Radio Host: Clergy's Indifference Helped Defeat Calif. Initiative
by James L. Lambert
November 11, 2005
(AgapePress) - - A popular Southern California radio talk-show host is expressing exasperation at the clergy's silence in last Tuesday's statewide election. Of particular concern to Paul McGuire is the defeat of Proposition 73, which would have required parental consent for minors to gain access to an abortion. McGuire, whose syndicated program is carried in several major markets by Crawford Broadcasting, says while "a number of notable pastors and churches ... urged their congregations to vote yes on Proposition 73, many churches in California were silent on the issue." As a result, he says, "the state will continue to provide abortions to 11-,12- and 13-year-old girls without parental notification or consent."
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Paul McGuire |
The radio veteran notes that according to a recent survey, well over two-thirds (71 percent) of girls in that age group who are seeking an abortion were impregnated by an adult male with the average age of 23 years old -- in other words, the girls are victims of statutory rape. In addition, he recounts a recent radio interview with a woman who offers counseling services every Sunday to women entering one of the largest abortion clinics in Orange County. The woman, says McGuire, reported "that every Sunday morning there is a disturbingly high percentage of women from evangelical churches who stop off to have an abortion." McGuire has a strong opinion on those societal observations. "This stems from [churches] preaching a politically-correct message instead of teaching the people what the Bible has to say about such important issues," he concludes. "They [the churches] do not know anything about their accountability to a holy God."
In a related story, several volunteers with the Christian Coalition of San Diego (East County Chapter) reported difficulty in distributing their "Family Value" voter guides to churches several weeks before the November 8 election. They reported witnessing resistance by some church leaders to distributing leaflets that provided positions on both sides of California's statewide propositions. Some distributors said that a number of churches did not want to actively participate in the guide's distribution. And in one case a church member tore up a pamphlet and said the distributor did not belong on church property.
In many cases, say the volunteers, the pastors would only place the literature at the back of the church, never mentioning its availability. One distributor, who wanted to remain anonymous, was appalled by many pastors' indifference to distributing this free material.
Meanwhile, McGuire says he will continue to try to educate his listeners on the importance of voting and presenting the Christian worldview. He is heard each weekday in markets in Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco, Denver, Portland (Oregon) and Seattle.
James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to AgapePress, is the author of Porn in America (Huntington House), which can be purchased through the American Family Association. He is a licensed real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.
