The Abortion Issue and the Christian
Note: Since I wrote this article on Tuesday, word came out about a change in the Republican platform statement on abortion. This article was not written with that development in mind. The event that prompted this article was the submission of signatures for a vote on an Arizona amendment to the state constitution on abortion.
From 1973 until 2022, the fight over abortion has been about the courts—especially the Supreme Court. Abortion opponents have argued that the decision should not be a federal court decision, but one for individual states to decide. Well, with the Dobbs decision, the pro-life people finally won. The problem is that we were not prepared for victory.
Since that time, state after state has enshrined abortion in their state constitutions. I live in Arizona. Last week, signatures were submitted that would put a referendum on the ballot this fall regarding abortion. It would enshrine abortion as a right in our state. More than double the required signatures were submitted. There is a high likelihood that this measure will pass in Arizona this fall. We won the federal battle, but we are losing the state battles because we have not won the battle for hearts and minds.
Regarding the matter of tithing, Jesus said,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
The abortion battle has erred in much the same way. Abortion should not be legal. But it is. Why is it legal? Because people are selfish, immoral, and will not acknowledge the sanctity of human life? Why won’t they? Because they have been taught a different worldview from the time they were small. We will never win the abortion battle with laws—even as we rightfully fight for them. If we fight for laws without seeking to change hearts, we are fighting a losing battle. Both lines of approach are essential.
A three-pronged approach to the abortion holocaust is essential, and abortion opponents in the US should shift the use of time and energy in many situations to the latter two. This is especially true where the laws are now already, and virtually irrevocably, on the books.
Fight for good laws.
We must encourage people to vote their consciences, as we have been doing for the last 50 years. But we also must encourage people to take part in the election process, including working as poll watchers and election officials. A just balance is an important part of accomplishing change. If we can win hearts and minds, we want that result to be accurately reflected in the voting process.
Save lives where you can.
We might not be able to create laws to stop all abortions, but we can find ways to save children. The Crisis Pregnancy Centers across the country have been doing this work for decades, providing scared women options for keeping their children, rather than choosing to end a life. More and better networks for adoption must be established.
We must work to end the social stigma of putting a child up for adoption. I can envision a series of reels in which adopted children thank their birth mothers for having the courage to give them life. We struggle with this approach as believers because it seems to glorify irresponsible and sinful behavior. However, that behavior is already happening, and encouraging young women to carry babies to term and put them up for adoption is not likely to increase fornication in our culture. There is an ethical hierarchy and saving lives is right there at the top.
When I was young it seemed like almost all adults smoked. It was a cool thing for young people to do. Over 40 years or so that changed. Even though smoking was not made illegal, it is now almost universally looked upon as a foolish and dirty habit. It might be possible to create a change in public opinion on abortion in the same way. The point of making abortion illegal is to save lives, so let’s save as many as we can now, in whatever way we can.
Change the way people think.
Believe it or not, school choice and the abortion issue are tied closely to one another. Many poor families have been denied educational choices—especially the opportunity for religious-based education—for far too long. When given the economic means, parents jump at the opportunity to put their children in faith-based schools. Our Arizona voucher-based program has opened the floodgates for faith-based schools. Our own church school has had to turn away hundreds of students in the last two years because we no longer have the classroom space or teachers to meet the demand. We need an army of new teachers willing to change the world one young heart at a time.
Children are precious. The permissive parenting movement has contributed to the abortion epidemic. As parents let children rule the house, they become little monsters, making life miserable for parents, siblings, and anyone with prolonged contact with the family. Those children grow up to be selfish, arrogant, demanding, and sometimes criminal. That is why we see a flood of people these days who just do not like children. Try googling “I don’t like kids” and look at the thousands of articles that come up. Bad parenting is destructive in ways we cannot possibly imagine. We need to remember the preciousness of children both to us and to Christ and raise them with prayer and diligence.
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)
Christ is always the ultimate answer. Christian thinking comes from being a Christian or being surrounded by Christians who think biblically. The Holy Spirit is the one who truly changes a heart. We need an awakening to the gospel and true salvation in our nation and around the world. There are indications that it is starting to happen. We must believe that God is working in the hearts of people around us already, and we must cooperate with God in the work He is already doing. This will change the world.
Pray for revival.
Believe that God is already sending it.
Behave like He is already at work all around you.
May God help us all.
Listen to the audio version of the article here: