Abortion and the Silence that Deafens
C.S. Lewis in his book Surprised by Joy referred to an attitude he called "Chronological Snobbery" where current generations look back to past ideas with a kind of haughty attitude of superiority. This haughty attitude assumes that we could never have made the same mistakes. It assumes that the intellectual climate of modern people has ascended out of past illusions.1 It's often true that the very thing a society looks down their nose at people of the past can be hypocritically seen in their own day. Our society as a whole stands back aghast at the atrocities of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, and this is right and good. Our society looks down our proverbial noses at those of the past and wonders with amazement, "How could this have happened? How could you have stood by and done nothing?"
As Christians, we live in a day that calls for sober-minded awareness (1 Peter 5:8-9), and the church is meant to stand for truth and prophetically herald the "good news" of our Savior's life, death, burial, and resurrection for sinners. She is meant to stand prophetically against wrong as she prophetically proclaims Christ (Revelation 19:10). I was recently pointed to an article from the New York Times about an Abortion clinic in our area. (I know that not everyone will read this article from the New York Times because of the pay wall, but the article is linked below.)
New York Times Article – A Blessing of Abortion
"A Baptist minister, a Presbyterian pastor and a Jewish cantor held burning incense as they walked quietly through the empty, white-walled clinic. They blessed the exam tables and their stirrups, the boxes of disposable gowns and the cushioned chairs in the recovery room, where women are moved after their abortions." – A Blessing of Abortion
It's hard to write an oxymoronic title like, "A Blessing of Abortion." The height of human hypocrisy coddles what God condemns. The height of human hypocrisy blesses that which is evil. It calls evil that which is good.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:27-28)
A white-washed tomb looks clean on the outside yet inwardly filled with bones. On the outside they're clean and by all appearances look “good” for all to see. But inwardly they are gross. Inwardly they are dead. The illustration is powerful and prophetic to those walking the "white-walled clinic." White-washed tombs "blessing" white-washed walls of death. What greater condemnation exists for people who "bless" what God hates? What does a society look like under judgment? We’re witnessing it. We’re seeing a generation that would prefer the millstone hung around their neck than to speak for the unborn.
"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:5-6)
What greater stumbling block could exist than taking the life of a baby? What greater atrocity than destroying what God loves? This article goes far beyond abortion. It actually "blesses" it. This New York Times article should be a stench to the Christian. It should reek in the nostrils of those who wish to honor Christ. Yet in the article they go beyond affirming to try and "bless" it. As God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel,
"When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood." (Isaiah 1:15)
May God have mercy on the society that puts up with gross immorality in His name.
As Christians, we live in a day that calls for sober-minded awareness (1 Peter 5:8-9), and the church is meant to stand for truth and prophetically herald the "good news" of our Savior's life, death, burial, and resurrection for sinners. She is meant to stand prophetically against wrong as she prophetically proclaims Christ (Revelation 19:10). I was recently pointed to an article from the New York Times about an Abortion clinic in our area. (I know that not everyone will read this article from the New York Times because of the pay wall, but the article is linked below.)
New York Times Article – A Blessing of Abortion
"A Baptist minister, a Presbyterian pastor and a Jewish cantor held burning incense as they walked quietly through the empty, white-walled clinic. They blessed the exam tables and their stirrups, the boxes of disposable gowns and the cushioned chairs in the recovery room, where women are moved after their abortions." – A Blessing of Abortion
It's hard to write an oxymoronic title like, "A Blessing of Abortion." The height of human hypocrisy coddles what God condemns. The height of human hypocrisy blesses that which is evil. It calls evil that which is good.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:27-28)
A white-washed tomb looks clean on the outside yet inwardly filled with bones. On the outside they're clean and by all appearances look “good” for all to see. But inwardly they are gross. Inwardly they are dead. The illustration is powerful and prophetic to those walking the "white-walled clinic." White-washed tombs "blessing" white-washed walls of death. What greater condemnation exists for people who "bless" what God hates? What does a society look like under judgment? We’re witnessing it. We’re seeing a generation that would prefer the millstone hung around their neck than to speak for the unborn.
"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:5-6)
What greater stumbling block could exist than taking the life of a baby? What greater atrocity than destroying what God loves? This article goes far beyond abortion. It actually "blesses" it. This New York Times article should be a stench to the Christian. It should reek in the nostrils of those who wish to honor Christ. Yet in the article they go beyond affirming to try and "bless" it. As God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel,
"When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood." (Isaiah 1:15)
May God have mercy on the society that puts up with gross immorality in His name.
