Bryan, TX (LifeNews.com) — The religious denominations that embrace abortion do so supposedly because they are tolerant and welcoming of people who disagree on issues like abortion. Yet, that is not proving to be the case for Abby Johnson, the former Planned parenthood director who quit after converting to the pro-life perspective.
Johnson, quit her position last month as the director of a local abortion business after seeing an ultrasound of an abortion procedure.
Her October decision has drawn national attention, exposed how Planned Parenthood does abortions for significant profit, and saw the abortion business fail to silence her now that she has resigned.
Johnson now faces a battle of a different kind — getting her local Episcolalian Church to accept her new status as a pro-life person.
“Now that I have taken this stand, some of the people there are not accepting of that,” she told The Washington Times today.
“People have told me they disagree with my choice. One of the things I’ve been told is that as Episcopalians, we embrace our differences and disagreements. While I agree with that, I am not sure I can go to a place where I don’t feel I am welcome,” she said. [reference]
Of course pro-choicers disagree with her choice – pro-choicers are usually irony deficient on the issue of choice.
LifeNews’ headline is not exactly accurate “Planned Parenthood Director Who Quit Now Rejected by Episcopalian Church.” Not feeling welcome at one church is not exactly rejection from the whole Episcopalian church.
The Times indicates having problems finding a church home is nothing new — with pro-life denominations rejecting her before her conversion.
“I was raised Southern Baptist but didn’t find the Southern Baptist community was very accepting of my work at Planned Parenthood,” she said.
She said she and her husband Doug “had been told by a couple of churches … that because I worked at Planned Parenthood, we could not be members.”
“I thought that because this church was so accepting, maybe I was doing the right thing,” she said of joining the Episcopal Church. “A lot of people would consider the Anglican faith a pro-choice faith.”
Well I wouldn’t be one of those people who think the Anglican faith is necessarily pro-life since just like Episcopalians there are pro-lifers among them, but it would be hard to call it a majority unless you’re mainly just talking about the high church segments.
There is a problem with leaving a church because you don’t feel welcome. The real question is do they teach the truth. If not then it is not a matter of feeling, but seeking the truth. Jesus did not say I am The Way, The Feeling, and the Light. I hope like many pro-life converts before her like abortion doctor Bernard Nathanson and Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) and many others that she finds her way into the Catholic Church. While Catholics have some work to do to make people feel as welcome on a personal level as many Protestant churches, we do have the fullness of the truth and will always be pro-life. She certainly needs our prayers in what must be a pretty tough transition. But she was able to act on the truth before when she saw the abortion being performed via ultrasound.
5 comments
She’s always welcome to swim the Tiber…
Everyone knows that the Episcopal ecclesiastical community is merely a religious expression of leftism. Liberalism is their true religion, not Christianity. This anecdote makes sense when you realize that Episcopals do not follow Christ, they follow Marx and the DNC.
I left a Roman Catholic parish for another Roman Catholic parish because I didn’t feel welcome at the first – every week someone scolded me about the behavior of one of my children. I’ve been going to the new parish for about two years and every week I meet someone new and I learn their name.
I do understand about the obligation to attend mass, but Jesus did tell his disciples to shake the dust off their feet and move on if a town were to reject them. Paul stopped preaching to the Jews and went on to preach to the gentiles after he got repeatedly thrown out of synagogues.
The quality of a welcome to a stranger demonstrates just how committed we are to caring for the marginalized and neglected or embracing diversity in an atmosphere of tolerance.
If the authentic message of embracing diversity and patiently bearing with one another despite our faults was what attracted her to the Episcopalian denomination, it seems perfectly legitimate to re-evaluate given that she now sees their implementation of tolerance as a sham.
Here’s hoping that she doesn’t encounter similar “respect for choices” should she glance across the Tiber.
We had been there peacefully praying at the Planned Parenthood for years. We’ve been praying not only for the mothers and children, but the employees as well.
Praise the Lord.
There are several Episcopalian churches in the area. I’ve met one of their priestesses, she left a bad taste in my mouth. As I recall she was queried straight up about abortion and responded in legaleese doublespeak where she made her opinions about “choice” perfectly clear.
I am one of those who have deep admiration and respect for Ms. Johnson, and the decision she made. It was truly courageous, and my prayer is that all of us act with such courage when the Truth becomes apparent.
She has become yet another voice, and her voice is certainly very welcome among the Life community.
God Bless