Tag: Abortion

11 August, 2015

Oppression's Request: Keep Your Faith to Yourself

WILBERFORCE, WILLIAM (1759–1833)
English philanthropist; antislavery crusader

Born in Hull, Wilberforce studied in desultory fashion at Cambridge, then in 1780 entered Parliament and became a strong supporter of William Pitt, who persuaded Wilberforce to devote himself to the abolition of the slave trade. In this cause he opposed many in the empire who had powerful vested interests, and he opposed those who regarded slavery as “a natural and scriptural institution.” The reformers finally triumphed in 1807 when the slave trade was done away with, though abolition of slavery itself had to wait until 1833.
Wilberforce, who had been converted at twenty-five, was the most famous figure associated with the Clapham Sect, which sought to do for the upper classes what Wesley had done for the lower. They used their wealth and influence in Christian outreach. He supported missions, fought to improve the condition of the poor and prisoners, and in 1804 helped to form the British and Foreign Bible Society. He also supported Catholic emancipation. Wilberforce, who was once described as “the authorized interpreter of the national conscience,” published in 1797 his Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System, which ran through many editions.

J.D.DOUGLAS
J.D. Douglas, “Wilberforce, William,” ed. J.D. Douglas and Philip W. Comfort, Who’s Who in Christian History (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992), 719.

16 July, 2015

These Are Not Unrelated

Paul Pelton, holds to a consistent anti-life ethic

Dr. Deborah Nucatola, has a consistent anti-life ethic — Dr. Deborah Nucatola, consistent anti-life ethic

Josef Mengele, held to a consistent anti-life ethic

By now, only those who choose ignorance have not heard of the Planned Parenthood’s selling of baby body parts, organs and tissues that were taken from live infants killed by doctors. Information can be found here, but is only recently being discussed in the mainstream media.

Now we have Paul Pelton, who, when happening upon a fatal car accident, chose to record the dying teenage victims on his mobile rather than assist (article here). Being first on the scene, one might expect him to behave like a human, and lend aid. But to do so would mean we’d expect him to act in a manner inconsistent with a 21st century life-ethic (Carl Trueman has an excellent article on the consistency of ethics here). Rather, he recorded one teen’s death and attempted to sell footage to news outlets. He has been charged with trespassing in an accident scene, the only charge that could apply.

We have now, for over a generation, understood human life is at our disposal–we can get rid of unwanted children, or the unwanted elderly and disabled, and even sell tissue, or suffering for a profit. Making the unborn disposable has logically led to the unthinkable attempt at profiteering from human suffering. If the weakest of life can be so easily terminated, if life means so little, what reason would Pelton have to feel shame for his inaction?

The late Francis Schaeffer wrote:

“If man is not made in the image of God, nothing then stands in the way of inhumanity. There is no good reason why mankind should be perceived as special. Human life is cheapened. We can see this in many of the major issues being debated in our society today: abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, the increase of child abuse and violence of all kinds, pornography (and its particular kinds of violence as evidenced in sadomasochism), the routine torture of political prisoners in many parts of the world, the crime explosion, and the random violence which surrounds us.”

(Francis A. Schaeffer, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview, vol. 5 (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1982), 290.)

As our culture descends to the the level of the animal, it will become clear that the Christian worldview, along with its value of man as created in the image of God, is the only way to stop the barbarism that is now the norm.

17 June, 2015

On Giving Up in the Culture Wars: Nope.

The term “culture wars” is an embarrassment to the pietists in the Evangelical camp (a very large number). As long as the numbers are up, please read your Bibles, pray, and above all, don’t call down shame upon sin, especially sin such as this:

James 2:14–26 (ESV)

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

There must be more than calling this sin–but calling this sinful and an abomination cannot be avoided.. Strong rescue and saving measures must be taken, illegally if need be. Laws must be promoted and passed. Politicians who support abortion must be singled out, be they fiscal conservative or liberal. The Christian view of life must again be imposed upon those who have thrown off the yoke of God’s Law, if this is the Father’s world. He has never abdicated His rule. Personal salvation is a promise, but not the only reason that God takes interest in His creation.

Denying the reality and necessity of a “culture war” (spiritual war, actually) is a naïveté beneath the thinking Christian.

Article about this photo here.