Suppose you went to church on Sunday morning to hear God’s Word and listen to a sermon or lesson intended to help grow you spiritually. You’re eager to know how God’s Word applies to your life today and how you can look through a biblical lens at the issues that permeate our culture. You sit eagerly waiting to hear the message God has given your pastor when the pastor begins by say he/she wants to discuss the biblical support for abortion!

That may seem far-fetched; as if there is no way any pastor would express support for something so obviously wrong. Right?

Unfortunately the reality that there exists members of the clergy that regularly teach God’s Word to those gathered in their congregation while also supporting abortion is true. Even sadder is that it is not one or two “rogue” or isolated pastors adhering to this lamentable position. In fact, according to a recent article, 53 pastors in the state of Texas alone support abortion:

“An open letter signed by 53 progressive clergy protested the exclusion of Planned Parenthood from Medicaid…The signers of the letter are affiliated with a smaller Baptist church denomination that broke away from the ardently pro-life Southern Baptist Convention, with the Presbyterian Church USA and the United Methodist Church, both of whom have advocated for abortion. And many of the signer[s] are affiliated with the pro-abortion Universalist Church.”

These members of the clergy are upset that pro-life Governor Greg Abbot is seeking to cut funding for Planned Parenthood in the state. To show their opposition to Abbot’s action they’ve signed their names to a letter declaring their support for the abortion merchant and asking to continue making tax-payers fund abortion. Somehow the obvious conflict in their position alludes these misguided clergy.

Consider first that for years both individual states and the federal government have been forcing people that are religiously or ideologically opposed to abortion to fund it. Those who state that they believe abortion is morally and ethically wrong and want no part in it have been forced to fund it through their tax dollars. These clergy are supporting the continued forced funding of abortion while ignoring the religious convictions of those that oppose abortion and don’t want to help fund it. Where’s the religious freedom in that?

And take a look at this statement contained in the letter sent by the clergy:

“United in our shared commitment to justice and religious freedom, we affirm the right of all women across Texas to make their own health care decisions. Eliminating Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood denies women and families that freedom and leaves many of our state’s most vulnerable women without access to basic health care.”

I would say the clergy here don’t have a very good understanding of what Planned Parenthood does. The most widely offered “healthcare service” of Planned Parenthood is abortion. They don’t do mammograms, don’t make a point of offering adoption referrals or providing other actual healthcare services. Outside of offering pregnancy tests, condoms, birth control, and abortion…Planned Parenthood doesn’t do much. So what exactly is the “healthcare” these clergy are fighting for? Unless they believe it is tax payer’s responsibility to pay for condoms and birth control for women – i.e. Sandra Fluke – there is nothing Planned Parenthood offers that can’t be obtained anywhere else. Except perhaps for abortion.

One of the clergy from Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston made the following bizarre statement:

“Women have a moral and legal right to decide for themselves which health care providers they will see. As faith leaders in our communities, we cannot be silent when politicians interfere with that freedom and risk leaving vulnerable women without access to the basic care they need and deserve.”

I couldn’t agree more. Women do have a right to decide which healthcare providers they want to use. And we do need to speak up when politicians interfere with the freedom to make that decision. But that is not what is going on here.

All that Governor Abbot is doing is removing tax-payer dollars from Planned Parenthood. Abbot is not telling Planned Parenthood they can’t operate in the state or have to close their doors. He is simply saying that they, like other non-profit organizations must raise their own support. Abbot is not mandating that women cannot go to Planned Parenthood or even suggesting they avoid Planned Parenthood. He is simply saying they will receive no tax money. If Planned Parenthood is as popular as they and their supporters claim, they should have no trouble raising money from their ardent supporters.

I suspect however that this is more about money that anything. The truth that Planned Parenthood doesn’t want you to know is that without tax-payer funding they would be a shell of their current self. Planned Parenthood relies so heavily on tax-payer money that without it they would be reduced to a few centers nationwide. But why?

Statistically abortion numbers are going down. As the humanity of the unborn becomes more known and undeniable women are refusing to kill their unborn children. So Planned Parenthood needs more of our tax money to offset lost revenues due to women choosing life.  You see, women are making their own healthcare choices, they are deciding for themselves what is best for their body and their unborn child. So these members of clergy fighting for Planned Parenthood are little more than heretics standing in opposition to God’s clear word that life is sacred and to be defended. They are guilty of violating a simple biblical command not to murder.

Any theology that allows for the murder of unborn children is not of God. That is a theology that in no way understands the Gospel and how it applies to our world. That is a minister and a church to be avoided at all costs.