Vandalism on Pro-Life Centers, SATF’s Recommendations For Annual Meeting, & Being Born Again

An increase in attacks on pro-life centers has led those groups to call for prayer and protection.

On the morning of June 7, Mountain Area Pregnancy Services in Asheville, N.C.,

shared pictures of vandalism that had occurred at its offices overnight, including threatening messages spray-painted in red and shattered and broken windows around the building.

“If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you!” and “No forced birth” accompanied an anarchist symbol, the Asheville Police Department said.

That act followed at least three others. One occurred over Memorial Day weekend when a pregnancy care center in Hollywood, Fla., was also defaced with similar threats. On June 3 red paint was splashed on the front door of the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center in Washington, D.C., with the words “Jane says revenge” spray-painted on the building’s side, an apparent reference to Jane Roe, pseudonym of the plaintiff in the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which appears likely to be overturned this month. On the same day of the Asheville attack, a Buffalo, N.Y., pro-life center was firebombed and graffiti scrawled on its exterior.

As final preparations are underway for the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting, the Great Commission Council has issued a statement thanking the Sexual Abuse Task Force for their work during the past year and calling Southern Baptists to act on the recommendations when they gather June 14-15.

“What the Task Force proposes is an approach aiming to prevent sexual abuse, to provide better care for victims, and to respect historic Baptist polity. Now is the time for robust and definitive action,” the statement says.

The Great Commission Council consists of SBC entity presidents and the Woman’s Missionary Union executive director.

The council also recognized survivors of sexual abuse who provided assistance to investigators.

“We also express profound appreciation to survivors of sexual abuse who have engaged with the Task Force and helped craft these recommendations,” they wrote.

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Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.

Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus in John 3 was astounding: you must be “born again.”

A Bible Study from Lifeway says, “Being born is not something I can do for myself. It is not about my efforts or my good works. New birth means that I have to become someone completely different. Receiving new birth is something only God can do for me; it is not something I can do for myself. There are lots of decisions to be made in life, but none more important than the question of where we will spend eternity. Like Nicodemus, we need the new birth. We know that something is broken and that we aren’t who we are supposed to be. The Holy Spirit brings us into a new life as we place our trust in Jesus.”

You can find the full story at our website, Baptist Press.com.