Thursday June 10, 2010
Trend Shows National Association of Evangelicals Joining Contraception Bandwagon
By Peter J. Smith
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 10, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The National Association of Evangelicals appears to be shifting away from its neutral stance on contraception in favor of a qualified endorsement of the practice. A new survey released by the NAE claiming to represent 45,000 evangelical churches reveals that Evangelical pastors overwhelmingly believe in artificial contraception.
“Most associate evangelicals with Catholics in their steady leadership in pro-life advocacy, and rightly so,” said Leith Anderson, president of the NAE, in a press release. “But it may come as a surprise that unlike the Catholic church, we are open to contraception.”
“Our leaders indicate that contraception can be utilized if all biblical purposes of sex are upheld and that it may actually aid in keeping the balance,” asserted Anderson.
The NAE said in a press release that their April Evangelical Leaders Survey revealed that close to 90% of Evangelical leaders approve of artificial contraception. The numbers also complement the findings of a 2009 Gallup poll done in cooperation with the NAE, which found 90-91% of evangelicals believe hormonal and barrier contraceptives are morally and biblically permissible.
Randy Bell of the Association for Biblical Higher Education said that he did not believe the Bible prohibited “most common methods of contraception.”
But, he added, “I can say from personal experience that God can defeat such methods if he chooses to do so.”
While approving of artificial contraception, Greg Johnson, president of Standing Together, seemed wary of the danger of contraceptives bringing about a selfish and even anti-family mentality.
“I believe the church does have a responsibility to communicate and preach the importance of family and that couples should not carelessly allow themselves to use contraception as a way to avoid having children and a growing family altogether,” he said.
George Brushaber, president emeritus of Bethel University, said that while he supported artificial contraception, he believed it should be used “with proper biblical and medical guidance.”
The release of the poll by the NAE appears to be part of a larger trend that has quickened within the last month of publically embracing contraception as evangelicals – an issue on which the organization had maintained relative silence.
Just a few weeks ago, the NAE revealed it would consider endorsing contraception as part of achieving “common ground” – a favorite phrase of President Barack Obama – on reducing abortion in the United States, where well over a million unborn children are aborted every year. (see coverage here)
See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:
Evangelicals Launch Effort to ‘Reduce Abortions,’ Float Contraceptive Advocacy
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/may/10053108.html
Evangelical Association Reaffirms Biblical Stance after Statements Supporting Obama, Homosexual Civil Unions
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08120905.html
New Evangelical Documentary Exposes Abortifacient Qualities of the Birth Control Pill, Promotes NFP
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09052707.html