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A few years ago, Tamil pastors who lived in Malaysia asked me why the United States had legalized abortion. I told them to pray for us. We had turned away from God, I said.
They were surprised, in a Tamil kind of way.
A little back story. The United States is loved, disliked, admired, and hated in countries abroad. Concerning the Church—I’m addressing the evangelical church here, since I have no experience with any other as a missionary—we have a mixed record as well. Nevertheless, Christians abroad have been hugely impacted by what we call “success” in our American church culture. Please understand the undeniable power of money in the world. It impresses. It is desirable. It oozes confidence. We American Christians have lots of it. We may not consider ourselves wealthy, but in underdeveloped nations, just the fact that we come from the United States indicates that we are. That’s just the way it is. We cannot change that perception. Thus, we are the I-want-to-be-like-that to most Christians, leaders, and lay folk in underdeveloped countries.
I bring this up because those Tamil pastors indicated a degree of bewilderment over the fact that a country, which they consider a successful (which in many Christians’ minds, indicates being blessed by God) country (it is not), could possibly countenance the murder of millions of children.
My wife and I have ministered several years abroad but have lived most of our lives in the United States. I greatly appreciate what this nation has stood for in the history of the world. I admire this country for the thousands of citizens who have bled, fought, and laid down their lives for freedom and the lives of their countrymen. However, I am ashamed of the way too many Americans have treated Native Americans, minorities—and killed sixty million children.
According to The National Right to Life Committee, over sixty million babies have been aborted since 1973, when abortion was legalized. Thankfully, the numbers have decreased in the last two years to under a million annually. But even with those reduced numbers, 2,538 children are slaughtered every day in this country. 106 per hour. Almost two every minute. So, while you have been reading this article—yes. Dead, helpless, innocent children.
So, a question. How does the Lord God Almighty view this nation? A couple of days ago, I was struck by these verses:
The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on the all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the heart of them all and observes all their deeds (Psalm 33:13–15). 1
And I can’t help wondering if we have or will fall under this condemnation from Jesus:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you (Matthew 11:21–24).
Western cultures are the most Christianized nations on earth. The Bible is freely available. Churches abound. