Date Posted:13:36:40 01/17/03 Fri Author:Rev. Hoyt Noel Jr. Subject: Politics at the Expense of the Gospel?
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I recieved a disturbing email from the organization I once belonged to, namely, The United Church of Christ. It was originated by the Justice and Peace Ministry, the political wing of the organization. Before I launch myself into a diatribe about the body of the message, I need to remember the following verses and what they mean:
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
Eph 4:26 - Be ye angry, and sin not - That is, if ye are angry, take heed ye sin not. Anger at sin is not evil; but we should feel only pity to the sinner. If we are angry at the person, as well as the fault, we sin. And how hardly do we avoid it. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath - Reprove your brother, and be reconciled immediately. Lose not one day. A clear, express command, do you keep it?
Eph 4:27 - Neither give place to the devil - By any delay.
Just so I am not misquoting anyone, I am going to copy and paste the message here:
Support Reproductive Choice on the 30th Anniversary of
Roe v. Wade
January 22nd marks the 30th anniversary of the landmark
Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion
in the United States. In that 1973 decision, the Supreme
Court recognized that diverse religious and theological
perspectives exist, and that the basic constitutional
guarantee of freedom of religion must remain intact.
For more than 30 years, UCC General Synods have affirmed
women's full access to reproductive health services and
the right to choose.
Here are some of the realities we face in 2003:
Poor women and women of color are disproportionately
affected by cuts in federal and state funding for family
planning programs.
If women do not have access to medically safe and legal
services, women will die from back alley abortions.
Life-affirming, comprehensive sexuality education has
been rebuffed by those who promote the use of tax
dollars for fear-based, often medically inaccurate
"abstinence only" programs.
This is a critical time for faithful voices for choice to be
heard. The constitutionally-protected right of women to make
essential decisions concerning their reproductive health is
in grave danger of being eliminated, through state and federal
legislation, and key judicial nominations.
Contact your members of Congress and the President, and let
them hear that as a person of faith and a UCC member, you are
pro-family, pro-faith and pro-choice, and are concerned that
further attempts will be made to weaken and possibly overturn
the Roe v. Wade decision.
You can send a full fax or e-mail message by clicking on
www.ucctakeaction.org.
This weekly message is sent by e-mail for use in church
newsletters and bulletins the following Sunday. To add
names to this weekly advocacy service, for more information,
or to remove your name from the list, reply to JPAnet@ucc.org.
For additional information about the UCC Justice and Peace
Action Network, log on to http://www.ucc.org.
Now I admit freely that I am a sinner, and that I sometimes stray from the will of God, but this particular issue is ringing in my ears not only from my own preaching, but the preaching of others all across the Body of Christ. Consider first, this verse from Deuteronomy:
Deu 5:17 Thou shalt not kill.
O.K. some folks will insist that these unborn are not humans. Consider this:
Jer 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
The Lord kows us and forms us from the very womb. How then can we possibly say that those in the womb are not alive and worthy to live? It is not up to us. It is up to God. I choose to be angry and sin not. I am angry about the sin, the very gall of a so-called "religious organization" taking the pulpit and using it for a political soap box to further the cause of the devil, the very thing we are all fighting against. Is this the anti-Christ? You tell me.
In the love of Jesus,
Rev. Dr. Hoyt Noel Jr., BAMin, ThM, DD
pastor, New Hope Congregational Christian Church
Roanoke, Ala.
