Newswire

Rift Revealed Among Evangelical Christians

By Greg Garrison / The Birmingham News

The national protests led by Operation Rescue/Operation Save America this week in Alabama revealed a rift among evangelical Christians over tactics in the fight against abortion.

Activists took out a full-page advertisement in The News on Monday, criticizing Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and other evangelicals for not taking a more strident stance against abortion.

Flip Benham, director of Operation Save America, signed the statement that called Dobson a "moral relativist" for praising the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling upholding a ban on partial-birth abortion.

Benham and others say the ruling actually reinforces the right to an abortion, and that churches should be more adamant in opposing all abortion.

On Sunday morning, protesters showed up in front of four of Birmingham's largest evangelical churches - Briarwood Presbyterian, Lakeside Baptist, Metropolitan Church of God and Liberty Church.

Their giant graphic posters of aborted fetuses were not well-received, said Rebecca Tibbs, who attends Metro Church of God.

"We just came away thinking, `We're on your side, but this is not the way we choose to do it,'" said Tibbs. "I would never join up with them. People with small children were very disappointed. The pictures were not necessary. People were shocked and appalled."

Although the protesters were invited to Alabama by Doers of the Word Church in East Birmingham, which has hosted rallies, few other churches have been visible in support of the abortion protests.

Benham said that most of the nearly 200 people protesting this week were from outside Alabama.

He said there's a core of about 10 dedicated protesters in Birmingham who routinely picket outside the city's abortion clinics.

The Rev. Harry Reeder III, pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, said that the church has long promoted the sanctity of life through a comprehensive approach supporting legislation.

http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/ind ex.ssf?/base/news/1184921329314530.xml&coll=2

Posted by Editor at July 21, 2007 09:07 PM