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My Only Political Opus
Posted by Rob Ayers in News & Culture
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them. – Psalm 139: 13-16
From the church’s founding in the first century, it has been a recognized truth that abortion – the elimination/murder of an innocent life from the womb – is a sin, in violation of the Law of God (“You shall not murder” – Exodus 20:13). Christians have been in the forefront in being the conscience as well as those of vision and compassion about both the evil of killing the unborn, as well as supporting and encouraging parents who have unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. Because of this belief, I really do not have much patience with those who would deny history and facts, or would ignore the truth: Abortion murders a human life. One can be an ostrich with it”s head in the sand, but it will not make this truth go away. Those who perpetuate abortions by performing them, supporting them, or by supporting and voting for politicians who vote and support them will ultimately have to stand before God with blood on their hands. Hitler will stand for the deaths he perpetuated during World War II, including the Holocaust. America will stand for 40,000,000 million dead with as many of those disposed by collateral damage, a drop in the bucket in comparison to Hitler’s crimes.
Believers and churches should be on the forefront of being a moral and spiritual change agent on the cutting edge against cultural sin, willing and able to give a prophetic word as well as a words and actions of hope, grace and peace. “The Son came not into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” While the church and believers should share the truth concerning the moral ineptitude of abortion’s enablers and perpetrators, the scourge of abortion, and the horrifying consequences to its victims (both the perpetrators and their victims), the church must also be willing to offer grace and compassion to sinners despite their sin.
My current pastorate has encouraged believers to support life through their rights as citizens in a democracy to “speak to the government” as well as enabling the church and individual believers to align with other groups or organizations to help those seeking support (within clear Biblical parameters). As a church through our mission dollars we support established local organizations of fellow believers who are working with those who are being challenged by the temptation of abortion so that these dear folks can consider the choice of life both for themselves and their unborn child. Not only do we do this as a church, I have several members involved directly in these local organizations. As a church we support the ministry of “There-Is-Hope” – a maternity home in Sedalia who supports women in need of shelter during unplanned pregnancies. We as a church also support “Birthright” – a national pro-life organization that lends aid to women and others seeking information as an “abortion alternative.”
It is not enough to condemn abortion and to seek its change through political means. The church must be about doing our Father’s business in the “here and now” in service and ministry to others. Our main understanding should be this: the unredeemed cannot help but make a sinful choice. The Body of Christ is in the business of finding those who are lost in a hopeless and dying world and sharing with them the hope and truth that lies in Jesus.
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Brother Rob,
What about prayerfully, peacefully, and lovingly standing outside the actual clinics? While we often see the emotion charged news highlights, the actual practice is much different.
Brother Rob,
Thank you for the post. I share your emphasis that our calling requires more than voting for those who may make the laws change (or not change). We must be a part of the solution in the communities and streets in which we live.
My questions:
Should adoption be highlighted more often as a powerful way we can work against abortion? I rarely hear us pastors encourage congegations to stand against abortion by adopting. This would in essence be guaranteeing the mother the child will be cared for by a strong family.
I guess I am asking if the church should be adopting more babies.
Your thoughts?
Zach,
Your suggestion would not be a practical, effective answer. There are no babies available for adoption. The wait times for couples already in the “pipeline” to adopt is measured in years instead of months. And the process of open adoption has turned the entire adoption process into something more like a financial transaction, with the highest “bidder” getting access to the babies. That is why so many opt to go overseas.
No, encouraging adoption is no answer. There are simply no babies to adopt. Encouraging families which can naturally produce children to adopt would only increase the competition for the limited number of adoptable babies available.
My wife was once an adoption social worker with a Baptist agency. In her last couple of years with that agency, their adoptions dwindled to only one or two a year. Prior to 1973 they did upwards of 25-30 a month.
There is no practical, political answer as far as I can see. We can only change one opinion and one heart at a time. The answer is Jesus.
Brothers Geoff, Zach, Rob & anyone else,
We know several who have adopted from overseas due to the waiting lists here in the States. The waiting lists for “healthy” babies here in the States is long (not sure this applies for physically deformed babies, Down’s Syndrome babies or even babies born with addictions to drugs). But, yes, it does take a while to adopt a healthy American baby.
Now, this may be unrelated and a topic for another day, but… It seems we are very comfortable with the idea of adopting a healthy baby, but not so much children who have lived a few years.
A portion of acting to solve issues like abortion is bringing children up in a Gospel environment. Could we reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, abortions, rapes, murders committed by those who come from “bad situations” by fostering to adopt children? I know of one couple who does such a thing and, while it is painful at times (what ministry is not), God has used them in a powerful way. And God has not only used them in the lives of these children, but also in the lives of social workers, parents and virtually anyone who knows what kind of sacrifices they make so that one of the least of these is cared for in the name of Jesus.
Would encouraging fostering and adopting from the pulpit be a way to promote changing one opinion and one heart at a time?
His peace be yours in abundance,
From the Middle East
I did not know the wait was so long for American children. Knowing that there is an abundance of people wanting to adopt is encouraging. Thanks for the correction. I still think that in addition to preaching and teaching about nurturing and protecting life, there is a practical action to be taken. Even if I don’t yet know what it is.
Geoff,
Promoting adoption is an EXCELLENT way for believers to work against abortion. You state correctly that adoption waiting lists are long, but these waiting lists only apply to babies of certain races. I assure you that a white couple could adopt an African-American baby or an orphan over the age of 2 in a relatively short time period. If we limit our adoption options to include only healthy babies of our choosing, then yes, the wait time is prohibitive. If we are willing to cross racial and ethnic lines, we have many options.