Manhattan Declaration Is A Needed Document For Today

National religious leaders release historic declaration of conscience

The Manhattan Declaration was released on Nov. 20, 2009, and was signed by 152 prominent religious leaders of our time. The document gives a very clear message to Christians on three fundamental truths that have been challenged in today’s society.

These truths are the sanctity of life, the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife, and the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Those of you who visit the Pilgrim’s Progress site know all three of these truths are valued by the editors, and we do our best to preserve them by reporting and offering commentary on relevant issues to life, marriage and religious liberty.

After reading through the Manhattan Declaration, I have decided to feature some of the passages I found insightful. I plan to do this in segments with this blog entry focusing on passages from the Preamble and sections of the Declaration that uphold Life:

It was Christians who combated the evil of slavery…

… Christian women stood at the vanguard of the suffrage movement.  The great civil rights crusades of the 1950s and 60s were led by Christians claiming the Scriptures and asserting the glory of the image of God in every human being regardless of race, religion, age or class.

While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions. 

It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season.   May God help us not to fail in that duty.

The President says that he wants to reduce the “need” for abortion – a commendable goal.  But he has also pledged to make abortion more easily and widely available by eliminating laws prohibiting government funding, requiring waiting periods for women seeking abortions, and parental notification for abortions performed on minors.

Our message is, and ever shall be, that the just, humane, and truly Christian answer to problem pregnancies is for all of us to love and care for mother and child alike.