Now What?
Okay, so the elections are over and it’s probably obvious from my first post that I am disappointed by the results of the election. However, what’s done is done and I truly believe and trust that God is in control and He certainly knows what He’s doing. That being said, I will pray for President-elect Obama and all of our elected officials on a regular basis (and to that end, here’s an example of an excellent prayer: http://tinyurl.com/prayer-obama). I will respect those in authority over me in this country, even if I don’t agree with everything they say, do, or legislate.
This raises another issue that one of the members at my congregation brought up and essentially that is, “so what do I do now?” Let’s just focus on the issue of abortion to make things a little less complicated. How do we hold our government accountable to protect the lives of the unborn and to punish those who don’t? How do we respond, in a respectful way, to legislation that “forces” us to pay for abortions with our tax dollars? As I see/understand it, our primary role as the Church is the proclamation of the Gospel. However, that doesn’t absolve us from involvement in the left-hand realm. The question is, what do we do now? How do we get involved in these social issues that are clearly against God’s Word while at the same time maintaining respect for authority?
Part of the answer, it seems to me, is that there’s a definite distinction between what we can do publicly as the Church and what we can do as individual Christians. I haven’t sorted that all out yet, which is in part why I’m making this post. However, as I stated above, it seems pretty clear that one Biblical role of the government in bearing the sword is to punish those who do wrong. To that end, I don’t really understand how the issue of abortion is at all a gray area. Abortion is simply murdering a child that is in the womb and if our government has a responsibility to legislate against murder for those already born, doesn’t it also have a responsiblity to pass legislation to protect the unborn from murder? So again the question, how do we hold our government accountable to carry out this responsibility while still respecting their authority?
Your thoughts?
~ by The Rev Russ on November 13, 2008.
Posted in Politics, theology
Tags: abortion, authority, government, life, murder, respect
I think the first thing Christians need to do is realize that Roe vs. Wade isn’t going to be overturned or reworked and focus all that energy on something that will make a difference. 7 of the current 9 justices were appointed by Republicans (1 Ford, 2 Reagan, 1 GHW Bush, 2 Clinton, 3 GW Bush). If they were ever going to do anything about it, they already would have.
So, how can we make a difference? From the data I’ve seen, somewhere around 80% of abortions have economic factors involved and most involve single women. There’s also been research done that, when these women receive assistance, they are less likely to abort the child. It’s not that anyone is “pro-death” and wants to kill babies, rather, most often, they’re scared about their ability to raise the child. So, what are some practical things Christians can do?
- Establish programs at the church to education and support single moms.
- Christian employers can make sure they offer high quality and affordable daycare as a part of their benefits package (or they can make other concessions, maybe working remote, for the benefit of moms).
- Mentor children growing up in poverty (train the boys that knocking a girl up isn’t cool and let the girls know they have value outside of their body). Also, help them get an education to break the poverty cycle.
- Proclaim the Gospel … the greatest weapon in the pro-life battle isn’t legislation, it’s grace that creates new life
Moving beyond abortion, Christians can support science that works with non-embryonic stem cells, be it through monetary donations or encouraging Christians who are scientists to work in that field. When we discover how much can be done without the embryos, the need for the embryonic will decrease.
Just some thoughts. I’m sure there are many more things out there.
Joe Burnham said this on November 13, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Joe, you’ve made some valid points and I certainly agree with all your suggestions for practical advice. I guess what I’m getting at goes perhaps deeper than simply “preventing” abortions but an education lesson on what abortion really is. It’s murder, plain and simple. I think it’s a great idea to help those in need so they’re in a better position to raise their children but it still doesn’t combat the main issue: seeing the unborn as a human life. That, it seems, is at the heart of the issue we face with our new president-elect. Again, I’m not saying that to be disrespectful, it’s just a fact. He’s gone on record saying one of the first pieces of legislation he’d like to sign into action is the freedom of choice act. There’s a huge difference between saying it’s “my body, my choice” and someone saying “I felt trapped, like I had no choice.” The latter, which seems to be the perspective you’re representing, is certainly understandable to a point (though I still can’t condone it, regardless of the circumstances just as I can’t condone any sins – including my own). The former, which is what I’m really getting at, is inexcusable. Again, I see what you’re getting at but I still have a real problem with saying “legislation is never going to pass so why try.” I guess part of my point is in direct response to your last suggestion of proclaiming the Gospel. I agree, but isn’t there something to be said for letting the Law do it’s work, i.e. exposing abortion for what it really is – a sin? If people refuse to acknowledge that, what good is it to apply the healing salve of the Gospel – they don’t even know they need it.
