Criswell and Abortion Part 2

Before time gets away from me, I wanted to conclude the post below about fundamentalist pope W.A. Criswell, former pastor of FBC-Dallas, and abortion. Criswell reportedly told a group of doctors he would favor abortion only in the case where a white woman was raped by a black man.

Criswell's view really does not flummox me. It is inline with his generally attitudes about these things. What intrigues me is that it is another example where theology and politics collide for the fundamentalist - and politics always win. I have always been intrigued how people who purport to believe so much in the Bible in many cases fail to live like it. I think in Criswell's view we find the answer.

When fundamentalists say they are conservative and believe the Bible, that really is a cultural-political statement more than a theological one. Conservative means not that they hold a particularly high view of Scripture but hold a very high view of American - and usually Southern - culture. They seek to conserve and preserve a particular way of life. And Criswell shows it. For all the pomp and circumstance about theology and abortion, all that goes out the window when it collides with one's own views of race and place. Again, politics trump theology.

As I close this post, I hope to close any thoughts about fundamentalists, who have generally been rendered completely irrelevant. As the Southern Baptist Convention opens this week in San Antonio, one must ask: "what if there was a big church meeting and no one cared?" I think we are seeing the last gasps of the SBC as we know it - as the political/cultural/denominational force it once was. There may be a resolution to encourage churches to report truthful membership numbers. That will never happen because leaders know they would lose the "largest Protestant denomination" title.

Oh well ... the beat goes on but not for much longer.