The article below was written by a friend. It’s intention is for our church bulletin. I believe the audience should be greater. Grace and Peace. Lisa
“The Spread of the Gospel in the Cause of the Unborn”
Sanctity of Human Life week is in January. This affords us an opportunity to focus our attention on the world’s most vulnerable and needy people. This group includes those people who are impoverished, oppressed and exploited. It also includes people we don’t think about very often or even see. These are the unborn people who are aborted in the womb. Nearly 4,000 every single day. In 2005 (the most recent year for which there is reliable data), approximately 1.21 million abortions took place in the U.S. From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million legal abortions have occurred in the U.S. (AGI) (see Abort73.com, Facts about Abortion).
This issue demands our attention. As Christians, we can no more be silent about abortion just as Christians two centuries ago could remain silent about slavery. However, many Christians did remain silent about slavery just as many in the church today turn a blind eye in the face of the slaughter of innocent children. This is easy to do because of the controversial nature of this issue. However, we cannot allow fear of controversy to muzzle our voices. A helpful illustration of this point may be the case of Christians in Nazi Germany. Martin Niemoller, a German pastor and resister of Hitler’s regime said, “In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. They came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.”
If we are to speak up, the question remains, how and for what end? This is an important consideration for us as Christians. The recent elections of a pro-abortion president and congress crystallize the answer to this question. From the Christian perspective, the pro-life movement cannot be only about preventing abortions through law, as important as that is. Speaking the truth about abortion to people must also be a vehicle for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that God places rulers in authority as part of His perfect plan. Perhaps, these recent elections will prompt Christians who care about the unborn to re-direct their attention from merely political action but also to be willing, like William Wilberforce, to pour out their lives for the spread of the gospel in the cause of the unborn.
Not only can we save children from the abortionist, we can show people the loving kindness of Christ for all peoples, no matter their age or social standing. Randy Alcorn spells out many ways we can do this in his book “Why Pro-life?” which is available for free at the Adult ministries information booth. Please take a copy of this book, read it, and pass it on. R.C. Sproul says, “ If you care about the slaughter of the innocent, then for God’s sake speak up. Speak to your family. Speak to your neighbor. Speak to your friend. Speak to your doctor. Speak to your minister. Speak to your congressman. Let your voice be heard in a chorus of protest. Yours is only one voice, but it is a voice. Use it.”
Proverbs 24:11-12 says, “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?” May God’s mercy on you be enough to prompt you to have mercy on the most vulnerable among us.
I strongly encourage you to visit Abort73.com and watch the video titled “The Case Against Abortion.” You have now read this article. The complacency of ignorance has given way to the responsibility of knowledge. What are you going to do with it?
