Baptist leaders initially framed Roe as a victory for church-state separation
Evidence
Baptists, in particular, applauded the Roe decision as an appropriate articulation of the line of division between church and state, between personal morality and state regulation of individual behavior. … “Religious liberty, human equality and justice are advanced by the Supreme Court abortion decision,” W. Barry Garrett of Baptist Press wrote. — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 94
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Evangelicals adopted anti-abortion politics six years after Roe for political gain — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 255; Conservative Christians originally welcomed Roe v. Wade as advancing religious liberty — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 267; A leading Southern Baptist fundamentalist welcomed the Roe decision as correct — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the…, 93 (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Leading evangelicals initially endorsed Roe as a church-state separation victory
#corroborates(1.00) — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 92 - A leading Southern Baptist fundamentalist publicly supported Roe v. Wade in 1973
#exemplifies(0.90) — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 91 - Evangelical opposition to abortion was initially uncertain and politically constructed
#corroborates(0.85) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 160