The Dark Night of Abortion
By Matthew Barrett –
I have a beautiful three years old daughter. I cannot imagine life without her. She is a precious girl who has been made in the image of God. However, when I am reminded that millions and millions of girls just like her have been aborted in the womb, it is almost impossible not to feel sick.
Yesterday marked 39 years since the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade (January 22, 1973). Since then women all over the US have had legal abortions at various stages in their pregnancy. To be precise, the number of abortions in America is now climbing over 50 million. 50 million deaths. 50 million lives taken. 50 million killings of the unborn. I am not sure there has been anything this atrocious in human history.
And over half of these 50 million are daughters. As Denny Burk has pointed out, these figures make President Obama’s recent words, commemorating the Roe v. Wade anniversary, appalling:
As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right. While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue- no matter what our views, we must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant woman and mothers, reduce the need for abortion, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption. And as we remember this historic anniversary, we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.
In the name of “women’s rights” we have justified the killing of millions upon millions of “women.” We have given a woman the right to preserve her “rights” by taking the life of another. One word comes to mind: injustice.
One day, justice will come. God will not be silent forever as the innocent are slaughtered. Abortion is a hideous evil, a work of darkness, in his sight and a day is coming when he will render to man according to his works (Proverbs 24:10-12).
Until then, as Christians, we must pray for change. We must seek to persuade others of the injustice of abortion. And we must, if we are to remain faithful to Scripture, seek to expose “unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph 5:11). One resource that takes a step in this direction is John Piper’s little book, Exposing the Dark Work of Abortion (which you can download for free). This little book consists of three sermons:
Exposing the Dark Work of Abortion (Ephesians 5:11)
Shall We Listen to Men or God? (Acts 4:13-22)
Abortion and the Narrow Way that Leads to Life (Matthew 7:7-14)
Piper ends the book with a little appendix called: Fifteen Pro-Life Truths. Piper, being a pastor, I think takes the right approach to the issue when he writes in his introduction to the first sermon/chapter,
I begin this morning by making sure that we understand the difference between a Christian call to pro-life action and a non-Christian call to pro-life action. I am glad that non-Christians are calling for an end to abortion. I am glad that there are “atheists for life.” One of the things that makes America work is that what Christians see as right behavior because of Christ non-Christians see as right for other reasons. This is not surprising. Some of the truth that is rooted in Jesus as the Son of God is also revealed partially in creation. The law written on the heart of all men and women (Romans 2:14), no matter how marred by sin, is still God’s law. So there is always hope that, in the gracious providence of God, believers and non-believers in a pluralistic society might come to agree that certain behaviors are right and certain behaviors are wrong.
But I am a Christian pastor, not a politician. My main job is not to unite believers and unbelievers behind worthwhile causes. Somebody should do this. But that is not my job. Some of you ought to be doing that with a deep sense of Christian calling. My job is to glorify Jesus Christ by calling his people to be distinctively Christian in the way they live their lives. Therefore I begin by showing you from Scripture (not from natural law, as crucial as that is for social survival) what is distinctively Christian in my call to pro-life action.
Finally, one other book that may be a helpful resource is The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture, by Scott Klusendorf. Scott is the president of Life Training Institute, where he trains pro-life advocates to persuasively defend their views. Here is the publisher’s description:
Pro-life Christians, take heart: the pro-life message can compete in the marketplace of ideas — provided Christians properly understand and articulate that message. Too many Christians do not understand the essential truths of the pro-life position, making it difficult for them to articulate a biblical worldview on issues like abortion, cloning, and embryo research.
The Case for Life provides intellectual grounding for the pro-life convictions that most evangelicals hold. Author Scott Klusendorf first simplifies the debate: the sanctity of life is not a morally complex issue. It’s not about choice, privacy, or scientific progress. To the contrary, the debate turns on one key question: What is the unborn? From there readers learn how to engage the great bio-tech debate of the twenty-first century, how to answer objections persuasively, and what the role of the pro-life pastor should be.
It is a dark reality we live in. I fear that when we are dead and gone, another generation, perhaps one who will overturn the dark work of abortion, will look back on us as the “generation of death.” Pray with me that the Lord would do an amazing work in our own lifetime so that 39 years from now there will not be another 50 million lives taken.
Matthew Barrett (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the executive editor of Credo Magazine. Barrett has contributed book reviews and articles to various academic journals. He is married to Elizabeth and they have two daughters, Cassandra and Georgia. He is a member of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.
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