Preface
I wrote this blog in June of 2022 but never published it. Why? Because I forgot to post it. But I was happy to bump into it while looking for other writing pieces. Better late than never.
Opening Salvo
We read in Jeremiah 1,
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
– Jeremiah 1:5
Christians need to settle in their heart the fact that God knows a person before they are born. I could make a bee-line to Psalm 139, but what God knows about the prophet Jerimiah before he made his way through his mother’s birth canal should settle the debate. God ascribed personhood to Jeremiah before he was born. God had a life for Jeremiah. God had intentions for the future prophet. To intentionally take away the life of Jeremiah before he was born is nothing short of murder.
If I could sum up abortion with one word, it would be murder. I am unapologetic about my one-word summary and know life is complicated. But let’s not mince words about what is going on. If God ascribed personhood to the prophet Jeremiah before he was born, why should it be different from little Sally before she goes through her mother’s birth canal? The answer to my rhetorical question is that it is not different.
Both/And
I have no problem concluding that abortion is murder while at the same time having compassion and mercy for a woman who had the abortion. Abortion is murder, and the devil deceives people into doing wicked acts.
One of the problems people have in hotly contested debates is an inability to say two true things at the same time. 1) Abortion is wicked. 2) Compassion and mercy must be exhibited to women who have had an abortion. Christians must strive to live in a manner that honors God with a heart of love, mercy, and compassion. Love, mercy, and compassion must be extended to those deceived by an evil and ungodly ideology that promotes and celebrates abortion. Christians must live like this without backing off from the truth that abortion is a sinful offense against a holy God.
Now The Real Work Begins
June 24th, 2022, was a historic day. For me, I will never forget my wedding day. I will never forget the birth of my daughters. I will never forget where I was standing on 9/11/2001. Likewise, June 24th, 2022, will be a day when I will remember who I was with and where I was sitting. It was the day I learned that the United States Supreme Court overturned the hideous ruling of Roe vs. Wade. Now, many pre-born babies will have an opportunity to live. Many Christians, including myself, are rejoicing. For almost 50 years, Christians of all stripes have been fighting to stop the murder of unborn babies. As Voodie Baucham rightly concludes, the fight against abortion is spiritual warfare. And because the battle for life is spiritual warfare, the tools with which Christians fight are spiritual and physical. The battle for life is prayerful and practical. Christians must pray that American society’s collective heart and mind see that an unborn baby has dignity and value. And Christians must practically support specific agencies and ministries that uphold the importance of human life. So, within the context of spiritual warfare, Christians can rejoice when God’s mercy was on display through the ruling of the Supreme Court. But the work to protect and care for unborn and born babies has only begun. The work to protect life needs to ramp up.
Work Within The Framework
The repeal of Roe does not abolish abortion. The repeal of Roe simply says that abortion is not a federal constitutional “right.” And without a doubt, this is the correct decision. The “right” to an abortion is not in the US Constitution. The ruling on Roe in 1973 was bogus. The “right” to an abortion was made out of whole cloth. You can not find the right to an abortion in the US Constitution with a magnifying glass. Therefore, it is up to each state in the union to decide what restrictions should or should not be in place to protect or not protect unborn babies. With the repeal of Roe, what steps should Christians take to continue to fight for human life? First, Christians need to work within the framework of political federalism. Each state is going to have different abortion laws. Iowa is going to have different laws from California and Mississippi. What this means is that the fight to eradicate abortion across the United States needs to happen at the state level. As they say, elections have consequences, and elections at a local level have direct consequences.
Reject the Myth
The good news is that many evangelical churches have engaged in pro-life ministries for years. I have been a Christian for over 20 years, and every church I have been a part of has supported a crisis pregnancy center. I have been a part of churches that support pre-foster care ministries. Evangelical churches are full of families with adopted children. But unfortunately, there has been a myth swirling in churches and society that Christians have only wanted Roe overruled but have not engaged in ministries that support the born child. I reject the myth. Churches and Christians have been extreamly generous to pro-life ministries. More must be done, but structures and resources are in place to care for a mother who chooses to carry her baby to term. These structures and resources exist partly because of the Christian conviction to care for human life from conception to the grave.
Keep it Local
Beyond electing local leaders and politicians who value human life, numerous pregnancy centers and adoption agencies need more support. Christians need to continue to support pre-foster care organizations. I want to argue that these organizations need more support now than ever. Churches must press in to help single moms who lack the proper items. Churches need to assist mothers with financial means for housing and food. Christians must be ready to offer spiritual and emotional help to mothers and children. So, where is your closest Christian pregnancy center located? Open up Google Maps and find out. What are their needs? Find out, and then ask God how you can help. Are you open to adoption? Now is the time to pull on that string. If you are not called to adopt, consider assisting others in adopting. You can care for the life of children and women by fighting against human trafficking. You can fight for life by supporting pre-foster care ministries (see below for two organizations I support). And we should not forget the elderly. Nursing homes are filled with lonely men and women who are dropped off and sometimes forgotten. There are opportunities for Christians and churches to get involved in caring for the life of the pre-born baby, the mother, and the elderly. So do not be shy—press in.
Here is the Point
The fight to protect human life is spiritual warfare. But Christians have always had the tools to fight. The spiritual tools we use to fight will have practical implications. When you pray, may God show your heart how to get involved. When God shows you how and where to get involved, take steps to be faithful to God.
One Final Note
After the Supreme Court struck down Roe, you could cut the tension in America with a butter knife. The pro-abortion and pro-life sides are passionate about their cause. The media and social media add fuel to the fire. But Christians must rise above the nonsense. For Christians, the means are just as important as the end. How Christians conduct themselves in fighting for human life is just as important as seeing pro-life legislation passed at the state level. In other words, Christians must fight for truth while simultaneously loving others well. Christians can militate against the sin of abortion while remembering the call to love the enemy. Therefore, the words we use matter to God. The tactics also matter to God. Praying for our enemy is a spiritual tool we use to fight. The essential point is that how we fight for human life is not like the world. We fight by helping single moms. We help by financially supporting crisis pregnancy clinics. We fight by being inconvenienced for the sake of someone else.
If you want to learn more about the Christian view of life, you can check out this podcast I did with pastor Kenny Ortiz.
Excellent Pro-Life Organizations in the Des Moines Metro