Holy Abortion? A Theological Critique of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Overview
Several mainline Protestant denominations are affiliated with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC)—a pro-choice advocacy group. Michael J. Gorman and Ann Loar Brooks carefully examine the literature and liturgical aids produced by the RCRC, demonstrating how its theology contradicts the statements on abortion issued by its affiliated churches.
Gain a historical perspective on this important debate with The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment.
- Evaluates the theology of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCPC)
- Compares the positions of RCPC with several mainline Protestant denominations
- Argues that RCPC positions are at odds with the statements on abortion issued by its affiliated churches
- Introducing the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
- Examining Basic Themes in RCRC’s Literature
- Considering the Statements of RCRC Member Bodies
- Advancing the Conversation
- Conclusions and Possible Objections
Hopefully Holy Abortion? A Theological Critique of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice will be a wake-up call for all who have let the stridency about this issue lull them into indifference. Christians simply cannot give up our commitments to the care of unborn life. This book makes radically clear why that is the case.
—Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School
This book will be invaluable not only to current church leaders, but also to future generations of scholars, who will struggle to understand how the church of Jesus Christ could have descended into this bizarre embrace of death as an emblem of freedom.
—Frederica Mathewes-Green, author, At the Corner of East and Now: A Modern Life in Ancient Christian Orthodoxy
Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, Maryland. A highly regarded New Testament scholar, he is the author of Reading Paul, Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers, and Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross.
Ann Loar Brooks is an educator and writer with a master’s degree from the Ecumenical Institute of Theology.