Contact: Alexei Laushkin, Senior Director Communications, Evangelical Environmental Network, 202-352-9920
KIRKLIN, Ind., Jan. 20, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Evangelical Environmental Network will be marching again at the Annual March for Life on Monday to stand up for the conviction that the unborn need to be protected from abortion, mercury and other toxins.
"EEN is a pro-life organization dedicated to the opposition of abortion in all its forms, and to the degradation of human life. We believe standing up for the unborn and protecting our children from toxins like mercury is biblically pro-life and whole gospel," says the Rev. Mitch Hescox, President of the Evangelical Environmental Network.
Medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics have said mercury is a harmful toxin. The unborn and children face severe harms from toxins, therefore we at EEN must biblically stand in the gap to protect them.
The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) has long been critical of the work of the Evangelical Environmental Network, and recently criticized EEN by saying that our work on mercury and the unborn was morally ambiguous and diluted the pro-life message. We welcome a discussion on what it means to truly be engaged with matters of Life. We believe this conversation can be accomplished in Christian love and not divisiveness. We believe our ministry represents a biblically unifying whole life message.
Jesus embodied and demonstrated integrity, mercy, unconditional love and blessing, truth and justice, healing virtue and good humor. He pointed to and celebrated the fullness of Life. He went forth and visited. He ate and socialized, encouraged and comforted. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, and taught through nature stories and parables. But He also pointedly proclaimed, testified, and pressed the claims of His Father. Nearly 40 times in his gospel account, John notes Jesus declaring that the Father had sent Him. Jesus said he had come to bring "abundant life."
Jesus puzzled the rich and successful. He provoked the proud, the pretenders, and the self-righteously religious. The authentic, non-gutted biblical gospel is all about all of Life. It is an Evangel, a whole gospel for the whole person. It is an integrated redeeming "glad tiding" for the whole world and the whole of creation. By carrying Christ and His Evangel forth in our daily lives, we are living witnesses, carrying forth hope, redemption and healing for the human family and for an abused and degraded planet.
EEN believes fighting poverty, preaching the gospel to the lost, standing up for the least of these, protecting the unborn all fall under a complete ethic and regard for life. This is the high view of life that the scriptures and Jesus himself call us to. In essence, to be "pro-life" is to be "pro-whole gospel."
