Far more than mere documents, the U.S. Constitution and Missouri’s Constitution represent “the way of life of a citizen-body.” That, at least, is how the ancients talked about constitutions. Now abortion activists are asking Missourians to enshrine the culture of death in the Constitution defining the state’s “way of life.”
In 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, Missouri thankfully became the first state in the nation to ban abortion. But earlier this year, abortion activists filed 11 initiative petitions to amend Missouri’s constitution, so as to legalize abortion in the state. Since these 11 petitions have been tied up in court, six more pro-abortion petitions were added to their number earlier this month.
Secretary of State Jay Aschroft has described some of the initiative petitions as allowing for “unrestricted abortions, from conception to live birth” – a description that Missouri Right to Life (MRL) confirmed as accurate in a Sept. 1 amicus brief regarding the initiative.
“As we have seen over the many years of Roe, unrestricted abortions have endangered the lives of women and taken the lives of unborn babies,” Susan Klein, MRL executive director and a Missouri Baptist pastors’ wife, said. “When the abortion provider is given free rein on women with no restrictions or accountability, women will suffer the consequences and have no recourse if this attempt to enshrine abortion in our state constitution were to succeed. Secretary of State Ashcroft’s ballot language is a true depiction of unrestricted abortions for all nine months of pregnancy in these petitions and the people of Missouri have the right to know the truth.”
Through many resolutions, Missouri Baptists have opposed abortion and defended the sanctity of all human life. In the face of attempts to enshrine the culture of death in Missouri’s Constitution, we are reminded that the fight for life didn’t end with the reversal of Roe v. Wade. We must stand strong in fighting for life – firmly opposing pro-abortion legislation and adamantly advocating for pro-life and pro-family legislation. We must also support pregnancy care centers and other organizations – like the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home – that help children and parents in crisis situations.
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Earlier this month, because of a generous grant from the Missouri Baptist Foundation, I had the privilege of welcoming freelance writers and journalism students from the Missouri Baptist Convention’s three universities to The Pathway’s annual Journalism Retreat.
During the retreat, we heard from some fantastic Christian journalists, including:
• Lee Pitts, executive director of the WORLD Journalism Institute, who previously served as WORLD Magazine’s Washington, D.C., bureau chief. In 2004-2005, Lee also embedded as a journalist with a National Guard Regimental Combat unit in Iraq for nearly 7 months, going on humanitarian and combat missions alongside troops.
• Lucas Presson, assistant publisher for the Southeast Missourian, who serves on the board of directors with the Missouri Press Association. Lucas is also a member of Lynwood Baptist Church, Cape Girardeau.
During the retreat, Missouri Baptist Convention apologist Rob Phillips also spoke to us about writing his latest book, What Every Christian Should Know about the Return of Jesus. Beginning with this issue of The Pathway, Rob will be sharing about this topic in his apologetics column (See page 6).
Additionally, Missouri Baptist University provost Andy Chambers took us to the biblical roots of Christian journalism, showing us what modern-day Christian journalists can learn from the investigative reporting found in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
I hope The Pathway, in some small way, is able to follow Luke’s example by recounting the good news of all that God continues to do in a lost and broken world through the ministry of Missouri Baptists.
Again and again throughout the retreat, speakers urged us to accurately report the news – whether good or bad – from an unapologetically Christian worldview. Indeed, when Missouri Baptists established The Pathway two decades ago, founding editor Don Hinkle aimed to produce a publication that would do just that.
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The evening of Sept. 22 marked one year since I learned of Don Hinkle’s heavenly home-going. Don was a good friend and a wise mentor, and I’ll always be thankful for the way he has shaped my life.
For the past year, it has been my privilege to carry on the journalistic ministry that Don loved so much, and I hope I have done so in a way that – as Don always used to say – honors our Lord Jesus. Thank you, Missouri Baptists, for granting me this privilege.