A Pastors Perspective on the turn of Roe v. Wade
Today is a historic day for the United States of America. A few weeks ago, it was leaked that Roe v. Wade will be overturned at the Supreme Court level leading to a potentially massive shift in the perspective on abortion. Today, that decision became a reality. Much like other topics over the past few years, there is extreme emotion, polarization, and differing perspectives when it comes to the practice of terminating pregnancies that were made legal by the highest court of our nation on January 22, 1973.
How should we process this turn?
Before I get there, let me preface what I want to share with a few important things:
I am a follower of Jesus who believes that the Scriptures are authoritative. Because of this, it shapes and defines my worldview.
If you don't hold to these same anchor points, then it's important to recognize that there is a different starting point that we are working from. Every human has a worldview that is shaped and formed by something. It is critical that we know where our worldview comes from because it is the lens that we will see everything in life through.
I am a man. I understand this. I do not know what it is like to carry a baby.
I watched my wife take that journey three times, bringing three beautiful gifts into this world. Each time was scary. Each time there were concerns and levels of complications. I do not know firsthand what that dynamic looks like, so I will not pretend like I do. What I do want to share is a pastoral perspective. Again, if we are starting from a different worldview, it will be a challenge to find many (if any) points of agreement.
For those who have made the decision at some point to abort a pregnancy, and now have come to find forgiveness and grace in Jesus -- there is no condemnation or shame.
Because of Christ, every place of sin (a bible word for missing the mark of God's defined standard of right living - both in attitude and action) has been covered through His grace. No doubt, the past few days have dug up thoughts and maybe even a subtle whisper of shame and condemnation. Remember what Romans 8:1 boldly declares to you no matter where you have been or what you have done: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus."
Here are 4 Pastoral Thoughts for Jesus followers on how we should process this turn:
A Pastoral Perspective...
FIRST, THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE AND WHEN LIFE "BEGINS"
I write this to those who would see themselves as followers of Jesus. For those who are a part of our church community at Life Center (and to those who are reading this and connected to another church community), it is critical that we understand what Scripture in its authority calls us to. Scripture and culture will not always agree, because they are not starting from the same worldview. We must remember we can't edit Scripture to simply fit this cultural moment and then say we believe that Scripture is authoritative. That is using your self-imposed "authority" to redefine Scripture. You may like, or even love your Bible, but if we do this, we can't say we believe it is authoritative. We must be careful to not take our modern lens and try to read that into what Scripture makes clear.
Scripture claims some important things: God is the Creator, God is the author of Life, every human life has value because mankind was created in the image of God (imago Dei).
If you don't believe this, it has implications.
If you do believe this, it also has implications.
One of the most important passages that I believe Christians should be aware of regarding this subject is found in Luke 1:15. As an angel is visiting Zechariah, he tells him that his son John (who will be known as John the Baptist) "...will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb."
A few things to note:
the Holy Spirit fills humans that are alive.
what will be in Elizabeth's womb will be more than a clump of cells, it will be a human that is alive - before he is born.
God had a purpose for this unborn child before he was even conceived.
As a nation, many have spent the past two years sacrificing and working diligently to "preserve and protect life" during a pandemic. What this means is at some level, there is a sense in our cultural worldview that "life is valuable". But the abortion argument often comes to "when does life begin"? How we answer this matters because if something is less than life or less than alive, we can simply see it as a choice.
As a pastor, this passage is a compelling reason to see that from conception, there is life -- and even before conception, God sees purpose and value.
SECOND, WE SHOULD BE MORE THAN JUST PRO-BIRTH
If we believe that Scripture has authority in our lives, and it tells us that life is valuable, then we need to think about the impact of how we will engage with life. I've heard it said that "pro-life people are only pro-birth". What this should cause Jesus followers to pause and ask is this:
Am I pro-life to the point that I will open up my home to become a foster parent or adoptive parent?
For mothers who will be in a situation where they will raise a child alone, how will we The Church, support and care for them?
For those who are born with health challenges, are we ready to commit to long-term love and care?
If we are pro-life, the answer to all of the above should be a resounding YES. This is another area where we must not be quick to edit Scripture and use it to meet our needs or agenda. If we believe that God values life, then it means he values the lives of the unborn and the born who will need to be cared for. According to the book of James, pure religion is caring for orphans and widows -- the most vulnerable in our communities. As Roe v. Wade turns, the Church must be ready and willing to provide the life care that scripture calls us to.
THIRD, COMPASSION MATTERS
We cannot forget that Jesus, when He saw crowds of people, He had compassion for them (Matthew 9:36). He even wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 13:34). What concerns me as a pastor is how often I see in followers of Jesus (and even in myself) a lack of compassion. I have friends who have had abortions, and the amount of shame that they experience can be staggering. This is especially a tragedy when the shame comes from self-righteous "followers of Jesus" who have lost sight of their own need for forgiveness.
For followers of Jesus, who hold to the authority of Scripture, we can't lose sight of our call to walk in love and compassion. I am not recommending that we engage with compassion that is void of truth, because that actually isn't compassionate. It would be unloving and lacking compassion if my doctor knew of an issue but didn't lead me to the truth.
Jesus follower, your compassion in this moment matters.
FOURTH, THERE ARE SAD COMPLEXITIES
There may be some who read this fourth thought from this pastor and become frustrated. You may be thinking, "Tyler, it isn't complicated...life is life!" I agree with you. Life IS life. That isn't the complicated part. But there are circumstances that are sadly complex, and to deny that isn't helpful. There are horrific scenarios like incest and rape. There are complicated realities such as a mom’s life being in danger or a diagnosis that the unborn child may have to endure once out of the womb. These are challenges of living in a broken and fallen world. There are many "what about" and "what ifs" surrounding this. I wish that we never had to navigate dark realities like these. I'm not denying that those are very real challenges and complicated for the individuals navigating them and for the precious lives of those not yet born.
I do know this: hope can come, even in the most challenging and dark moments.
I am committed to the importance of Jesus followers protecting life.
This is because life is a gift from God.
Therefore, life is valuable.
As a pastor, I feel a deep responsibility to equip followers of Jesus on how we navigate this moment. My hope and prayer are that if you hold to the authority of scripture, that you will see the importance of this moment.
My hope is that you will pray.
My hope is that you will sacrifice and serve.
My hope is that you will embody the love and compassion that Jesus has.
My hope is that every life will be valued for what it is.
Tyler
