Some evangelicals sincerely oppose abortion regardless of their movement’s origins

Evidence

So, what does it matter that their political movement, the Religious Right, grew out of (to put it plainly) racism, a defense of racial segregation in evangelical institutions? On the face of it, it matters not at all. I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of evangelicals who oppose abortion—some have devoted their entire lives to this cause—even as I suspect the motives of those who brought the issue to their attention. — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 143

Categorization

• XREF: Ballmer himself, the author, granting sincerity to opponents — connects to the book’s overall thesis about the abortion myth’s manufactured origins. — connects to: Evangelicals adopted anti-abortion politics six years after Roe for political gain — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 255; Evangelical opposition to abortion was initially uncertain and politically constructed — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne: How White…, 160; Few evangelical voices spoke against abortion through most of the 1970s — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the…, 122 (+3 more)

Related

• The abortion myth obscures the segregationist origins of evangelical activism. (similarity 0.93)
• Confronting the abortion myth could reorient the whole evangelical agenda (similarity 0.92)
• The Religious Right adopted abortion only after racial segregation failed to rally voters (similarity 0.87)
• Early Moral Majority insiders confirm abortion was not its founding issue (similarity 0.87)
• Evangelicals adopted anti-abortion politics six years after Roe for political gain (similarity 0.85)
• The 1976 article cited as evangelical antiabortion genesis was primarily a general cultural-engagement call (similarity 0.85)
• Abortion was not a key evangelical voting issue before 1979. (similarity 0.85)
• The Religious Right’s founding narrative claims Roe v. Wade roused evangelicals from political passivity (similarity 0.85)
• The Religious Right’s origins lay in defending racial segregation, not opposing abortion (similarity 0.84)
• Few evangelical voices spoke against abortion through most of the 1970s (similarity 0.84)
• Leading evangelicals initially endorsed Roe as a church-state separation victory (similarity 0.84)
• The Religious Right fabricated an origin myth linking its birth to Roe v. Wade (similarity 0.83)
• Evangelicals’ turn against Carter was rooted in racial segregation defense, not abortion (similarity 0.83)
• Conservatives commandeered the once-diverse antiabortion movement (similarity 0.83)
• Baptist leaders initially framed Roe as a victory for church-state separation (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• Evangelicals frame abortion as the slavery of their generation #corroborates (0.82) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 248
• Evangelical opposition to abortion was initially uncertain and politically constructed #qualifies (0.78) — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 160
• Few evangelical voices spoke against abortion through most of the 1970s #corroborates (0.75) — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 122
• Early Moral Majority insiders confirm abortion was not its founding issue #corroborates (0.72) — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 113
• The abortion myth obscures the segregationist origins of evangelical activism. #complicates (0.72) — Randall Balmer, Bad Faith, 166