Expert: Bruce Gourley - 10/2/2007

Question
I have been wondering as to where baptist stand on the subject of abortion. So please could you shed some light on the subject?


Answer
Patrick,

There is no "official" Baptist stance on abortion. Among Baptists, both in America and worldwide, you will find Baptists who take differing stands on the issue. You'd probably be hard pressed to find any Baptist who is for abortion in all circumstances. On the other hand many Baptists are against abortion in all circumstances, while many others are against most abortions. The reason that there is no official Baptist belief on the matter is that Baptists historically believe that individuals are accountable to God for their beliefs and actions, not to church hierarchy or creedal statements.

Complicating the matter for Baptists and Christians at large is the fact that the Bible does not address the issue of abortion, nor does it reveal when life actually begins (while many Christians point to certain biblical passages that indirectly address the life issue, and create interpretations from these secondary passages, the Biblical text, unfortunately, gives no direct answers on these issues).

I hope this helps.

Bruce Gourley
www.baptistlife.com
www.centerforbaptiststudies.org
www.baptisthistory.org
www.baptiststoday.org
www.brucegourley.com