How does a Christian determine what “pro-life” legislation He can support? Unfortunately today, much of the cleverly crafted “Pro-Life” legislation that is offered up in our state and federal legislatures is not really “Pro-Life,” nor is it based upon God’s Word. This is a fatal error!
Enjoy!
The Failure of Pro-Life Political Strategy to End Abortion
by Flip Benham January 16, 2014
What one perceives the battle to be will determine how he fights it. God is dividing the Pro-Life movement in America. This comes as no surprise to us Christians, because we know that Jesus always divides His friends (Luke 12:49-53) and unites his enemies (Herod and Pilate, Pharisees and Sadducees, all men) as He nears the cross. This division is manifesting itself most visibly between those pro-life folks who perceive abortion to be a political issue and therefore to be resolved incrementally by political machinations in Washington, D.C., and those who perceive abortion to be a Gospel issue to be resolved by God’s Church wielding the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) while storming the gates of hell and being a voice for voiceless children.
Political incrementalism is a lie birthed in the pit of hell that may stop some abortions but will never end abortion. It gives the appearance of progress, assuages our consciences, and is a good fund raiser, but it never deals with the sin of abortion. Sin cannot be redeemed or made better over time – it can only be repented of and forgiven by Christ.
Incrementalism has infected the thinking of the pro-life movement for the past 41 years. It has paralyzed the Church of Jesus Christ. It has moved us from standing upon the Word of God to end child killing, to relying on our own ability to make compromises with the enemy of God in order to stop abortion. I now introduce you to the world’s penultimate Incrementalist.
The Devil Works Incrementally
It is very telling that our enemy (the devil) never ceases his incremental push to bring sin into a human heart and into the heart of a nation. He always works incrementally – it is his way. Witness his first assault upon Eve in the garden in Genesis 3:1: “Did God really say…?” He begins the dialogue by bringing God’s Word into question. He does not outright challenge God’s veracity – he just casts doubt in her mind. It is his means to a far more diabolical end.
He then, incrementally pursues his plan by directly contradicting God’s Word, “You surely will not die…” Genesis 3:4. “Who does God think he is anyway,” asks the Old Deluder, “Who gives Him the right to determine who lives and who dies?” Finally, as he sees his prey listening, questioning, and doubting, he moves in for the kill. He calls the very character and motive of God into question, “For God knows that when you eat of it (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” God is withholding something wonderful from you. He doesn’t care about you and doesn’t want you to have it, but I am here to help you get it now.
This is the devil’s modus-operendi. It is called incrementalism. It works. He has led many hearts and many nations away from God with this calculated treachery. Witness the whole Creation vs. Evolution controversy in America. It gives us a perfect example of the devil’s incremental ways to overthrow Almighty God:
Charles Darwin and John T. Scopes
Charles Darwin wrote the “Origin of the Species” in 1859 – it was another lie birthed in the pit of hell. It cast doubt upon God’s Word, but most Christians at that time saw it for the lie that it really was. As time passed, however, many intellectuals found it a convenient tool to remove God and His Word from man and his origin. It was just a small beginning of the devil’s plan to dethrone Almighty God and enthrone himself – Incrementalism at its finest.
Sixty-eight years later, the infamous Scopes Trial was held in Dayton, Tennessee, in 1927. This very public and wildly publicized trial quite literally placed God on the stand with William Jennings Bryan to defend Him against the world, the flesh, the devil, Charles Darwin, Clarence Darrow, the Baltimore Sun, the liberal elite, and the panoply of God-haters in America. The media of the day found God irrelevant to man’s creation and purpose. Therefore Evolution and Creation were now to be taught side by side in our nation’s schools. Both were considered equally valid. It was a slow and incremental process but the devil was carefully working his insidious plan. He’s got the time, but he is on God’s leash.
It was never the devil’s intention that Evolution and Creation remain side by side in a pluralistic state. Pluralism is never an end state. It is simply that middle ground found between two conflicting worldviews that move us from one God and rule of law, to another. It wasn’t long before Evolution was considered the only truly scientific explanation of creation and therefore the only subject allowed to be taught in schools.
Creation was considered (pseudo-science) and that is where we find ourselves today. Incrementalism works!
Incrementalism is Not God’s Way
Incrementalism, however, is not God’s way! Some have posited that if incrementalism works for the devil, we ought to turn it back on him employing the same method. This is a deadly error because it causes us to compromise God’s Word. Witness the way we, in the pro-life movement, have attempted to overcome the lie of Roe v. Wade. Rather than fighting the battle with God’s Word, we have immersed ourselves in political strategy and legislation. Strategy has replaced Truth!
We have tried to overcome abortion by incrementally offering up compromising pieces of legislation: Parental Notification, Parental Consent, Twenty-four Hour Waiting Period, Partial Birth Abortion Ban, Fetal Pain Legislation, ad nauseam. These are certainly well intentioned pieces of legislation but each one of them violates God’s Word.
