation of church law. This statement of policy raises a significant issue concerning Catholic politicians, such as US President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who unequivocally favor legal abortion. Will they be prohibited from taking the Eucharist?
Obviously, we do not accept the Roman Catholic Church’s theological positions on the sacraments or salvation. Nonetheless, in agreement with the bishops, it has been our position that abortion is wrong. It is violation of a person’s most fundamental right as given by God Himself: the right to life. The present predominant American view that abortion should be legal for virtually any reason is a reflection of the growing dominance of Naturalism and the decline of Theism in this country. As the one time Christian and Biblical consensus has faded, American law (especially as interpreted by the courts) and morality has gradually taken a more secular and immoral slant. Moral precepts that were once taken for granted are now rejected and ridiculed by the cultural elite and even in some so-called Christian churches.
The only way this tide can be turned is for a grassroots spiritual revival to take hold in America. Only by changing the overall basic culture can the laws and norms of society be changed. I have to admit, I am not optimistic that it will happen. There are no real signs that we are on the verge of a spiritual awakening. Where this moral slide will eventually end is anyone’s guess, but I believe the bottom is in sight. Nonetheless, as evangelical believers, we must continue to proclaim the gospel of Christ and work to instill Biblical principles into our moral and legal cultures. We must pray that people’s eyes will be opened and they will turn to Jesus.