by Chase Byers
Synopsis: Progressives claim to seek social justice, but their radical commitment to abortion denies the sanctity of human life and disregards the clear teaching of God's word.
The following quote came from actress Michelle Williams in her acceptance speech at the 2020 Golden Globes:
I've tried my very best to live a life of my own making and not just a series of events that happened to me. But one that I could stand back and look at and recognize my handwriting all over. Sometimes messy and scrawling, sometimes careful and precise. But one that I had carved with my own hand. And I wouldn't have been able to do this without employing a woman's right to choose.
She went on to say,
To choose when to have my children and with whom... Now I know my choices might look different than yours, but thank God or whoever you pray to that we live in a country founded on the principles that I am free to live by my faith and you are free to live by yours (See Note #1).
Throughout and after her speech, you could hear the cheers of the world's most influential people echoing through the auditorium. In fact, you could hear one person exclaiming, "Preach!"
After seeing and hearing this unfold, one cannot help but think of the words of God in Isaiah 5:20a, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil." We now live in a time where abortion is not shunned but is rather celebrated. According to Worldometer (an organization that keeps a running tally of major world statistics and was recognized as one of the best free reference websites by the American Library Association), as of December 31, 2019, there were 42.4 million abortions worldwide (See Note #2). To help put that in perspective, that is twice the amount of deaths caused by cancer, smoking, alcohol, traffic accidents, malaria, and HIV/AIDS cases in the world combined. Not to mention, the population of California is 40+ million alone!
The question must be asked, how does a Christian respond to a world that is celebrating such an evil thing? Practically speaking, what can Christians do about these heinous facts? Here are three things Christians must strive to understand in connection with this issue.
The first place to start would be at the very beginning with an understanding of God's view of life. In Genesis 1:26-27, God said,
Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.... God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them.
From the beginning, it has been clear that God values those whom He has made. Seeing that man has been made in the image of God the Creator, those who respect God should have a high view of human life. Why? Because those creatures are like God. Later in the Genesis account, it is said that God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (2:7). A fetus, while in the womb, is living before we even know it is there. We recently were blessed with a daughter. The doctors were able to let us listen to her heartbeat as early as ten weeks. They proceeded to tell us that the heartbeat can be heard even at four weeks!
Throughout my wife's pregnancy, I was reminded of what God told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you" (1:4a), or what the preacher surmises in Ecclesiastes 11:5, "Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things." I was amazed at the God-breathed life that was there; I could see the life of my daughter even inside the womb!
Once we understand that an unborn child is a person, there is only one passage needed to make the case that that person should not be killed. After Noah and his family left the ark, God said this to them, "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man" (Gen. 9:6). What is wrong with shedding a man's blood? Men are made in the image of God. How dare anyone be involved in the slaying of a man, let alone an innocent child! I believe this is as clear as any other command found in Scripture. Abortion is murder, and murder is sin (Jas. 2:11). Abortion is sin!
Generally speaking, the world would still agree with us that murder is not okay. This narrows down the issue a little more: many of those who are pro-choice do not believe that a fetus is a person. If they did think that a fetus is just as much a person as you or me, then they would be forced to say that abortion is murder. However, they believe they have found a way around that. It is in the very way they define personhood.
This is where the conversation of "choice" comes into play. Pro-abortionists will use arguments such as, "If someone comes into my house, I have the right to do whatever it takes to get them out? Why isn't that true of my body?"
Consider the fact that, in the state of Pennsylvania, if a pregnant woman is murdered, the killer is charged with double homicide. Why? Because under the law, that baby is a "child in utero" as "a member of the species Homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb" (See Note #3).
Nevertheless, when the discussion turns to abortion, confusion replaces clarity. If a woman decides to abort her baby, for whatever reason, that baby no longer fits this description in the law. This is all in an attempt to suggest that a fetus is only "human" when the mother decides he is. In other words, a fetus only receives personhood status when the mother acknowledges it as being her child.
Of course, this is a ridiculous claim, but it gets to the crux of the debate: Those who are pro-choice have no respect for the word of God. As we have already shown, Scripture is clear about how God sees and views human life. It is to be respected and honored—both inside and outside the womb. When someone doesn't operate under that worldview, they naturally will not care about our perspective on abortion. As with anything, if we want to help people see the sinful nature of abortion, we will first need to convince them that life is to be honored. Why? Because God affirms that life is sacred! If we don't convince them of this, then there is no reasoning with them.
It is good and well to understand what is wrong and evil about abortion. However, as Christians, it is our responsibility to defend all of these helpless and innocent children. As Scripture affirms, we must "open our mouths for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate" (Prov. 31:8). If this means we go and protest to our legislatures, then we must go. If this means getting out and voting, then we must go, but, more practically speaking, if this means we need to offer our homes to the children of women who would rather abort than raise a child, then we must be willing to adopt. For some, the way to help may be funding a family's adoption journey, and if so, then do it. This list of suggestions is not exhaustive; individual Christians can and should find different ways to help with the cause. Whatever our situation may be, let's get up, be active, and do something about it!
All Scripture references come from the New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
Note #1: Melas, Chloe. "Read Michelle Williams' Powerful Speech about Choice." CNN: Cable News Network. January 8, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/05/entertainment/michelle-williams-golden-globes-2020-speech/index.html.
Note #2: "Abortions Worldwide This Year." Worldometer. Accessed February 7, 2020. https://www.worldometers.info/abortions/.
Note #3: "18 U.S. Code ยง 1841—Protection of Unborn Children." Cornell Law School: Legal Information Institute. Accessed February 7, 2020. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1841.
Author Bio: Chase has worked with a start-up work in Harrisburg, PA since 2018. He and his wife, Rebecca, are blessed with a newborn daughter. The church website is capitalcitychristians.com. He can be reached at cdbyers33@yahoo.com.
