Christianity,  Politics

Roe v. Wade Must Be Destroyed

Amen to James Kushiner‘s recent post on the Touchstone blog. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Read below.

I’ve been watching this phenomenon now for several years: Christians reassessing their engagement with politics and their views of candidates and the parties, nuancing their pro-life and pro-family views so that their no longer “just” about abortion and “gay marriage.” Similiar nuancing seems to be at play when it comes to some basic Christian doctrines. . .

It is ironic that the Evangelical movement–started in the late 40s, with which I identified through the 1960s and early 70s–was in part started to separate itself from Fundamentalism, and it now is so far removed from much of what passed for Fundamentalism back then that, truthfully, many of the positions taken by Evangelicals in the 50s now pass for 21st-century Fundamentalism, and thus you see a clear doctrinal drift taking place at leading Evangelical institutions–if you examine and compare 1960 with 2008. Of course, my colleague Steven M. Hutchens has written at length and depth about this. If what gives you your identity is “not being confused with Fundamentalism,” and Fundamentalism is defined as whatever society calls Fundamentalism, your identity will drift in order to keep up with the latest sensitivities. Witness the increasing openness to, first, premarital sex, divorce, even abortion, and now homosexuality activity in, first, the mainline, of course, but also in Evangelical places, where “dialogue” on such matters is a sign of the sophisticated and nuanced intellect.

But some things are not discussable, certainly among Christians. And who in the Christian academy would give me a serious hearing, offer their facilities, advertise the meeting, if I were to propose that we sit down and “dialogue” about slavery? The two-thousand-year Christian witness to the moral evil of abortion could not be clearer, but we should discuss it in the context of taxes, pollution, education, and, what else, the War in Iraq. That’s nuancing.

I wrote about this several years ago, and I am not budging an inch. Roe v. Wade was conceived by a lie and by liars (ask Norma McCorvey, plaintiff, she’ll tell you the truth), gestated in the womb of the court with more lies feeding it (such as the supposed lack of clarity in the Christian tradition on abortion or status) and by pleadings of ingnorance about early embryonic and fetal life, now shown by science to be human life, period, at every stage.

No nation can survive long with such a massive ill-conceived, wrong-in-every-way decision as Roe v. Wade lying like a tumor close to the heart of its precious constituional liberty, this in a republic whose very founding document proclaims a God-given “right to life.” Roe v. Wade, like Dred Scott, and slavery, is a contradicting of the constitution of the organism in which it thrives; it lives and thrives like a cancer lives and thrives, killing its host through thte assertion of its own preproatives; it is toxic, bleeding its poisons into nearly every surrounding issue of life and morality. Roe v. Wade, like Dred Scott, is an affront to human dignity. It is an affront to every Down Symdrome boy and girl. It is an affront to every handicapped loved one. It is an affront to every man who died to defend liberty, it is an affront to those who spilled their blood over slavery and to those who were enslaved and their descendants. Roe v. Wade must be destroyed.

If I sound like a Fundamentalist on this issue, that’s because I am. I stand with 2,000 years of Christian testimony on the matter, and urge moral abhorrence at the very thought of destroying the life in the womb. Christians–Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Evangelical, Fundamentalist–who think this matter can be nuanced to create a bridge between those who oppose any diminution of the power of Roe v. Wade and those who think it a cancerous lie are sadly mistaken.

(HT: Robbie Sagers)

7 Comments

  • Brian (Another)

    Good quote:

    If what gives you your identity is “not being confused with Fundamentalism,” and Fundamentalism is defined as whatever society calls Fundamentalism, your identity will drift in order to keep up with the latest sensitivities.

    OAN, should he use a prof reeder?

  • Nathan

    It’s somewhat surprising that there are so few comments on this post considering all the rants concerning political positions about a week ago.

    Kushiner’s point is accurate and given the presidential election the stakes could not be higher.

    Once again it comes down to this: Will a person who believes abortion to be murder support a candidate (Obama) whose party has in its platform a pro-abortion charter in order to gain the nomination.

    Will a person who believes abortion to be murder support any candidate from the same party (Democrat) given that the preponderance of evidence suggests they will vote pro-abortion in excess of 90% when legistlation is proposed.

    Two months before an election is not the time to begin to bang the drum for third party candidates. Local and state elections are the means to grow a third party. History has proven that a vote for Perot cost Bush and a vote for Nader cost Gore.

    The other reality is that we must pressure the Republicans in this next 2 year cycle to improve their performance or vote them out by supporting pro-life candidates in the primaries.

  • Truth Unites.. and Divides

    I’ll provide an edited comment from the original thread of Jim Kushiner’s post: Roe v. Wade Must Be Destroyed:

    I certainly don’t disagree with you. In fact I quite agree with you. However, there is a hefty price that will likely have to be paid in reversing Roe v. Wade. A large price in a number of areas.

    Here’s one. Are pro-life Christians willing to countenance and fight a long and protracted polemical and (quite likely) an uncivil war with other “Christians” in their respective Faith-Tradition? Are pro-life Protestants willing to fight against pro-abortion Protestants?

    That’s what it’s going to take. Some people like to trot out the little ditty: “You have to be wise in choosing your battles.” Is the abortion holocaust a battle worth fighting for? Are you willing to fight your liberal counterparts in your Faith-Tradition?

    Furthermore, what about the cost of showing a fractured witness to a mostly unbelieving society when they see disciples of Christ fighting amongst each other over the issue of abortion? Is this a price worth paying so that “Roe v. Wade must be destroyed”?

    It’s one thing to stipulate that Roe v. Wade must be destroyed. It’s another to actually have to fight liberal, pro-abortionist Christians within your Church.

  • Nathan

    I certainly agree with you that it will be a difficult battle inside the ropes. However, there are certain battles, in my opinion, that are hills worth dying on. Abortion is that issue, at least for me.

    I would say that the concept of a fractured witness is potentially not as virulent as you think. In fact, I would argue that if unbelievers quit seeing the disparity of opinions on issues of morality and begin to see polarizing lines being drawn there could actually be more unbelievers who will not be able to state that “christians” don’t live any different than they do.

    But, yes it will be a fight. And, I’m afraid it will even be a fight inside congregations who believed they were on one side, but will find a chasm if the church stands boldly for this issue.

  • Truth Unites.. and Divides

    “… there are certain battles, in my opinion, that are hills worth dying on. Abortion is that issue, at least for me.”

    Nice to see you up on the hill with me, Nathan.

    For His Glory Alone.

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