Strategy Has Replaced Truth
Political strategy has indeed replaced the truth of God’s Word. How so? Each of these cleverly crafted incremental legislative initiatives ends with a tiny unspoken caveat: “…and then you can kill the baby.” Surprised! You shouldn’t be. Who do you think inspired this kind of legislation?
If you notify the parents…then you can kill the baby. If you have the parent’s consent…then you can kill the baby. If you wait twenty-four hours…then you can kill the baby. If you anesthetize the baby…then you can kill the baby. If you draw a late term baby out of the mother’s womb feet first, you cannot kill him by sucking his brains out and then crushing his skull – you must rip his arms and legs off first…then you can kill the baby.
This is an abomination before Almighty God! Using the devil’s means to accomplish God’s ends is a fatal error. Neither will this political strategy ever bring and end to abortion. God will not bless it. Oh, incremental legislation may stop some abortions, but it will never end ABORTION! The devil would be happy to sign on to any one, or all of these well-intentioned yet ridiculous pieces of legislation. Of course, he is the author of them all.
The lie of incrementalism is that we become as God trying to negotiate with the enemy the terms of peace. This is not our job. The terms of peace have already been negotiated at the cross. The victory has been won through Christ. Jesus has made a public spectacle of the devil’s defeat. Our sworn duty is to represent our risen Lord’s commands to an already defeated foe. There is no need for negotiation. We win when we stand uncompromisingly on God’s Word. It is the only offensive weapon we have been issued, and the only one we need.
Working toward justice, no matter how well intentioned, is not being just. To be just one must wield the sharp double edged Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God, and let the chips fall where they may.
Dredd Scott and the 3/5’s Law
During slavery in the antebellum South, many did not believe slaves to be “persons” – same lie as abortion, just a different colored glove covering the same fist. As a matter of fact, the Dredd Scott Decision in 1857 legally rendered our black brothers and sisters the “property” of their slave masters. The problem was that property couldn’t vote. This did not bode well in the South, so the Southern states came up with legislation that made slaves 3/5’s of a “person.”
Seems like progress doesn’t it? Instead of being mere “property” the slave was now considered 3/5’s of a “person.” Of course this wasn’t the truth, but it was progress right? Wrong! Why? Because political strategy had replaced the TRUTH of the Gospel of Christ! Our black brothers and sisters weren’t 3/5’s of a person; they were 5/5’s of a person created in the very image of God. This truth divided our nation while the political parties grappled with strategy, compromise, and pragmatism in Washington, D.C. God, however, was going to deal with the sin of slavery. 650 thousand men died in a bloody Civil War. Truth finally prevailed! But at what cost?
We need to deal with the sin of abortion – not attempt to regulate it with the hope of one day ending it! We become the devil’s joke when we incrementally try to outsmart him by our own political machinations. He knows it prevents us from standing upon God’s Word—the only weapon he cannot withstand. The Truth of God’s Word will always put an end to the lie! The one offensive weapon we have to tear down the strongholds of the devil is the Word of God. It is the very weapon that Jesus used during His temptation and it behooves us to do the same.
God’s Way – Unsheathing the Sword of the Spirit
God’s way is for us to stand upon His Word. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, We must never attempt to incrementally work toward justice by attempting to regulate evil. We are simply commanded by God to act justly: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8.
This is called storming the gates of hell. They cannot prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ! They will, however, forever prevail against the President, the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Republican Party, Conservatism, and any other pretend salt one would care to offer up.
Abortion will come to an end in America when the Church of Jesus Christ makes up her mind it will come to an end – and not one second sooner! It is only then that the laws of our land will begin to reflect that victory – not vice-versa.
We must never be duped into the incremental and pragmatic lie that our goal should be achieving only as much good as evil will allow. We must stand on the perfect Word of God and God’s perfect standard of justice – Jesus!
What Kind of Legislation Can a Christian Support?
There are some pieces of legislation that we can support without compromising God’s word. The first such bill was HB1 (now known as Personhood), introduced into the Georgia State house in 2007. It certainly encapsulated the principles of Scripture. It was truly an all out declaration that human life begins at conception and therefore is due protection under the color of Law. This was the beginning of something very significant – Personhood. We are presently seeing move from the foolishness of the “incremental approach” to an all out stand on God’s Word.
There was no stain of compromise in HB1. The Bill simply expands on our motto: “Pro-life Without apology; Without exception; Without compromise!” There are no escape clauses, no exceptions, no caveats that allow the killing of a child in the bill.
What criteria can one use to judge the plethora of “pro-life” legislative initiatives being introduced in Congress today? The most certain measure is, “does this compromise God’s word?” Another, does this legislation contain within it the unwritten caveat, “… then you can kill the baby?”
Now, judge righteously!
Keep storming the gates of hell in Jesus magnificent Name!
