At the church where I serve, we are in the midst of
a sermon series entitled “Vote for Jesus”. During this series, our hope and our
prayer is to accomplish three specific goals. First, our hope and our prayer is
to demonstrate that Jesus is not a republican and Jesus is not a democrat.
Instead, Jesus is God and as God Jesus is the one that we are to place our hope
in, not a political party.
Second, our hope and our prayer is to equip and
empower us to think critically and Biblically when it comes to the issues that
our culture is faced with that often find themselves expressed in the political
process. And third, our hope and prayer is to provide a framework from the
message and teachings of Jesus when it comes to how we as followers of Jesus
are to engage in the government and in the political process in way that
reveals and reflects Jesus to those around us.
This week, I
would like for us to spend our time together addressing the issue of abortion.
Specifically, I would like for us to ask and answer the questions “What
should the policy would Jesus promote when it comes to abortion? Why would
Jesus take the position that He would take? How would Jesus engage in the conversation
surrounding the issue of abortion?”
Now, as soon as you see the topic
of abortion, the conversation tends to get really heavy and intense. In many
ways this topic is the most difficult topic that we will talk about in this
series. And the reason why this topic will be the most difficult topic during
this series is because of the reality that for many of us, this topic is
personal. For many of us, we have been personally impacted by the issue of
abortion. In addition, for many of us, the reason why this topic is so
difficult is because of the experiences many of us have had with Christians
over this issue.
I mean, as soon as I mentioned
the topic of abortion, you believe that you have a pretty good idea about what
I am going to write, right? And the reason why you believe that you have a
pretty good idea about that I am going to write is because Christians have made
it abundantly clear to you what the Bible has to say about the issue of
abortion.
And because of that reality,
before we jump into this topic, I just want to let you know a few things. First
off, the thing about the church where I serve is that the church is filled with
people who have and do struggle with a variety of issues in their lives. There
are people who started coming to CBC as a result of attending NA that met here
at the church and who struggle with issues around addiction. There are people
who started coming to CBC as a result of going through a divorce after they
made a train wreck of their marriage.
There are people who struggle
with the consequences of broken relationships. There are people who started
coming to CBC as a result of coming from some of the most jacked up home
situations. There are people who have made a train wreck of their lives
financially, relationally, emotionally. The reason that I want you to know all
of that is because, if at some point things become personal, I would encourage
you to lean into Jesus and not run from Jesus. I want you to know all of this
because my intent here is not to cast judgment or condemnation, but to place
before you the grace of Jesus that so many of the people here at CBC have
experienced.
Now with all of that in mind,
in our current political climate, the conversation
surrounding the issue of abortion
is still a very emotional charged conversation and debate. At one end of the conversation when it comes
to the issue of abortion
would be politicians and others who advocate for the right to have an abortion.
Those who advocate for abortion
point to several arguments to support their position.
First, those who advocate for abortion argue that nearly
all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist
independent of the mother. Second, those who advocate for abortion argue that the
concept of personhood is different from the concept of human life. Third, those
who advocate for abortion argue that adoption is not an alternative to
abortion, because it remains the woman's choice whether or not to give her
child up for adoption.
Fourth, those who advocate for abortion argue that abortion
is a safe medical procedure. Fifth, those who advocate for abortion argue that
in the case of rape or incest, forcing a woman made pregnant by this violent
act would cause further psychological harm to the victim. Sixth, those who
advocate for abortion argue that abortion is not used as a form of
contraception. Only 8% of women who have abortions do not use any form of birth
control, and that is due more to individual carelessness than to the
availability of abortion. Seventh, those who advocate for abortion argue that the
ability of a woman to have control of her body is critical to civil rights. Eighth,
those who advocate for abortion argue that taxpayer dollars are used to enable
poor women to access the same medical services as rich women, and abortion is
one of these services.
Ninth, those who advocate for abortion argue that teenagers
who become mothers have grim prospects for the future. And tenth, those who
advocate for abortion argue that the American Psychological Association found
that stress was greatest prior to an abortion, and that there was no evidence
of post-abortion syndrome. And many who advocate for abortion, who would be
viewed in our culture as being on “the left”, often paint those who are against
abortion as limiting the freedom of women to have control and rights over their
bodies and the medical decisions that they make with their bodies to help
ensure that everyone experiences the best quality of life.
On the other end of the conversation when it comes
to the issue of abortion would be politicians and others who oppose abortion.
Those who oppose abortion
point to several arguments to support their position. First, those who oppose abortion
argue that since life begins at conception, abortion is akin to murder as it is
the act of taking human life. Second, those who oppose abortion argue that no
civilized society permits one human to intentionally harm or take the life of
another human without punishment, and abortion is no different.
Third, those who oppose abortion argue that adoption
is a viable alternative to abortion and accomplishes the same result. Fourth,
those who oppose abortion argue that an abortion can result in medical
complications later in life, including increased risk of ectopic pregnancies,
miscarriages, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Fifth, those who oppose abortion
argue that in the instance of rape and incest, proper medical care can ensure
that a woman will not get pregnant. Abortion punishes the unborn child who
committed no crime; instead, it is the perpetrator who should be punished.
Sixth, those who oppose abortion argue that abortion
should not be used as another form of contraception. Seventh, those who oppose abortion
argue that for women who demand complete control of their body, control should
include preventing the risk of unwanted pregnancy through the responsible use
of contraception or, if that is not possible, through abstinence. Eighth, those
who oppose abortion argue that it is morally wrong to use tax dollars to fund
abortion. Ninth, those who oppose abortion argue that those who choose
abortions are often minors or young women with insufficient life experience to
understand fully what they are doing. Many have lifelong regrets afterwards.
And tenth, those who oppose abortion argue that abortion
frequently causes intense psychological pain and stress. And many who advocate
for the prohibition of abortion, who would be viewed in our culture as being on
“the right”, often paint those who advocate for abortion as being immoral
people who are murdering innocent lives and deny the fundamental sanctity of
human life.
Now, with all that background in mind, let’s take a
look at what the message and teachings of Jesus have to say when it comes to
the issue of abortion. Specifically, what do the letters that make up the Bible
reveal about abortion? Now this morning, whether you regularly attend church or whether this is your first Sunday in
church; whether or not you regularly read the Bible, you are probably at least
somewhat familiar with what the letters that make up the Bible have to say
about the issue of abortion. And the reason why you are probably at least
somewhat familiar with what the letters that make up the Bible have to say
about abortion is due to the fact that Christians seem to have no problem
telling people what the letters that make up the Bible have to say about abortion.
However, I do not want us to
simply spend our time quoting Bible verses as to the “what” the Bible says
about abortion. Instead, I want us to drill down deep into the “why” behind
what the Bible says about the issue of abortion.
Tomorrow, we will begin to
drill down into the why…
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