16:18 Podcast – #7 Across the Aisle: Abortion

With the debate on abortion dividing the country in half, how do Christians effectively evangelize with people “Across the Aisle?”

Introduction

According to most sociologists, there are six different generations living in America ranging from those born at the turn of the 20th century to the present day.1 Out of those 6 generations, 2 of them, namely, Millennials and Generation Z, have never known an America without Roe v. Wade. That could change very soon. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a Texas ban on abortion with a 7-2 decision.2 2 generations later, it’s another Texas ban on abortion that gives new hope to protecting new life.3

In today’s episode, we will be looking at the tragedy of abortion through the lens of evangelism. How can Christians effectively reach the lost souls who advocate for the murder of the unborn? What issues or arguments might a Christian face when having these discussions? In light of the two cases coming before the supreme court, the Texas bill and the Dobb’s case from Missouri, there has not been a better time, in recent past, for Christians to speak out boldly against abortion and defend the unborn.

Pro-choice v. Pro-life debate

What should you expect?

So, what might a Christian face when having discussions on abortion? What are the arguments that we may come up against when talking with people on the issue? Well, as I said most people will have an opinion on the matter and, most of the time we can anticipate their response. Furthermore, there are people who dedicate their lives to speaking apologetically on abortion and we can learn from them how we ought to prepare and I will present different strategies from other, more experienced people, as well. However, before I go into the ways in which we can defend the un-born, it’s important for us to understand how each side of the argument wishes to view the issue.

Pro-choice argument

For the pro-choice advocates, the goal is to focus on the mother. In the victim-culture of today, the focus turns to the one who is forced against their will to do something, experience something, or is withheld something which will irreparably harm their future. The pro-choice advocates claim when Roe v. Wade was originally heard was that in order for women and men to be equal, a man and woman must be as equally unable to be pregnant and abortion is the way to solve that problem. Of course, for those of us with a Christian worldview, we understand that this sort of faulty logic is in direct contrast to the creation order and, for anyone who understands basic biology, we understand that a man and woman will never be equal is this matter!

You can make the claim that, perhaps, a woman can have an operation that stops her from ovulating or conceiving, but the fact remains that there is a natural, biological process in place in women so that they may become pregnant that does not and never will take place in men. It is important for us to understand where the pro-choice advocates want the focus to be: on the mother. If the mother is forced to be pregnant and give birth, then she won’t be able to continue in her career, or she won’t be able to continue with her current lifestyle, or she will have to downgrade her living conditions as she will now have to provide for a child, or maybe she was not ready to have a child and doesn’t want to take on that responsibility, and these are just a few responses.

Pro-life argument

You might be surprised to hear that a liberal college such as Princeton has an article titled “When Do Human Beings Begin,” where they assert that the human being begins at fertilization and the destruction of that zygote is the destruction of human life.4 This, of course, is completely true and any honest scientist would have to agree. This is where Christians must speak up and defend the life of the unborn human being. We know that life begins in the womb, at fertilization, not just because science confirms it, but because the Word of God declares it. Psalm 139, for example, says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb… My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.”

So, what can pro-life advocates do to turn the discussion? Well, like I said, it is important for us to focus on the unborn life. We can bring up these scientific articles about life beginning at conception and we can look to apologists such as Stephen Schwarz for effective tools. Shwarz developed an acronym, S.L.E.D., that helps us point to the fact that the we should not discriminate against the unborn child simply because of its size, level of development, environment, or degree of dependency.5 Furthermore, Alan Shlemon from the organization Stand to Reason writes, “Although it’s true the unborn differs from a born human in these four ways [size, level of development, environment, and degree of dependency], none of them is a relevant difference. None of them justifies killing the unborn.”6

Conclusion and Application

Now, I know that I have not given you a silver bullet which you should debate this topic, but it is important to understand the clash of worldviews here. The pro-choice advocates will seek to put the mother in focus, regardless of the unborn child and it is the responsibility of the pro-life advocates to turn that focus back on the baby. I understand that it is not a simple issue. I understand that it has been dividing America for the past 50 years, but what each of us must understand completely is that any abortion for any reason is the purposeful killing of a human being. Wherever you go, whoever you may talk to about this issue, do not be afraid.

Psalm 31:9 says, “Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” It is our responsibility to do so, but also to do so in a spirit of love.

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