Again, I think we’re talking about 2 distinct groups of people here – those who believe abortion is wrong and do it anyway because they feel trapped (e.g. poverty, education, etc.), and those who believe the lies that it’s just their choice and it’s not a human life anyway. I believe these two groups need to be dealt with differently and even if the majority is in the first, we can’t ignore those in the second.
The Rev Russ said this on November 13, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Excellent point. If the 80% are the “trapped” group, that means we have a 20%, “it’s my choice” group … and they do need to be addressed as well.
Of course, that shift is going to demand something far deeper than education on what abortion is, after all, any embryology textbook will tell you that life begins at conception. Rather, it’s a discussion about a fundamental philosophical difference that values the community over the autonomous individual. That’s why I pointed to the Gospel, after all, it’s the best cure I know of to self-worship.
Joe Burnham said this on November 13, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Joe makes some really good points, good job Joe.
Beyond removing the DEMAND for abortion (being strictly economically minded on this one) through education, community outreach, job creation etc, I think the church really misunderstands where its best powers lie when it comes to the political arena. The best bet of the pro-life agenda is to leave the national stage alone until the LOCAL and STATES rights issues can be dealt with….if you were to work toward banning abortion in your state you 1: would be more likely to succeed, 2: would be following a more strict interpretation of the constitution, and 3: could limit abortions much faster. its not the giant killer, but it would be a step in the right direction.
Matt said this on November 17, 2008 at 8:37 am
Matt, thanks for your thoughtful insight. I think you’re right about both about the church having difficulty understanding our power in the political arena (hence my post on this topic in the first place) and about having a better chance fighting abortion at the state/local level. Though it would still be great to see Roe v. Wade overturned, I’m not holding my breath. Even at the state/local level, it was disappointing to see that all amendments up this year were all defeated. Again, I think those seeking abortions purely for economic reasons are only part of the problem. To me the bigger issue is the “pro-abortion” (a.k.a. pro-choice) position that refuses to acknowledge an unborn child as a human being. How do we best battle that? I’m not sure yet.
The Rev Russ said this on November 17, 2008 at 10:32 am
i think the best place to start that Battle would be in the scientific arena…prove the point at which life begins—im not convinced it is @ conception, but I don’t believe it to be very far from that point (a month and a half MAX)—once you establish that point scientifically in some way that will suffice for the courts you can worry about overturning roe v wade AND be more successful in the emotional appeal
Matt said this on November 17, 2008 at 11:34 am
Here’s a question, “Do those who are pro-choice always fail to acknowledge that an unborn child is a human being?” Certainly there are some who do, but more and more, I’m running into people who are more along the Hilary Clinton vibe. The realize it’s a human, however, they rank the rights of the mother above those of the child. In other words, the fetus is a lesser human being (a common mentality seen with both slavery and the holocaust). In a lot of ways, it’s a new but subtler form of eugenics.
All this contributes to why I say it’s the transformation that comes with the Gospel that is our greatest hope in this realm.
Joe Burnham said this on November 21, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Those are some great points, Joe. I think you hit on what’s bothered me in this whole discussion, that is, any time I’ve encountered someone talking about taking care of the mother, I’ve perceived it to mean “we care about the life of those living outside the womb more than those inside the womb.” I recognize now that was not always a fair assessment.
Thanks again for your insight. It’s appreciated as always
The Rev Russ said this on November 21, 2008 at 3:30 pm