How Would Jesus Have us Vote: Abortion

In the last post I suggested that being involved in the political process is not only modeled for us in scripture, but it also considered the responsibility of every Christian. While not all of us can hold public office, we can at least vote.

In considering how a Christian should vote according to the Christian worldview then, we have some important matters to consider. In this post we will attempt to tackle the issue of abortion.

In a recent interview with mega-church pastor and best-selling author, Rick Warren, John McCain and Barak Obama were given this question: “When does life begin?” Obama said in so many words with a circuitous 3-minute answer that he didn’t know, and then stated matter-of-factly that he was pro-choice on the matter of abortion. John McCain’s answer was five simple words: Life begins “at the moment of conception.” Both men claim to be Christians.

Can someone have a Biblical worldview and believe anything but the fact that life begins at conception? Even science demonstrates the truth of it. At the moment of conception, that single human cell contains all the genetic information needed to determine the color of the child’s eyes and hair, its gender, and even its temperament.

Life begins "at the moment

of conception." -McCain
From a theological standpoint, it’s likewise unmistakable that the life of every human being was conceived in the mind of God before anyone took a single breath, and at the moment that the sperm meets the egg, life bursts forth. God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). God even once slew a man named Onan for refusing to impregnate his wife (see Genesis 38:7-10). If God is this serious about life being created in the first place, how must He regard the child that has already sprung to life in the womb?

In no uncertain terms God’s command is that man shall not slay man (Exodus 20:13). His edict was that if anyone killed another human being, that person was to be put to death. God is ferociously protective of human life, even of those who have lived lives of sin. How much more protective must He be toward those who have never even seen the light of day?!

So then, how should this effect our voting? Proverbs 24:11 gives us insight.

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not He Who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He Who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?

"Im not qualified to say when

life begins...I am pro choice."

-Obama

God expects us to come to the rescue of those who cannot speak for themselves and who are unjustly treated. What persons fit this description better than a little child still tucked away in its mother’s womb? What a horrific holocaust – 40 million babies gruesomely extracted from their mother’s wombs and thrown in garbage cans like yesterday’s trash! There will be literal hell to pay for many in eternity for these crimes.

But what about you and me? Do we bear any responsibility? Proverbs 24:11 says we surely do! When we vote for people who empower this barbaric act, we give our stamp of approval for it to continue to be carried out. Like young Saul who held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen, we sit by and watch with approval as thousands more babies are dismembered and chemically burned for the sake of the convenience of their parents and grandparents. When we don’t raise a voice in protest, and when we vote for people who support a mother’s right to murder her own child, we are guilty by association, and He Who weighs the heart perceives it, and He will repay each person according to what he has done.

So one must educate himself/herself regarding the platform of each political party. Included in the platform of two political parties – Democrat and Libertarian – is the preservation of a women’s right to choose to terminate her pregnancy for any reason.

Is this picture too graphic for

you? Suck it up and face what

you are voting for! Abortion

is murder!

“We oppose government actions that either compel or prohibit abortion, sterilization or any other form of birth control.” -From the website of the Libertarian Party, http://www.lp.org/issues/platform_all.shtml#reprodright

“Clearly, anti-choice legislators and Governors around the country are aggressively pursuing an agenda to outlaw almost all abortions, if not all, making it imperative for pro-choice women and men to combat these measures by assisting pro-choice advocates in states battling these detrimental bills.” -From the Democratic Party website, http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/03/the_abortion_ba.php

While the two aforementioned Parties have some noble causes, the noble is outweighed by the absolute evil being promoted in the name of freedom of choice.

The Republican Party, on the other hand, has a much different view.

"The unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. Our purpose is to have legislative and judicial protection of that right against those who perform abortions. We oppose using public revenues for abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life. Our goal is to ensure that women with problem pregnancies have the kind of support, material and otherwise, they need for themselves and for their babies, not to be punitive towards those for whose difficult situation we have only compassion. We oppose abortion, but our pro-life agenda does not include punitive action against women who have an abortion. We salute those who provide alternatives to abortion and offer adoption services.” Source: 1996 Republican National Platform

It should thus be abundantly clear which Party one should vote for if one is concerned about voting according to a Biblical worldview and if one has any sense of responsibility at all where injustice is concerned. Even voting for a Democrat or Libertarian who is supposedly Pro-Life is still voting for abortion, because voting for a Democrat or Libertarian is voting for their Party, and voting for their Party is supporting their agenda.

A nation cannot long endure that kills its own children.

Should Christians Be Involved in the Political Process?

In many past elections important to Christian and family values, scores of Christians have sat home and resigned from participating in the privilege to vote. Many have argued that Christians should keep our focus on things above, not things here below, a reference to Colossians 3:2. And so some have concluded that voting or being involved in politics in any capacity is a waste of time for Christians and a deviation from God’s directive. However, the implication of Colossians 3:2 is that “since we have been raised with Christ” (v.1), our “affections” (v.2) should now be different than our previous preoccupations and those of the world. In other words, our ambitions, passions, and desires should reflect those of Christ and differ sharply from those outside the faith and from our own pre-Christian way of life. In no way is this verse meant to be a prohibition against being involved in the political process. In fact, it seems apparent from scripture that we as people of God can play a very integral part in redirecting the course of a nation.

A case in point would be that of Joseph. While Joseph did not seek a career in politics, he was appointed to one through God’s sovereignty. And it was his wisdom that kept the country and surrounding regions afloat during a time of severe widespread famine, and it was Joseph’s influence and place of prominence that provided a safe haven in Egypt for Israel and his descendants when Egypt would have been hostile or at the very least indifferent toward them otherwise. It was the political process through which God gave His people a place to flourish and multiply into a nation of their own.

Another example would be that of Queen Esther. God chose a humble Hebrew girl living in exile in a pagan nation to bring liberation to all the Jews living in that region. It was through her influence that policies were changed.

God has often chosen to work through whatever means available to glorify Himself and bless His people, and often the available means are the politics of a country, and it takes willing vessels to work in and through the political process.

So yes, Christians can and should use whatever means available to shape the culture in which they live. This does not mean, however, that one should picket abortion clinics and hurl hateful remarks at those going in. All we do must be motivated by the love of Christ. So in using whatever means available to shape our culture, we must realize the impact we can have for Christ through personal relationships, acts of service, good works, humanitarian efforts, and working toward social reform, which will often incorporate the mediums of media (articles, blogs, internet, TV, etc) and politics.

I hate to think where our country would be if the Founding Fathers had not been God-fearing men who used the principles of scripture to forge and guide our nation. I likewise shudder to imagine the kind of society America and Great Britain would be were it not for the efforts of one man – Wilbur Wilberforce – who almost single-handedly influenced his colleagues in Parliament to do away with slave trading; an historic decision that ultimately had influence in America as well, and resonates throughout the ages. And this effort in the States was aided by people interested in social reform who did not just sit around hoping things would get better, but did things like create “underground” newspapers that helped to promote their cause. Slavery was abolished due in part to the efforts of activists who got involved socially and politically, and the present-day abolishment of abortion and pornography and the like will be no different.

A couple of inspiring and moving films that demonstrate the importance of Christians getting involved in the political process that I highly recommend is Steven Spielberg’s, Amistad, and last year’s film, Amazing Grace, which dramatizes William Wilberforce’s efforts to win the battle against slave trading in Great Britain.

In the next several posts, I will be examining the sticky issue of HOW Christians should vote according to a Biblical worldview. Stay tuned.