MISSISSAUGA, Jan 17 (LSN.ca) - The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) with some 1,100 churches across the country is the largest Evangelical denomination in the country. The PAOC position paper on abortion released more than 15 years ago was among the strongest pro-life statements of any Christian church. On the first page of the document entitled “The Christian Alternative to Abortion,” it proclaims that the PAOC believes that “Human life begins at conception.” It goes on to state “The only possible justification for the interruption of a pregnancy would be in the extremely rare situation in which an abortion is performed in order to save the life of the mother. Abortion performed for any other reason is the deliberate taking of human life and is equivalent to murder.”
Over the years, however, there has been a shift, if not in beliefs surrounding abortion, definitely in emphasis - away from political action on the issue to the service-giving aspect of pro-life work. While the 1985 document encourages lobbying as well as offering help to mothers with crisis pregnancies, PAOC leaders interviewed by LifeSite all confirmed there has been a “shift in emphasis” away from political lobbying to the offering of help to mothers. Bill Griffen, director of public relations for the PAOC, told LifeSite, “We are not convinced that we can legislate morality among non-Christians.”
Among the various leaders there is a marked difference in the interpretation of the PAOC stand on life issues. The head (General Superintendent) of the PAOC, William Morrow, was unavailable for comment but Bill Griffen told LifeSite that, while the 1985 “position was helpful at the time,” it was never put “on the same level as a statement of fundamental and essential truths,” meaning that the pro-life stand was not required for church membership. Griffen noted that the “general stance of the PAOC is very pro-life, but in instances of rape or incest we would have the more moderate position ... early abortion would be tolerated ... that has always been the traditional position.” When questioned about the departure such a view demonstrates from the 1985 statement in which such abortions were identified as “equivalent to murder”, Griffen said he took issue with the use of the word “murder”. “Murder is a crime, abortion is not a crime in our country,” he explained.
Rev. Hudson Hilsden, the former head of the PAOC Social Concerns Committee, told LifeSite that his 1985 document was “not officially endorsed by the general executive” of the PAOC. Rev. Hilsden, who was the original chairman behind the creation of the 1985 position paper on abortion, also noted that the 1985 statement’s labeling as the “position paper” of the PAOC was premature. However, Ted Seres, the current head of social concerns at PAOC headquarters in Mississauga told LifeSite that it is his understanding that the 1985 statement is “the official position paper” of the PAOC on the matter of abortion. Even if it didn’t have the official stamp of the general executive, said Seres, “anything that comes out of this office needs to be approved.” Seres also asserted that no changes to the strong pro-life stand were forthcoming. “I can’t see that ever changing,” he said.
The differences in opinion on life issues are not only felt at PAOC headquarters, its effects have trickled down to the individual church level. Last Monday, Jim Garland, a pro-lifer who was a member of the board of Hi-Way Pentecostal Church in Barrie, Ontario resigned as a board member over the issue. Garland told LifeSite that, after his interest in pro-life issues was sparked by attending a LifeChain, he inquired about the PAOC stand on abortion. He was distressed to find that not many were aware of the church’s position. His local church did not support him in his endeavors to keep the church informed on life issues. Nor was there support for dealing with the issue at the board level. After some 12 months of inquiry into the situation at the PAOC, Garland contends, “Canada’s largest evangelical denomination has quietly given up the fight to defend the unborn.”
While current PAOC spokesman Griffen claims the “moderate position” is the traditional position of the PAOC, that does not concur with the stand of Rev. James McKnight, the former General Superintendent of the PAOC. Rev McKnight, who retired in 1996 after 14 years as General Superintendent, told LifeSite that perhaps “general indifference causes one to remain silent and not do too much.” He warned that “things are so bad in this area ... God is going to bring judgment on our nation. I really do feel that God is going to deal with this ... we have become so trivial in our attitude toward what are really the issues ... Canada is going to reap a terrible harvest for this.”
See the complete text (later this evening) of the 1985 Pentecostal Assemblies Position Paper on abortion at http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2001/jan/pentassemblies.html It is recognized as one of the strongest and most thorough official statements on abortion by a major Canadian protestant denomination.