Silence that Speaks Louder than Words
Christians are meant to proclaim the truth of the gospel prophetically against sin and unrighteousness. God is not pleased with the silence of his people when there is clear sin. I am not saying that every Christian needs to speak out in the same way about this issue. But there is a kind of silence that reflects an inward approval. There is a silence that refuses to speak because of fear of what people think of us. It says, "What happens if they think I'm a bigot? What happens if they think I'm a fundamentalist?" These kinds of accusations are used to keep Christians silent. Andrew Walker has helpfully observed something about our Western culture that we would do well to pay attention to, "Our culture tolerates a Christian faith that aligns with its values but resists a Christian faith that challenges it. Christianity, at its core, is meant to do both—comfort and confront. If your Christianity is getting celebrated in the highest echelons of culture, maybe that's a sign that something is a bit off."2
There is a kind of silence that a Christian must turn from and by faith learn to speak. It will not only be those who participate in abortion who will be judged but those who silently stand by and give approval.
“Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32).
It's not just the practice of evil, but approving those who do that will also be condemned. Abortion is sacrificing children on the altar of convenience in a world of self-worship. I pray for the day that I can drive into Maryland and stop explaining to my son why people want to kill their babies. A friend of mine always recounts a story that Erwin Lutzer cites in his book and I will quote it at length. Lutzer describes how some Christians in Nazi Germany handled the knowledge that the holocaust was happening. They handled it by essentially plugging their ears by "singing louder" to drown out the noise of knowing what was happening. Notice what he says...
"I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. We heard stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because what could anyone do to stop it?
A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars!
Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us.
We knew the time the train was coming, and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more.
Years have passed, and no one talks about it anymore. But I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. God forgive me; forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians yet did nothing to intervene."3
Some Christian's during this time had the solution, "Sing louder, so we cannot hear what we know is happening." May it never be said of genuine Christians that we have stood by and silently gave our approval of a great evil. Let us never take the posture of "Sing louder" so that we try to drown out the realities we know are happening all around us.
There is a kind of silence that a Christian must turn from and by faith learn to speak. It will not only be those who participate in abortion who will be judged but those who silently stand by and give approval.
“Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32).
It's not just the practice of evil, but approving those who do that will also be condemned. Abortion is sacrificing children on the altar of convenience in a world of self-worship. I pray for the day that I can drive into Maryland and stop explaining to my son why people want to kill their babies. A friend of mine always recounts a story that Erwin Lutzer cites in his book and I will quote it at length. Lutzer describes how some Christians in Nazi Germany handled the knowledge that the holocaust was happening. They handled it by essentially plugging their ears by "singing louder" to drown out the noise of knowing what was happening. Notice what he says...
"I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. We heard stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because what could anyone do to stop it?
A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars!
Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us.
We knew the time the train was coming, and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more.
Years have passed, and no one talks about it anymore. But I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. God forgive me; forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians yet did nothing to intervene."3
Some Christian's during this time had the solution, "Sing louder, so we cannot hear what we know is happening." May it never be said of genuine Christians that we have stood by and silently gave our approval of a great evil. Let us never take the posture of "Sing louder" so that we try to drown out the realities we know are happening all around us.
The Kindness of God that Leads to Repentance
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Unrighteousness will not dwell in the kingdom of God. The kind of unrighteousness we see displayed all around us, but especially the unrighteousness that is found in the heart of man will not enter the kingdom of God. No matter how many false prophets come to "bless" something that God defines as evil. So what hope do we have? The only hope that anyone has is the mercy of God our Savior. God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). It's His mercy, and kindness to the helpless, shown in a crucified Savior that takes the place of sinners that we see His kindness. It's Jesus' mercy in drinking down the wrath of God on sin. It's this kindness and mercy that is meant to lead the sinner to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The way a person responds to the kindness of God reveals their heart posture.
"And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11)
Paul says that all people, Christian and non-Christian, were at one time slaves to the sin that prevented us from coming into the kingdom of God. But it was the loving kindness of God our Savior that "washed" the sinner. The loving-kindness of God regenerates the sinner from death to life (Ephesians 2:1-6). The loving-kindness of God sets the believer apart from sin and unto Himself. The loving-kindness of God that declares the sinner righteous in Jesus Christ. Even the most vile of sinners can be made truly righteous. But don't be deceived, it is NOT through the veiled religiosity of white-washed tombs. Don't be deceived, it will not come from the secular priests seeking to cover the gross immorality of the death of children. It is only through the blood of Jesus that sinners are made truly clean.
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8)
"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. 'Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.'" (Isaiah 1:16-18)
It's only through faith in this crucified and risen Savior that the sinner is made right before a Holy God.
Unrighteousness will not dwell in the kingdom of God. The kind of unrighteousness we see displayed all around us, but especially the unrighteousness that is found in the heart of man will not enter the kingdom of God. No matter how many false prophets come to "bless" something that God defines as evil. So what hope do we have? The only hope that anyone has is the mercy of God our Savior. God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). It's His mercy, and kindness to the helpless, shown in a crucified Savior that takes the place of sinners that we see His kindness. It's Jesus' mercy in drinking down the wrath of God on sin. It's this kindness and mercy that is meant to lead the sinner to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The way a person responds to the kindness of God reveals their heart posture.
