RCRC

United Methodists Quit Abortion Coalition

on May 19, 2016

Institute on Religion and Democracy Press Release
May 19, 2016
Contact: Jeff Walton cell: 202-413-5639, e-mail: jwalton@TheIRD.org

“In contrast to the United Methodist Church, RCRC dismisses the value of unborn human life”
-UM Action Director John Lomperis

Portland, OR—United Methodists have voted to require church boards and agencies to withdraw immediately from an organization that advocates for abortion on demand. Delegates from across the 12.1 million-member denomination adopted a proposal concluding affiliation with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) on a vote of 425 to 268 (61 percent to 39 percent) during their quadrennial General Conference meeting in Portland, Oregon.

Two United Methodist agencies, the General Board on Church and Society (GBCS) and United Methodist Women (UMW) are coalition members of RCRC.

The legislation’s rationale states that RCRC “is a one-sided political lobby that opposes all disapproval or limitation of abortion. RCRC’s advocacy often directly contradicts our Social Principles on abortion, but it still uses our Church’s name. Several annual conferences and many United Methodist leaders have urged the Church to end all association with RCRC.”

The General Conference subsequently voted 561-197 (74-26 percent) to delete a previous resolution that had broadly affirmed the work of RCRC.

UM Action Director and Elected General Conference Delegate John Lomperis commented:

“There is nothing moderate or nuanced about RCRC, which has consistently lobbied to defend grisly ‘partial-birth’ abortions, even after our Social Principles included a statement ‘call[ing] for the end of this late-term practice’.

“In contrast to the United Methodist Church, RCRC dismisses the value of unborn human life. RCRC even promotes rituals to bless all the work of elective abortion clinics, describing aborting unborn children as always ‘holy work.’

“This is a necessary and good step towards affirming that the unborn are persons of sacred worth. This also shows the UMC moving away from other liberal, declining, ‘mainline’ denominations to embrace a new faithful, global identity.”

www.TheIRD.org

  1. Comment by apriluser on May 19, 2016 at 7:19 pm

    Yes, there is some good news! Just as with the recent Sand Creek Massacre repentance initiative at Conference for the killing of 200 Native Americans, I’m wondering if United Methodists will find themselves repenting for supporting the massacre of millions of our most vulnerable.

  2. Comment by Namyriah on May 19, 2016 at 8:58 pm

    Don’t hold your breath on that one. I used to work for the Board of Discipleship, and the UM bureaucrats’ values are more in line with the New York Times than with the New Testament.

  3. Comment by intheloop54 on May 20, 2016 at 4:38 pm

    But now that it’s been voted on, the Board can’t stop it, can it?

  4. Comment by pmw on May 19, 2016 at 9:44 pm

    Truly Good news from the Conference!

  5. Comment by Mark Brooks on May 19, 2016 at 11:10 pm

    Excellent news.

  6. Comment by Eternity Matters on May 20, 2016 at 9:31 am

    Good for them! What great news. So many people in the Methodist church had no idea how the “Christian” Leftist leaders in the UMC sent so much money to the ghoulish Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Even their name was deceptive: 100% of abortions kill human beings who have already reproduced. But Satan doesn’t care about details like that..

  7. Comment by intheloop54 on May 20, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    Finally! Now I can go back to our local UMC. I left the UMC because of its pro-abortion stance. I’d left the ELCA Lutheran church prior to that for the same reason. We have a Free Methodist Church in our town, which is pro-life for the most part. There are a few very liberal members there who throw a fit if any sermon or testimony about abortion is spoken. We also have Missouri Synod Lutheran Churches, which proclaim to be pro-life but really they just don’t want to stir up any conversations about it. Thank you to the voters in the UMC for doing what’s right, what God wants, and not being afraid to anger the extreme liberals.

  8. Comment by CurlyQ on May 20, 2016 at 10:37 pm

    I am thankful to see this day. Way back in the 80’s, I attended a UMW conference in Kentucky. I took a photograph of a poor black man carrying a poster of an unborn baby with a caption saying, “Why do you UMW kill the unborn?”. That photo has always haunted me to this day. I was young and becoming active in my local church women’s group. I must admit I didn’t know what he was doing or saying! However, as years went by I became very aware of things outside our local UMW. I stopped giving to the greater UMW and put my money to work in our local fund. I suspect that a majority of UM have no clue as too what some of our money has supported through the years under poor leadership. Thank the Lord for computers that we can seek out information and share it with others because our churches don’t.
    They kept us in the dark as long as they could! And now, they need another three or four years to have a committee decide on issues that have plaqued us for 45 years! They should be ashamed for allowing this issue to continue for so long. There will be accountability some day and darkness no more.

  9. Comment by Samuel F Waddell on May 21, 2016 at 4:02 am

    Praise God! Maybe there is REVIVAL brewing? Wesley was a holiness preacher. He preached that we must be born again and then that we can be entirely sanctified both by God’s grace and the power of JESUS BLOOD! The Methodist church must continue to stand against the acceptance of homosexuality and ordaining people involved in that sin as well. Anyone can be saved but God is call us to repentance and not to continue in or to idolize any sin.

  10. Comment by ellenkim on May 21, 2016 at 11:47 am

    “This also shows the UMC moving away from other liberal, declining, ‘mainline’ denominations to embrace a new faithful, global identity.” How did the delegates miss this sheep’s clothing? This is a back-door purge.

  11. Comment by Canbuhay on May 25, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    What great news. Praise God for the change and for His gift of life.

  12. Comment by Huldah1776 on May 27, 2016 at 8:05 am

    Praise God from whom all those baby blessings flow! Did you know that the national consequence for child sacrifice is invasion and conquest? Read 2 Kings 23 + 24 and watch for the words “will NOT forgive.” This is the national level not the individual. If a person repents then forgiven, but not at the national level. There was a revival before the invasion.

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