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Evangelical Leader and SES President Dr. Richard Land: Sanctity of Life Was a Key Issue for Christian Voters
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Exit polls showed that more than 4 in 5 Evangelical Christian voters turned out at the polls for Donald Trump, and new research from the American Culture & Faith Institute found that two-thirds preferred his stance on key issues.
The Institute, led by social science researcher George Barna, surveyed 1,000 SAGE Cons—Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservatives—who reported the following:
- 67% preferred Trump’s stance on key issues.
- Nearly 6 out of 10 (58%) said they disliked Hillary Clinton.
- The most important issues were abortion (53%) and Supreme Court nominations (49%).
Dr. Richard Land, Evangelical leader and president of Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES,www.staging.ses.edu), has been speaking and writing about these key issues for many years and said he is encouraged that so many Christians considered them when voting.
“First of all, President-elect Trump’s election means that the Hyde Amendment (1976), which severely restricts federal taxpayers’ money being used to fund for abortions on demand domestically, and the Helms Amendment (1973), which prohibits federal funds being used to underwrite abortions as a means of birth control overseas, will stay in place,” Land said. “The Democrat Party’s platform and their presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, called for the repeal of both these measures. It means that the federal government will not reach into the pockets of pro-life citizens to pay for that which they believe to be unconscionable. Second, Mr. Trump has said he will give us original intent jurists who will not usurp their power to expand abortion rights through judicial imperialism. Additionally, Mr. Trump has made it clear he does not want federal funds to go to Planned Parenthood to subsidize abortion. Increasingly, states will have far more discretion in how they regulate and impede abortion-on-demand in their own states. Bottom line, a lot more babies will live, and a lot fewer mothers will experience post-traumatic stress as a result of abortion.”
Conversely, Land added, Hillary Clinton’s abortion policies would have been a direct disconnect with those who respect life.
“If Mrs. Clinton, the most pro-abortion candidate to be nominated by a major party, had been elected, her policies would have greatly expanded abortion on demand in America,” Land continued. “In fact, a presidential biographer wrote that Hillary Clinton’s own OB/GYN in Arkansas performed more than 20,000 abortions in his lifetime, and that doctor said Mrs. Clinton viewed a women’s right to choose as sacred (read more at LifeNews.com). Thankfully, Donald Trump’s election means that the U.S. will perhaps make progress in moving down the list as one of the most abortive nations in the world—and that’s not a list we want to be on.”
In 2015, the Charlotte Lozier Institute reported that, as a country, only China performs more annual abortions that the U.S.
SES is a leader in apologetics education—teaching students to defend their faith and talk intelligently, passionately and rationally about what they believe and why they believe it. Many courses focus on societal issues from a Christian worldview, delve into scientific apologetics or contemplate creation research.
SES explores ethical issues through its “Ethics in Emerging Technology” program; for more information, visit www.ethics.staging.ses.edu. At SES’s apologetics blog, www.WhyDoYouBelieve.org, Land and other SES voices address the most pressing issues of the day.
Land is featured in his nationally syndicated daily radio commentary, “Bringing Every Thought Captive,” which airs on nearly 800 stations nationwide, including nearly 200 on the American Family Radio Network, 100 on the Bott Radio Network and almost 400 on the CSN radio network. “Bringing Every Thought Captive” is also podcast daily on the free SES mobile app and airs locally in the Charlotte, N.C., area every weekday. The “Bringing Every Thought Captive” television program, hosted by Land, airs on the NRB Network Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and midnight EST. “Bringing Every Thought Captive” also reaches nearly 2 million households in the Chicago area on the Total Living Network. For details about stations, times, downloads and more, click here.
Land has taught as a visiting or adjunct professor for several seminaries and has authored or edited more than 15 books. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford University in England and his bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) from Princeton University. Land also earned a Master of Theology (Honors Program) degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he received the Broadman Seminarian Award as the Outstanding Graduating Student. Dr. Land was the 2013 Watchman Award recipient from the Family Research Council for his leadership on moral and cultural issues. He also received the Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth from Biola University in 2010. Land served previously (1988-2013) as president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention’s official entity assigned to address social, moral and ethical concerns, with particular attention to their impact on American families. In 2014, he was appointed as a Senior Research Fellow of the ERLC’s Research Institute, and in 2015, he was named in the top 15 of Newsmax’s “Top 100 Christian Leaders in America.”
Southern Evangelical Seminary invites visitors to its web site to join the more than 20,000 people who have already downloaded the SES Apologetics App for Windows mobile devices and Android and Apple phones and tablets. Those with the app can get the very best news and information in Christian apologetics, including articles, audio, video, blogs and more from today’s most able defenders of the Christian faith—William Lane Craig, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, William Dembski, Frank Turek, Hugh Ross, Gary Habermas and other well-known speakers, authors and teachers.
Southern Evangelical Seminary has been ranked as one of the top graduate programs for General Christian Apologetics by TheBestSchools.org’s “Top 10 Graduate Programs in Christian Apologetics.”
For more information on SES, visit its web site at www.staging.ses.edu or its Facebook page, follow the SESTwitter feed, @sesapologetics, or call (800) 77-TRUTH. For more information about SES’ “Ethics in Emerging Technology” program, visit www.ethics.staging.ses.edu.
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For information on SES or to set up an interview, contact Jen Retallick, 610-584-1096, ext. 100,[email protected], or Deborah Hamilton, 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096, ext. 102.
Southern Evangelical Seminary is a leader in apologetics education—teaching students to defend their faith and talk intelligently, passionately and rationally about what they believe and why they believe it. The Christian college and seminary offers a wide variety of bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. Programs can be completed through residence in the Charlotte area or online. The award-winning education at SES is distinctively Christian and focused on evangelism and world-engaging defense of the Christian faith—Christian Apologetics.