"And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11)
Paul says that all people, Christian and non-Christian, were at one time slaves to the sin that prevented us from coming into the kingdom of God. But it was the loving kindness of God our Savior that "washed" the sinner. The loving-kindness of God regenerates the sinner from death to life (Ephesians 2:1-6). The loving-kindness of God sets the believer apart from sin and unto Himself. The loving-kindness of God that declares the sinner righteous in Jesus Christ. Even the most vile of sinners can be made truly righteous. But don't be deceived, it is NOT through the veiled religiosity of white-washed tombs. Don't be deceived, it will not come from the secular priests seeking to cover the gross immorality of the death of children. It is only through the blood of Jesus that sinners are made truly clean.
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8)
"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. 'Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.'" (Isaiah 1:16-18)
It's only through faith in this crucified and risen Savior that the sinner is made right before a Holy God.
Response – Now what?
What should we do in light of all this? I would contend that there are several action steps for a Christian to take.
Turn and Trust – We need to first examine our lives and see if this form of sinful silence exists within us. Then we need to turn from it (repentance) and cling to Christ. Part of this clinging to Christ must relinquish the things we view as "socially acceptable" to talk about. If you're a Christian, your life is Christ's. He is your Master and Head, so we don't have the prerogative to determine what is acceptable to talk about, He does (Matthew 10:34-39). To find your life is to lose it. But to lose your life for Jesus’ sake is to find it. This beautiful paradox is the Christian life. As we die to sin and live to Christ, we find life. Remembering Jesus and Him crucified for sinners is the path forward in this issue.
Pray – I cannot emphasize this enough. Pray for these things yourself. Encourage your church leaders to pray. Pray for those who delight in taking the life of the unborn. Pray for the Lord to bring conviction of the Holy Spirit upon them. Pray that the body of Christ (local churches) would care for those involved in the lives of the unborn. Pray that the church would care deeply about this issue and reflect the heart of her Savior. Pray that the Lord will providentially stop this great injustice.
Support – Consider how to support the pro-life cause of protecting the unborn. You could do this in a myriad of ways (i.e. supporting a pregnancy resource center, serving within your local church to help young mothers...). There is NOT one solution, but many for speaking for the life of the unborn. I want to suggest a more governing form of support which may initially sound counter-intuitive. You ought to first ask, "Does my local church reflect the heart of Christ in this way?" You may think, "Of course my local church does!" But I would contend that the silence of many local churches on this topic proves that many churches do not support the life of the unborn. Please do not just leave your local church if you think they do not support it. But consider talking with your pastors about how your church is speaking in the face of deafening silence. Hear me again: do not assume or merely become a critique, but you may be surprised that your local church does not share the heart of Christ in this area for the life of the unborn. You may be surprised that your local church is not even aware of this issue in your community.
Turn and Trust – We need to first examine our lives and see if this form of sinful silence exists within us. Then we need to turn from it (repentance) and cling to Christ. Part of this clinging to Christ must relinquish the things we view as "socially acceptable" to talk about. If you're a Christian, your life is Christ's. He is your Master and Head, so we don't have the prerogative to determine what is acceptable to talk about, He does (Matthew 10:34-39). To find your life is to lose it. But to lose your life for Jesus’ sake is to find it. This beautiful paradox is the Christian life. As we die to sin and live to Christ, we find life. Remembering Jesus and Him crucified for sinners is the path forward in this issue.
Pray – I cannot emphasize this enough. Pray for these things yourself. Encourage your church leaders to pray. Pray for those who delight in taking the life of the unborn. Pray for the Lord to bring conviction of the Holy Spirit upon them. Pray that the body of Christ (local churches) would care for those involved in the lives of the unborn. Pray that the church would care deeply about this issue and reflect the heart of her Savior. Pray that the Lord will providentially stop this great injustice.
Support – Consider how to support the pro-life cause of protecting the unborn. You could do this in a myriad of ways (i.e. supporting a pregnancy resource center, serving within your local church to help young mothers...). There is NOT one solution, but many for speaking for the life of the unborn. I want to suggest a more governing form of support which may initially sound counter-intuitive. You ought to first ask, "Does my local church reflect the heart of Christ in this way?" You may think, "Of course my local church does!" But I would contend that the silence of many local churches on this topic proves that many churches do not support the life of the unborn. Please do not just leave your local church if you think they do not support it. But consider talking with your pastors about how your church is speaking in the face of deafening silence. Hear me again: do not assume or merely become a critique, but you may be surprised that your local church does not share the heart of Christ in this area for the life of the unborn. You may be surprised that your local church is not even aware of this issue in your community.
1. Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis (page 156), "the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that account discredited...one passes to the realization that our own age is also ‘a period’, and certainly has, like all periods, its own characteristic illusions."
2. Andrew Walker comments on the recent passing of President Jimmy Carter where he helpfully observed this reality.
3. When a Nation Forgot God by Erwin Lutzer
2. Andrew Walker comments on the recent passing of President Jimmy Carter where he helpfully observed this reality.
3. When a Nation Forgot God by Erwin Lutzer
Daniel is a pastor at Gospel Life Baptist Church. He and is wife Lynette live in Keyser WV with their son and two daughters.
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