Why I no longer support the Pro Life movement...

Tomorrow, January 22, 2015 marks the 42^nd anniversary of United States Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade. I was just a little over two years old when that decision came down so I am glad that I was born before this Herodian ruling came into being. After January 22, 1973 the lives of young children in the womb were very much in jeopardy.

For the past 42 years the Pro Life movement in America has championed the cause of the unborn. I was happy and proud to consider myself a part of that movement. I believed compromise and incremental approaches to winning at the Pro Life movement were the way to see ultimate victory in ending abortion in America.

That is, until I began to think through my position and seriously question the tactics of the Pro Life movement. You see, we have had 42 years of unfettered access to abortion on demand. 42 years of the Pro Life movement telling us that we have to be patient and take what we can when we can.

So, when we were able to see a partial-birth abortion ban passed in Congress in 2003 (only 30 years after abortion was made legal) this was hailed as a major victory for “the cause.” But I began to think about that. So, killing a child out of the womb is bad…but it isn’t as bad if it is still in the womb?

The Pro Life supporters would say, “Even if one life is saved, it is worth it.” That sounds so noble and altruistic. But the problem is how can we say ANY child should not be saved? I found myself beginning to reject the idea that incrementalism and compromise were the proper approach. Now that we’ve had 42 years of that approach and philosophy leading the charge, we can truly measure the results.

It has done nothing to stem the tide of the slaughter of innocents. It has merely equipped and empowered those who want abortion on demand to continue and it has gravely softened our position and resolve.



I now consider myself a supporter of the Personhood movement. What the Personhood movement is attempting to do is to frame the debate of life without compromising the life of any child. If a baby in the womb is indeed a person, then that person is afforded all the protection of the laws of our land.



Justice Potter Stewart

Justice Potter Stewart (one of the ruling Justices on Roe v Wade) said during arguments for Roe v Wade, “The basic constitutional question, initially is, whether or not the unborn fetus is a person, isn’t it? That’s critical to this case is it not?” He continued to say, “If it were established that an unborn fetus is a person within the protections of the 14^th amendment, you would have almost an impossible case here, would you not?”

Since I have embraced the idea that an unborn child is indeed a person, what I have found is criticism and harsh treatment from the unlikeliest of sources…those in the Pro Life movement. Because they reject this uncompromising position, what usually results is ad hominem and invective being injected into any discussion on the topic.

I feel their arguments for compromise and incrementalism are no different than those who would argue against abstinence. The line of reasoning goes, “Teens are going to have sex anyway, so let’s make sure they are safe…and maybe we’ll cut down the numbers of teen pregnancies in the process.” But the fact is, abstinence, when practiced has been shown to be 100% effective in preventing pregnancy.

I can no longer stomach the incrementalist’s idea of compromising and saving “some” lives over others. For me, this is an all-out, no compromise issue. No child deserves death for any reason. And the moment we justify one child dying, we have lost a 42 year battle.

If you want to know more about Personhood in the state of Iowa, follow this LINK:

http://personhoodiowa.com/

Tough Questions

At our church’s most recent elders meeting we discussed vision and leadership. I had brought out some old material I had from a lecture from current President of Lincoln Christian University, Don Green. We had a brutally honest conversation about where we are as a church and where we need to be.

I believe those kinds of conversations are critical as you strive to honor God in your service to Him in a leadership position. According to a study a few years back 27% of Christian Churches/Churches of Christ are growing while 73% are either static or declining. Declining churches tend to be more maintenance-minded while growing churches tend to be more mission-minded.

So we examined whether or not we are more mission or maintenance-minded by discussing these questions. I would encourage you to do the same with your leadership team.

·       Is your church maintaining a tradition or fulfilling a mission?

·       Is it more inward-focused (serving ourselves) or outward-focused (serving others)?

·       Are its paradigms (ways of viewing and doing things) oriented to the past or to the future?

·       Is it more concerned with being efficient (doing things right) or being effective (doing the right things)?

