Pro-Lifers who kill and ignore the living July 28, 2007
Posted by Paul Edwards in Abortion, Dan Haseltine, Jars of Clay.trackback
Dan Haseltine is the lead singer for Jars of Clay. In January he posted the following on the Jars of Clay message board. I think its worth serious contemplation before your knee-jerk reaction:
“I do believe that there is a great amount of injustice surrounding the abortion issue. There are people on both sides of the argument that have made some tremendously hard and wrong choices in elevating their views on the issue. And the very basics of a child being killed is both unjust, and tragic.
IT is also a tragedy how Christians have sidelined almost every other issue, the majority have not even considered environmental issues, greater issues of poverty, and disease…. and perhaps the greatest epidemic, isolation.
I believe that part of our problem is that we have chosen issues that seem to require legislation to create a solution. But for the Christian church to hope and rely on this governmental fix is both ignorant and devastating to humanity at large.
Abortion is the symptom of greater problems… problems of isolation, greed, prosperity and in some cases, poverty… There are reasons people get abortions, the reasons are vast, but they are not undocumented. Beyond the emergency medical reasons, most of the other reasons stem from a person making decisions without the benefit of a community that commits to come along side of a person in raising a child or offering a different perspective on western entitlement.
We can see the “at-risk-groups” and because of the way this issue has drawn out the worst in Christians, those people who are considering an abortion would most likely NEVER talk to a christian to get real advice. This is tragic.
Rightly, abortion is something to be mourned, something to scream at God about. But it is not going away. It did not get fixed by a Republican Congress with a Republican President… obviously.
It gets dealt with on a person to person…relational level. IF we could deal with abortion more intimately, we would see that government is NOT going to truly make a difference in this situation, we are. We are the ones who lock arms with people contemplating abortion. Where are we? How have we built our community? Have we made room for people who are at risk of abortion?
And basically, I wish more people who fit the profile of “Pro-Life Megaphone” would share the same interest and passion for people who are already alive. For Things our government can intervene or respond appropriately …ie: genocidal scenarios in Uganda, Sudan…. Health care and poverty issues around our world. Education in our own country. and even…
Consumer issues that are creating Environmental issues that are causing our sea life to become extinct, and our ice caps to melt, and our fossil fuels to dry up. We don’t seem to make the connection that EVERYTHING we buy, eat, wear, drive effects the world we live. And we are killers each one of us. And we need to have a wider kingdom perspective…
This is my afternoon rant… Hope this offers a little more insight into that one sentence. Feel free to disagree and/or offer huge amounts of criticism. -D”
“It did not get fixed by a Republican Congress with a Republican President… obviously.”
This point hit home. Why is it we so often seek to transform the world through elected officials–most of whom are not radical followers of Christ? The church is to be the salt and light of the world and an example of what truly being pro LIFE is all about.
Good thoughts.
I came across a quote in the book “Total Church” today that seemed appropriate here:
Still today some Christians want to extend Christ’s kingdom through the sword. They may not advocate forcible baptisms. But they expect the state to defend the interests of the church or legislate Christian values or protect the Christian heritage of our nation. So-called evangelical groups campaign to defend Christian influence in state education or a distinctly Christian coronation oath [this is from the UK]. The cause of Christ, it is assumed, should be pursued through political means. This is the reflex of Christendom, the alliance of Christianity with earthly power. But, as the Great Commission makes clear, Christ’s kingdom is extended through the proclamation of the gospel. Christ’s people should expect to be persecuted by the world. OUr king does not reign from a throne, but from a cross.
As a Christian who had multiple abortions before bowing my knee to Christ I must concur with Mr Haseltine’s comments. I was a teenager in a non-Christian home and without any Godly influence. I often look back glad my sins are now under the blood of Christ and trusting in the sovereignty of God. But I also wonder how my choice might have been different if there had been someone I could have turned to or sought counsel from. I wonder if I would have made such a wretched choice?