Now that it's attainable, we have "millions" of women protesting that possibility. And while Christians should always be doing our best to live at peace with all (Rom. 12:18), there is still a responsibility to speak out against those "who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isa. 5:20). Consequently, there is a certain joy that comes with the knowledge that our nation might actually stop the murdering of 3,000 innocent lives a day - an atrocity that far outweighs the Holocaust to the point that it's now beyond measure.
All I wish to do is to call attention to the false dichotomy being imposed in the chant: "Do your job or resign." For one thing, Kim Davis, by neglecting to issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples, is doing her job. The State of Kentucky Constitution reads thus:
I said, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;
Herod the Great is a prime example of an unjust ruler. It wasn't that his power was being threatened that spurred his unjust decree to kill all children two years of age or under (Mt. 2:16). It was that he thought of it as "his" power at all. He was in a role appointed by God to act under God's authority carrying out God's vengeance upon evildoers (Rom. 13:3-4). Ignoring that, he carried out his own vengeance on innocent lives.
Consequently, in the high court of God our only escape from His just judgment for our sins is for us to place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who - though He was sinless - laid down His own life for His sheep, so that those who believe in Him will have life eternal (Jn. 10:11, 20:30-31).
But regarding the court of humanity, the lives of John Crawford III and Angela Williams, were innocent and not deserving of death. And I think it is important to remember this fact that two innocent lives were ended in this tragedy. The reason I regard this a tragedy is because they simply did not deserve to die. And yet one of them was shot and killed on sight, while the other, suffering from a heart condition aggravated by the events, died as a result of the shooting. It is in times like these where we cannot simply dismiss the events as a tragic loss and move on with our lives. Innocent people were killed. The whole community, along with the families of John and Angela, are, or should be, crying out, "Where is justice?"
What I am advocating is that believers in Christ ought to understand the significance of abortion, that they have an obligation to do something about it, and that they are able to do something about it.
To be sure, what each believer does to contribute will look different, just as it would in stopping sex-trafficking and other terrible crimes against our neighbors(1), but it is still true that all who are in Christ have an obligation to love their neighbors (Gal. 5:14). And this means all Christians have an obligation to do something about abortion. It's amazing how compelling and convicting simple logic can be. This book is great for educating Christians on why the pro-life movement is worthy of their consideration (and action). And Randy Alcorn doesn't make it so much about politics rather than actual people. Even in talking about steps to take he doesn't sound the alarm for everyone to go protesting outside of abortion clinics. But he does show that everyone can have a part to play, even including caring for those single mothers who decided not to get an abortion. The book is essentially well-reasoned arguments for why a Christian should have an actual stake in the pro-abortion/pro-life movement. It's not meant to give anyone the ability to go out and defend the pro-life position to non-Christians (that's going to be found in his larger ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments). But it certainly gives Christian readers the evidence they need to know that they no longer can turn the back to this "issue" or put it to the side. Life is something for which we must take a stand. And Mr. Alcorn argues persuasively that that thing in the mother's womb is indeed life. On one level this book is very easy to read in that Fancis Schaeffer is a brilliant communicator. On another level this book is very hard to read in that it discusses the terrifying truth of how society in America has year after year continued to de-humanize humanity. Schaeffer and Koop write a depressing but important documentary on what happens when a society arbitrarily assigns humanness apart from the fact that all humans are created in the image of God. Their work deals with abortion, euthanasia, the basis for human dignity, the importance of history and understanding it, and what our personal response as Christians needs to be regarding the devaluing of human life in American society. The the last chapter is full of a variety of pro-life organizations throughout the nation and contact information so the reader can get more involved. While it was first published in 1979 and 1983, it is still relevant to Christians today and their need to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves (the unborn, the infants, the infirmed, and the elderly). As with Schaeffer's How Should We Then Live, the movie with the same title that accompanies the book is well worth the watch and adds even more to the impact of this important message. |
Categories
All
|