I don’t usually engage political issues in this blog. I prefer to address moral and theological principles. However, this week it was reported that a group of what we might term “progressive evangelical pro-life Christians” expressed their great disappointment with the current administration. An open letter was published Tuesday from Dr. Richard Mouw, former president of Fuller Theological Seminary, and Ron Sider, former president of Evangelicals for Social Action. The letter alleges that President Biden and Congress are not keeping a pledge to them that they would continue the policy to not use federal tax-payer funds to finance abortions (except in very rare cases).
This policy, called the Hyde Amendment, named for its key sponsor, the late Sen. Henry Hyde of Illinois, has been in place since 1980. Before 2019 it was supported by President Biden and a number of Democrats. However, in June of that year, then candidate Biden announced a reversal of his previous support. Consequently, the 2020 Democratic Party Platform specifically called for its repeal.
Mouw and Sider are dismayed that the recently passed 1.9 trillion dollar coronavirus relief bill does not contain Hyde Amendment provisions. This definitely leaves open the probable use of that money to preform abortions. Apparently they had gotten some assurances that if they publicly supported Biden’s candidacy that he would take their pro-life positions seriously. Now they feel betrayed, as well they should. They also reportedly have expressed disappointment over the proposed “Equality Act” that would in effect make it difficult for Christian colleges and other institutions to maintain a Biblical stance on sexuality.
We have to wonder, though, what were they expecting? It has always baffled me how theologically conservative Christians can lend support to those in the political realm (in both parties) who advocate and practice moral and ethical positions expressly opposed to Biblical principles. In this case, did Mouw and Sider, and other progressive evangelicals like them, really believe that the Naturalist worldview dominated Democratic establishment was going to give a little on their strongly pro-abortion beliefs to satisfy their concerns? That is naïve at best.