A star evangelical pastor and a star Democratic senator have fired back at anti-abortion leaders who criticized an AIDS conference designed to rally Christians to fight the global pandemic.
Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., issued statements Nov. 28 and 29 to counter a blistering critique from conservatives offended by the appearance of pro-choice Obama at the conference. And a group of progressive Christian leaders denounced the pro-lifers’ “scare tactics.”
“Our goal has been to put people together who normally won’t even speak to each other,” Saddleback’s statement said of the Nov. 30–Dec. 1 conference at Warren’s church, which concluded on World AIDS Day. “We do not expect all participants in the summit discussion to agree with all of our evangelical beliefs.”
A group of 18 leaders prominent in the anti-abortion movement sent Warren an open letter Nov. 28 criticizing him for allowing Obama to speak from Saddleback’s pulpit because Obama supports abortion rights.
Its letter said: “If Sen. Obama cannot defend the most helpless citizens in our country, he has nothing to say to the AIDS crisis. You cannot fight one evil while justifying another. The evangelical church can provide no genuine help for those who suffer from AIDS if those involved do not first have their ethic of life firmly rooted in the word of God.”
Signatories to the letter include Phyllis Schlafly, president of Eagle Forum; Judie Brown, president of American Life League; and Tim Wildmon, president of American Family Association.
But the Saddleback statement argued that limiting conference participation based on doctrinal and political agreement would limit evangelicals’ ability to respond to the disease, which is ravaging much of the Third World.
“[T]he HIV/AIDS pandemic cannot be fought by evangelicals alone,” the statement continued. “It will take the cooperation of all — government, business, NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] and the church. That is the purpose of this summit — to marshal the policy of the government; the finances of business; the expertise of the health organizations; and the compassion, volunteerism and reach of the church in order to care for the sick and save lives.”
Saddleback’s statement also noted that Warren and his wife, Kay — herself a conference speaker and the one responsible for the megapastor’s involvement — have expressed to Obama their disagreement with his position on abortion. They have also publicly opposed abortion in print and in speeches.
Obama, meanwhile, issued a statement echoing Saddleback’s rationale for inviting a wide array of speakers to the conference.
“While we will never see eye to eye on all issues, surely we can come together with one voice to honor the entirety of Christ’s teachings by working to eradicate the scourge of AIDS, poverty and other challenges we all can agree must be met,” he said. “It is that spirit which has allowed me to work together — and pray together — with some of my conservative colleagues in the Senate to make progress on a range of key issues facing America.”
The conference also featured prominent abortion opponents, such as Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Evangelist Franklin Graham. Other speakers included U2 front man Bono and Bill and Melinda Gates, who appeared in videotaped messages. (ABP)
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