"Some of New York City's most prominent religious leaders" mourn city's aborted babies...

(Tim, w/thanks to Matthew M.) Religious leaders in New York City came together this past week to speak out against the pervasive slaughter of unborn children in their city. Of every one hundred babies given by God to women of the city, forty-one of these precious little ones are murdered by abortionists. (The figure is 48% in the Bronx, 38% in Manhattan; here are the stats.) The Sun reported:

Some of New York City’s most prominent religious leaders are making a public demand for answers as to why decades of social welfare programs aimed at making abortions a rarity have not only failed, but failed so dramatically.

The leaders — spanning Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant clergy — issued their demand at a press conference today at Manhattan. They said they are galvanized by new data showing that some 87,000 abortions were performed in New York City in 2009, a figure that accounts for 41% of all pregnancies across the five boroughs that year. That 41% rate is nearly double the national average.

“The Statue of Liberty should be the symbol of this city, not the grim reaper,” declared the current archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, the Most Rev. Timothy Dolan.

Which religious leaders joined in the public lament? The New York Times...

(In addition to Archbishop Dolan) the gathering was also attended by Nicholas A. DiMarzio, the Roman Catholic bishop of Brooklyn; the Rev. Michel Faulkner, pastor of the New Horizon Church in Harlem; Rabbi David Zwiebel...

Where were the missional men of the PCA who are in the city and for the city? Where were those ministers of the Word and sacrament who are committed to Gospel-centrality? Where were Reformed pastors who understand that visiting widows and orphans in their distress is true religion God our Father accepts?

It may be that the group the Gothamist, the Times, the Sun, and the Wall Street Journal reported on didn't give Redeemer and her church plant pastors spread across the city a chance to join in this effort.

I hope that's the case. If so, they would do well to add their own press conference to this prior one. It would be news if Redeemer's pastor, associate pastors, assistant pastors, and church planting evangelists were to join their voices in protection of these little ones being slaughtered. Marvin Olasky could easily put the thing together and issue the press release as a service to this pastor and church.

This would be really, really missional. What a wonderful Gospel witness! Why leave mourning the little ones to Jews and Roman Catholics?

Let us consider again whether pastors should preach against abortion? And in that connection, stop and ask yourself what percentage of the predominantly young and single members of Redeemer Presbyterian Church have been pregnant and have had abortions?

The same question should be asked in each of our churches as we weigh how best to preach the Gospel and to shelter, nurture, and support those souls our Heavenly Father has placed under our care.