This Sunday, one of our deacons emailed me a message that a college student had submitted on our church web site. The student was looking for a “church home” and wanted to know our beliefs regarding “a woman’s right to an abortion.” After much prayer and thought, I emailed this response to that student.
Thank you for letting us know about your search for a church home. Last summer, the Central Church of Christ began a campus ministry (called Campus Christian Community) that specifically focuses on reaching out to college students and providing opportunities for them to grow in relation to God and each other, while remaining connected to the rest of the church, the college campuses, and the surrounding communities. Thanks to God, we have many opportunities for college students: Bible classes, small groups for prayer and discussion, social activities, retreats, and service projects.
The question you asked is somewhat complex because of the personal, emotional dynamics that can be involved. However, we believe that God does indeed have a couple of things to say about abortion, although we recognize that the Bible does not directly address this specific topic as we know it today. I will respond with two basic beliefs and a simple recognition of reality. The first and third points summarize a few insights from scripture but do not cite particular biblical passages. If you would like to study the subject in more detail, please let me know.
First, we believe that God is the Creator and Sustainer of life in all its forms.
This includes babies who have not been born. We celebrate babies prior to their births, and we pray for them even while they are still in their mothers. Recognizing that life belongs to God, we wish to protect and treasure all life from the point of conception. In more common language, we could be called “pro-life.” In light of this, we believe that the willful and deliberate termination of life before birth is a sin.
Second, we recognize that abortion sometimes seems necessary for the wellbeing of a mother.
Such a situation could involve various factors, such as physical and/or psychological complications. We are not in a position to pass judgment on such situations, for we value the health of both mothers and unborn children. When people are forced to choose between mother and child, we acknowledge the difficulty and complexity of that decision and pray for God to guide and comfort the people who must make it.
Third, we believe that God is forgiving and redemptive.
Nothing is bad enough to keep us from God’s love and acceptance in Jesus Christ if we accept His grace. If someone has willfully and deliberately terminated a life before birth, that person is still welcomed in this family of Jesus-followers. We all are imperfect and have pain in our pasts (and even in our presents). That is part of being human. God accepts us as we are and desires to transform us more and more into His image. There are college students in the campus ministry here who have dealt with some serious hurt in their lives, and they are finding healing.
In summary, we would never tell someone, “Yes, go ahead and abort your baby. No problem.” However, we would never let a willful and deliberate ending of life prevent us from accepting someone as God accepts that person, and of course we would not want to pass judgment on a complex and difficult decision that someone made as responsibly as possible.
I hope this answers your question. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions. I would also be interested in knowing what you believe about this subject.
Thank you again for contacting us. We hope to meet you soon.
In the divine embrace,
steven
Now, after reading my response, what do you think?
Yowza, this is one of the hottest hot buttons, and is hard for most people to discuss without emotions running high, no matter where you stand.
What makes this very difficult for the church involves how much you believe that faith and politics should intertwine. So, to me, the question of how Christians stand on the “right to perform abortions” is at the same time both a religious question and a secular question that can conceivably have various answers.
I agree very much with everything about your statement. It appropriately lines out a spiritual position on the concept of life and our spiritual responsibilities to it. However, I do believe that it doesn’t directly answer the question of where the church stands on the secular and political view of women’s rights concerning the choice to continue a pregnancy. Certainly we would hope that spiritual values would influence such a decision, but should these spiritual values be held upon those who choose to have no commitment to the values of a religion? This is a tough one – really tough. The line between religious and secular/political values can be really vague, and I think the abortion issue illustrates that more than anything else.
*First, we believe that God is the Creator and Sustainer of life
*in all its forms.
*This includes babies who have not been born. We celebrate
*babies prior to their births, and we pray for them even while
*they are still in their mothers. Recognizing that life belongs to
*God, we wish to protect and treasure all life from the point
*of conception. In more common language, we could be
*called “pro-life.” In light of this, we believe that the willful
*and deliberate termination of life before birth is a sin.
“we wish to protect and treasure all life from the point of conception”
I don’t think this is a well stated version of the ‘pro-life’ point of view. Although I agree with where you are coming from, I do not agree with this statement. I do not wish to protect all life from the point of conception. Only an ‘innocent’ life. I do not believe that protecting the life of one of the “pilots” and I’m using that term -extremely- losely who flew the airliners into the trade center towers would have been a righteous or just act and we are called as Christians and sons/daughters/lovers of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to love Righteousness and Justice. I believe lethal force from anyone who would have issued it would have been completely justified on part of anyone on board that airplane would be completely justified… this feeling stems from my “wish to protect and treasure all (relatively) -innocent- life” (as we have all sinned and fallen short).
I do believe that children in the womb are loved by God and do believe abortion is a sinful act against an innocent child.
Here is my scripture to support it.
–Do children have an identity before they emerge from the
–womb?
Jerimiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Psalms 139:13
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
— Love for children
Matthew 18:5,6 and 10
5″And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
10″See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.[a] ”
–On justice
Proverbs 17:15
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the LORD detests them both.
