The Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) = an Apostate Denomination

For the Presbyterian Church USA (PC USA):

Abortion was once considered a "horrible crime" and "infanticide"!

Today they are "outraged" and "mortified" that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. 

It is with pain that I write this post. I grew up in a conservative PCUSA church - my parents were married in that church, my wife and I were married in that church and for many years we were supported as missionaries from that PCUSA church. My mom was a member of that church and transferred her membership to another PCUSA church closer to where they were living. She faithfully attended that church until she died. We had both of my parents' memorials at that PCUSA church. A number of years ago we also became affiliated with yet another conservative PCUSA Church that began supporting our ministry and still does to this day.

Thankfully, back in 2014, the first church parted ways with the denomination. The one that still supports us also left the PCUSA They stayed within the denomination as long as they could seeking to be an influence against the liberalism that had taken root many decades before and kept growing. Sadly, the other church remained within the denomination. 

There are many roads to apostasy and many of the churches within the PCUSA had been apostate churches for decades. For conservative congregations to remain within and seek to be salt and light, was admirable. But with the accelerated depravity and false ideologies that really took root during the Obama years (namely the normalization of gay marriage, the LGBTQ agenda, critical race theory its associated godless causes), I can see why the conservative congregations finally parted ways. The rest of the denomination had become no longer Christian in so many different ways that it was impossible to remain. 

But the abortion today needs to be highlighted and it was/is the reason I am writing this blogpost. 

You see, there was a time when the ENTIRE Presbyterian Church was pro-Life. As Christians have been, universally, since the days of the Apostles. I can cite numerous quotes from the 2nd and 3rd century Church Fathers to prove unequivocally that abortion/infanticide was rejected as murder by the entire early church. No exceptions. No dissenting voices. Period. To be Christian was/is to be against abortion.

Getting back to the Presbyterian Church USA - What is its history? When were their forefathers consistently pro-Life?

Quoting one of their own websites:

"The earliest appearance of abortion as an issue before the General Assembly occurs in 1869, at the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Old School) assembly in New York. Responding to Overture 44, on "unscriptural views of marriage, divorce, and infanticide,” the commissioners wrote "Nor can we shut our eyes to the fact that horrible crime of infanticide, especially in the form of the destruction by parents of their own offspring before birth, also prevails to an alarming extent. This Assembly regards the destruction by parents of their own offspring, before birth, with abhorrence, as a crime against God and against nature."

Source: https://www.history.pcusa.org/blog/2022/05/reproductive-justice-and-pcusa

Because the website is maintained by liberals who obviously today have abandoned their clear convictions, they do not go into how/when they changed, but by the 1960s, many of the Presbyterian clergy were advocating for abortion.

At some point between the 19th century and the middle of the 20th century, many of their numbers had become apostate no doubt due to embracing the zeitgeist (defined as "the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time") - first through the liberal theology that came out of Germany and then through the godless Marxist ideologies (cultural, economic, philosophical and moral) that infected our educational institutions so thoroughly in the 20th century. 

So where is the PCUSA today? What have they said in regards to the abortion issue with regards to the glorious overturning of Roe v. Wade?

The following quotes come from their most recent statement: 

"We are deeply outraged, saddened, and mortified by this decision!"

"The Presbyterian Church (USA) believes that states should not be involved in creating hurdles to accessing abortion"

"We urge Presbyterians everywhere to affirm that which our church believes and tell the Biden administration to prioritize a proactive abortion agenda ASAP. The Biden Administration must use its executive authorities to guarantee reproductive freedom. A proactive agenda would ensure that everyone, regardless of race, gender identity, age, income, ZIP code, insurance status, disability status, sexuality, and more would have equitable access to abortion care"

Source: https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/PCUSA/Campaigns/95947/Respond

Using the language of "reproductive rights", "reproductive justice", "bodily autonomy" and even "stand[ing] with the oppressed" they even had the audacity to claim that Jesus Himself would have supported their position in the name of not doing unto the least of the brethren in Matthew 25. 

In short, by not allowing minorities (the oppressed) to have access to abortion on demand, they are actually sinning against Jesus Himself! 

For the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA)...

In the 19th century, abortion was "the horrible crime of infanticide"

But in 2022, when the Supreme Court acted to greatly limit that "horrible crime", to stop much of that "infanticide", this same church is now "deeply outraged, saddened, and mortified by ...[the Supreme Court's] decision!

In the 19th century, that church was Christian, was faithful and was upholding the faith of the Apostles and the Early Church with regard to abortion.

In 2022, this church is thoroughly apostate. Abortion being the focus of this blog post, but they are apostate for other theological/ideological reasons as well. 

And yes, I realize that many godly, orthodox Christians remain in many PCUSA churches all around the country. I know many in the last church my Mom belonged to, where we held her memorial, who are faithful and who are truly pro-Life - they always have been! Many of them are advanced in years and their denomination has utterly betrayed them and abandoned the faith they were raised with long ago! 

I pray that God will lead such individuals. I pray also that others who have "drunk the Kool-Aid" would repent and return to the faith that was "once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3).