Congress Remains Christian, Pharmacies Can Distribute Abortion Pills & Bible Study is Essential

Congress remains a largely Christian institution, bucking two societal trends of declining Christianity and waning religious affiliation, Pew Research said Jan. 3. More than a fifth of Congressional Protestants are Baptists.

At least 88 percent of Congress – 469 of the 534 members – identified as Christian in the poll of the current 118th legislative body that is predominantly Protestant, Pew said in its analysis of poll results gathered by Congressional Quarterly’s Roll Call, with only one member identifying as religiously unaffiliated.

The percentages contrast with a U.S. population, which has dwindled from 78 percent Christian to 63 percent Christian since 2007, Pew said, and is 30 percent religiously unaffiliated.
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The Biden administration approved distribution of abortion pills by retail pharmacies in a regulation issued on the same day a Southern Baptist entity joined other organizations in urging Congress to adopt pro-life policies.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed the barrier-breaking change to its rules Tuesday (Jan. 3). The revision enables FDA-certified pharmacies for the first time to carry and dispense mifepristone, the first drug in a two-step process commonly referred to as medical or chemical abortion. Women also will continue to be able to receive the pills by mail.

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and 40 other pro-life organizations sent a letter Tuesday that called on members of Congress to seek a “robust pro-life agenda” through the passage of new laws and the protection of spending measures that must be approved each year.

The FDA’s decision to expand the distribution of mifepristone is the latest in a series of actions taken by President Biden and his administration in an effort to minimize the effect of the Supreme Court’s reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. In June 2022, the high court returned abortion policy to the states by overturning Roe, which legalized abortion throughout the country.

Pro-life advocates objected to the FDA change.
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It was a call to return to Bible study in the local church following World War 2 that launched the January Bible Study, according to a team leader at Lifeway Christian Resources. The January Bible Study, first produced by the Baptist Sunday School Board, debuted in 1948.

The original Bible study was on the book of Ephesians, he said. This year marks 75 years of the study, and it is turning again to Ephesians.

Dwayne McCreary from Lifeway encourages students of the Bible to use the fresh start of a new year to engage in Bible study. He says there is a real difference in simply reading the Bible versus studying the Bible.

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