–Jesus’ being God
John 1:1,2 and 14
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
–On Jesus’ unchanging nature. Jesus’ unchanging nature implies God’s unchanging nature if Jesus and God are indeed one in the same according to John 1:1,2 and 14.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
If Jesus Christ is the Word of God and we are to believe that He is unchanging (in nature, however this isn’t the same thing as an inability to change one’s mind).
Then we must believe that God feels the same way as he did in the days of King Solomon. There are more references on the importance of justice and mercy. I couldn’t possibly see how abortion could be classified as either a just or merciful act. Although, freeing someone of the hardships of this world by taking their life might be considered merciful by some… I’m pretty sure most of us would classify those individuals as psycopathics, how much better to show them freedom of the hardships of this world through Christ… and let the decision as to whether they will live or die be God’s choice.
John,
Thanks for the comments. Let me briefly respond to two of your statements.
First, while Christians might disagree about the extent that this belief should be practiced, yes, I do value ALL life, for I believe that all life comes from God. Deciding what punishment is appropriate for what crimes, however, is a different issue; and no matter what decision we make, we can still value the life of all involved.
Second, I would like to hear more of your thoughts connected with your statement about “the days of King Solomon.”
Finally, let me thank you for including some important biblical passages.
Cary,
I completely agree that the line between faith and politics is sometimes troublesomely unclear. You are right on target when you see my message as one of a spiritual nature. I intentionally avoided the political dynamics that might lie behind the question. If the student wants a political opinion, I am probably not the person to ask–not because I don’t hold political views, but because my political views are often contrary to the majority perspective of the Christians with whom I live and worship. While I hold some convictions and beliefs about how Christians should live, I do not think we have a right or an obligation to enforce those ethics on non-Christians. (This line of thought could apply to many political “hot buttons,” including same-sex marriage and other topics that no campus minister in his or her right mind would discuss on a blog.)
Well, on the first point, I do agree that all people have value… however I’m not sure whether or not I should place that value on their eternal soul, or on their physical life. Because when someone dies, I do not feel a great sense of loss in the end unless there is a reason to fear that their soul is lost and not simplyn their tie to the physical realm. Therefore the reason I would feel remorse for any life that I might believe must be taken as consequence for some action it would not be their life which I would be concerned with but their soul. Furthermore, I would say that I do value all life… but I wouldn’t say that I wish to protect ALL life or treasure ALL life because although sayingng all life has value is a radical statement, I feel the use of the word treasure is more radical and perhaps has more of a super-endearment connotation rather than simply saying that we value thing. I value my college education… because it’s necessary… I treasure my experiences in flight school because of how I feel about flying… but I do not treasure my college eduction. And I’ve already noted the point about protecting all life. I simply felt the need to furthermore explain what context drove my response.
As for the second … I guess you’ll have to set up a time for us to have lunch together if you want to discuss that ^_^!
And I just hope the scriptures will help spur further study or help someone who might be unsuences in flight school because of how I feel about flying… but I do not treasure my college eduction. And I’ve already noted the point about protecting all life. I simply felt the need to furthermore explain what context drove my response.
As for the second … I guess you’ll have to set up a time for us to have lunch together if you want to discuss that ^_^!
And I just hope the passages will spur others to further research or help someone who is unsure about how they how the feel on the subject.
Steven,
I think you make a great and valid point in a way that doesn’t (or at least shouldn’t) step on anyone’s toes. I’m glad we have messages coming from our church that truly extend the love of God to people instead of only the wrath of God. Good job!!
Christina
A great article on what can be quickly turned into beating a dead horse.
Anyway, my editor in chief/frontman of my band brought up a great point last night, which was kind of refreshing. The Christian community (often called the “religious right”) often expects leglislation, even immediate legislation, to overturn Roe v. Wade. That can’t be the case anyway, as it has to be decided by the courts.
He then brought up the fact that things such as slavery and segregation weren’t immediately brought about by legislation. They fought for GENERATIONS in order to bring about the right thing.
The same has to be done with abortion. No pro-life President is going to change things within the next two terms. This has to start on the grass roots level as a cultural revolution. People must be convinced that life before birth has to be protected, and terminating a pregnancy must become socially unacceptible. If we simply take away their “right” to an abortion, they’ll find a way around it, just like they used to, and just like people we know find ways around drug legislation.
I’m just saying we can rant and rave all day about electing pro-life officials, but in the end the government will just screw things up, as they always do when it comes to things not called law enforcement or military might. The greatest weapon We, the People have in the war of life is Us, the People.
John, I think I see your point about the word “treasure.” That verb might be too strong, since what we should truly treasure, according to 2 Corinthians 4, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that part of that gospel (or story) is God’s creation of life and our responsibility to care for it (Genesis 1-3). So I think we should care for all life, but perhaps “treasure” should be saved for other topics. I’m not sure yet, but you made me think. Thanks.
Cody, I think you’re right on target about politics in this case. Political activity has its place, but we are called to follow Christ no matter what our government might say or do.