Rev. Raphael Warnock is currently running for one of two Senate seats in the state of Georgia, which will determine control of the upper chamber in January. Though most polls have Warnock leading in his race against sitting Senator Kelly Loeffler, there is one vote he doesn’t have, pro-life African American pastors.
In an open letter, 25 black pastors from Georgia and other nearby states call out Rev. Warnock, who pastors Ebenezer Baptist Church, for his pro-abortion stance and ask him to rethink his position.
The letter begins, “We are a coalition of Black Christian ministers who, like you, feel called by God to preach the Bible, advocate for justice and fight against societal evils. We applaud your commendable efforts to share Christ while pursuing political solutions to our most pressing problems today.
But precisely because we share so much in common with you, we feel compelled to confront your most recent statements concerning abortion. You have gone on the record saying that you are a ‘pro-abortion pastor’ who will ‘always fight for reproductive justice.’ You have publicly expressed your views that abortion is an exercise in ‘human agency and freedom’ that is fully consistent with your role as a shepherd of God’s people.”
On Twitter, Warnock has said, “I’m a pro-choice pastor, and I believe that a hospital room is way too small for a woman, her doctor, and the United States government.”
In a recent podcast interview, while questioned about the millions of preborn babies that have died from abortion, he responded, “I think that human agency and freedom is consistent with my view as a minister.”
Tony Dungy, a hall-of-fame NFL coach and Christian, responded in a tweet, “When you say ‘a minister’ does that mean they represent a church. I’d like to know what book the candidate uses as their foundation for truth and their guiding principles? It couldn’t be the Bible.”
In a response to a Twitter question if the Bible mentions abortion, Dungy wrote, “Read Psalm 139. Here is part of it (picture attached). If you believe the Bible is the word of God you can’t read this and conclude that God doesn’t view a baby in the womb as life.”
The 25 pastors agree as well, and publicly rebuke Warnock’s stance.
The letter continues, “We believe these statements represent grave errors of judgment and a lapse in a pastoral responsibility, and we entreat you to reconsider them. As a Christian pastor and as a Black leader, you have a duty to denounce the evil of abortion, which kills a disproportionate number of Black children. Your open advocacy of abortion is a scandal to the faith and to the Black community.”
Some of the pastors that have signed on include evangelist Alveda King, Rev. Harriet Bradley of Democrats for Life, Bishop Garland Hunt, Bishop Wellington Boone, Kevrick McKain of the African American led pro-life Douglass Leadership Institute (who has been interviewed by The Daily Citizen) and others.
Warnock has not responded to the letter.
Photo from POOL/REUTERS