·       Is it preoccupied with programs or people?

·       Is it a Sunday church or a seven-days-a-week church?

·       Is it more concerned with making decisions or making disciples?

·       Is it more committed to satisfying the saved or to seeking the lost?

·       Is it becoming older and smaller or younger and larger?

As we assessed our situation we realized that we currently lean a little heavier on the maintenance side than we do the mission side. So we began discussing how to correct that. What steps do we need to take?

Let me first say this, our leadership must have absolute, unwavering integrity. We must be aligned in what we are and what we believe and what we do. We need to clearly understand our mission as a church. Our purpose is not merely to meet on Sundays. It is much more serious than that. We are tasked by God Himself to proclaim His truth in and out of season and to help rescue sinners from perishing.

An old adage comes to mind when I consider this: Methods are many, principles are few. Methods always change but principles never do. Our message can never change but the way in which it is proclaimed can definitely have room for improvement. We want to reach young families with the Gospel. It is our heart and soul. Everything we do this new year will be directed toward meeting that end.

Meeting With Governor Jindahl

On Tuesday evening, January 6^th I sat in a conference room with approximately 100 other faith leaders, mainly pastors, to listen to Governor Bobby Jindal speak. He came at the invitation of Brad Sherman, a pastor from Iowa City who coordinated this event with David Lane’s American Renewal Project. This was an invitation-only event and the press were definitely not on the invite list.

Governor Jindal shared about his upbringing and how he was led to faith in Christ through a friend that had given him a copy of the Bible. At first, the gift seemed odd to this young Hindu-raised man, but after the death of his grandfather, Jindal turned to that Bible in seeking out answers about what happens after we die.

The answers did not come quickly for Jindal. He started reading the Bible from Genesis and found many stories captivating and some of it difficult to understand. It wasn’t until he met a young woman he was interested in, that he started attending campus ministry meetings at LSU. That is where his faith in Christ and his understanding of God’s Word truly ignited.

Jindal shared that he believes that the greatest need in America currently is the need for spiritual revival. He is hosting an event called The Response on January 24, 2015 in Baton Rouge, LA. This event is a call to repentance, prayer and fasting. Governor Rick Perry of Texas did this same type of event in 2011.

David Lane, with the American Renewal Project, is hoping to replicate this prayer event in all of the key states in the political process. Governor Jindal quoted Winston Churchill when speaking about this event and said, “’You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they've exhausted every alternative,’ “That's where we are as a country," he continued, "We have tried everything and now it is time to turn back to God."

I found Governor Jindal to be a sincere breath of fresh air. With temps hitting negative zero outside, it truly warmed my heart to hear this Governor from Louisiana speaking about his relationship with Jesus Christ. He wasn’t pandering either.

I know this because I met him once before. Earlier in December I was part of a delegation that flew down to Baton Rouge to the Governor’s Mansion to meet and discuss the upcoming event The Response. Our goal was to also begin working to have the event in our home state of Iowa.

At this event, I heard Governor Jindal share his same story about coming to a personal faith in Jesus Christ. But what impressed me the most was not so much his story, but afterwards during a time of prayer. All the ministers gathered around him and prayed over him and for him. That was a powerful moment, honestly.

But then Governor Jindal prayed as well. His words were not the carefully scripted words of a political pundit. His words in his prayer were words that came from a long-standing intimacy with his Savior. Jindal doesn’t just say the right things in the right setting. He knows Jesus and it is obvious in his prayer language.

I don’t know what the future holds as all the candidates for 2016 begin to line up and whisper sweet nothings in our ears here in Iowa. But I do know that the Governor of Louisiana is a brother in Christ. He is a true Christian statesman.

There are others as well. And it may be a difficult task ahead for us. I think that Jindal and Huckabee and Cruz and Santorum are some of the strongest champions we have currently. It will be very interesting to see how it all unfolds. But to my brothers in ministry, I would challenge you to hold these candidates’ feet to the fire and vet them through and through. That is our responsibility as leaders in this state!