Pro-life leaders encourage pastors to preach against abortion

Charlie Kirk was an ardent voice for life until his death, and pastors are being encouraged to follow his example and preach more about protecting the preborn from the pulpit.

Key Takeaways:

• Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated in September at a Utah campus event.

• Though he spoke on numerous issues, he was always an outspoken opponent of abortion, and preached that every life is sacred.

• Kirk was also a devout Christian, and pastors are being encouraged to take inspiration from him and do more to fight for life.

The Details:

A recently published open letter, backed by a wide group of Christian conservatives, called on pastors to preach unapologetically about abortion from the pulpit, contending that silence on this issue has fatal ramifications for both preborn children and mothers.

The letter, released by Human Coalition, points to abortion as a defining moral crisis and a Gospel issue, instead of simply a political topic. The letter quoted biblical teaching and moral duty as the foundation for proactive preaching regarding the dignity of human life “without fear or compromise."

Alluding to Jeremiah 1:5 and Proverbs 24:11, the coalition of pro-life leaders said, “Among the great moral crises of our time, none is more urgent or devastating than abortion — the destruction of countless innocent lives created in the image of God.”

Signatories included leaders from evangelical and conservative institutions, like Human Coalition President Jeff Bradford, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Christians Engaged CEO Bunni Pounds, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Daniel Akin.

What Does the Bible Say About Abortion?

Zoom In:

In light of increased church engagement following Kirk's death, the coalition saw an opportunity. Pastors face questions regarding moral truths and cultural issues in a time of uncertainty and national reckoning, and now is one of those times. With an increase in church attendance, now is an appropriate time for pastors to lead congregations on the issue of life. 

The coalition maintained that pastors must “preach the Gospel of Life with clarity and compassion,” reinforcing the sacrosanct value of every human life from conception, and urged churches to empower congregations to be “defenders of the vulnerable” and provide healing and forgiveness to post-abortive individuals.​

“Every child is a gift from the Creator, and every mother and father deserves the compassion and hope found in the Gospel. Yet in too many pulpits, this truth is absent. Silence on abortion has become one of the Church’s greatest failings,” the letter said, and argued that a fear of controversy or decreasing church attendance should not stop pastors from speaking about abortion. It said:

...our silence has deadly consequences. Abortion is not an abstract political debate; it is the leading cause of death in America. And every week, men and women in our churches are directly touched by it. When we fail to speak, they are left vulnerable to the lies of a culture that denies the humanity of the unborn and the hope of forgiveness in Christ.

Abortion is not merely one issue among many. It is a Gospel issue. It is the defining moral crisis of our day. And it is a moment in history when the Church must rise and speak with one voice. We call on you, fellow leaders, to join us in this sacred task. Let it not be said of our generation that the Church was silent while children perished and parents suffered.

A few months ago, the Family Research Council, together with the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, published a survey evaluating the stances of 1,003 American respondents. The results revealed that 19% of respondents admitted that they had paid for, encouraged someone, or opted to undergo an abortion.

Only 41% of churchgoers said their churches preached against abortion several times throughout the year. Only 13% conceded that their churches speak about abortion once annually, 12% stated that the topic is discussed once every year, and 23% declared that their churches never talk about abortion.

The Bottom Line:

Churchgoers depend on their pastors to lead them, especially on important issues like abortion. And as this letter points out, if they choose to remain silent, pastors are failing them.