Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 3, 1994 TAG: 9410040068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
George McNerlin said Roanoke Valley Christians set the wrong goals for themselves Sunday afternoon.
"A lot of Christians are big football fans," he said. "I think they have their priorities in the wrong place."
McNerlin's angry reaction came in response to what he considered a slim turnout of abortion-rights opponents who lined the corners of Williamson Road and Orange Avenue Sunday.
While several hundred placard-carrying protesters stood at the curb, many other Christians opted to watch the Washington Redskins get creamed by the Dallas Cowboys, McNerlin said.
"The Redskins are getting beat real bad and I'm almost happy," McNerlin said. "I'm real disappointed. This is the smallest one of these I've ever attended."
McNerlin, who manages PAR FM radio, a group of Christian contemporary radio stations, said that kind of apathy has let government move in directions that are unacceptable to Christians.
"I would say that the average evangelical Christian believes in the sanctity of human life," he said. "I believe that the reason society is leaning in the direction it is, is because Christians are standing up."
He said the Christian communities' fundamental opposition to abortion is rooted in Scripture, which says, "God knits us together in the womb."
"We feel that abortion is destroying God's handiwork."
That basic message is sometimes lost in the politics of religion, which has on occasion given rise to self-serving televangelists who place personal gain over Christian doctrine, McNerlin said.
"We want to unify the body of Christ," he said. "We encourage grass-roots evangelism."
He said churches must be more inclusionary and urged members to provide clothing and food for the needy and support for those who have fallen by the wayside.
"It means helping your neighbor," he said. "I think we are beginning to wake up now. We've had to hit the snooze alarm a couple of times."
McNerlin is planning to put his airwaves where his beliefs are.
The PAR stations, which stand for Positive Alternative Radio, eventually will cover all of Western Virginia, including Lynchburg, where it will test the muscle of the established Rev. Jerry Falwell, McNerlin said.
Some supporters of the anti-abortion movement say it will take a concentrated voice to get its message heard.
"I think the pro-choice people are more vocal," said Benny Reed, a Vinton resident who attended the rally for several years.
JoAnn Fisher of Salem said the message is simple. "I totally disagree with abortion," she said. "Everybody has a right to live."
by CNB