I’m Doing Research on the Birth Control Pill and Am Careful Who I Receive Counsel from. What Is Randy Alcorn’s Background?

Question from a reader:

I’ve been told about your ministry and the issue of birth control pills causing abortions. I’m doing continuing research on this subject, but I’m careful who I receive information from. I would like to know if you’re part of a church denomination, or whom the ministry is accountable to. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I feel it’s important to know about the person we receive counsel from.

Answer from Kathy Norquist:

We’re glad you’re careful who you get information from.

Randy Alcorn is founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries. He was a pastor for 14 years before starting EPM and still attends the same nondenominational church. In addition to being accountable to a local body of believers, he is also accountable to our EPM board. He has taught at Multnomah Bible College and Western Seminary, both located in Portland, Oregon. In 2004 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Western Seminary.

Randy did extensive research on this issue and dialogued with many prolife physicians. He and Dr. Walt Larimore, now vice-president of Medical Outreach at Focus on the Family, co-authored the chapter “Using the Birth Control Pill is Ethically Unacceptable” that is published in The Pill: Addressing the Scientific and Ethical Questions of the Abortifacient Issue edited by Linda K. Bevington and Russell DiSilvestro. Dr. Larimore has written other peer-reviewed articles related to the birth control pill. (See Postfertilization Effects of Oral Contraceptives and Their Relationship to Informed Consent.)

Randy has authored over 60 books, four of them related to prolife issues: Pro-Choice or Pro-Life?ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments, Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions?, and Why ProLife? Randy has also been a guest speaker on “Focus on the Family”, “Family Life Today”, “Reviving the Heart”, Hank Hanegraaff’s “Bible Answer Man” and “Truths that Transform” radio broadcasts.

Kathy Norquist was Randy Alcorn’s Executive Assistant from 1997-2015, then worked in Ministry Development up until September 2018 when she retired.  Kathy remains on the EPM Board of Directors.

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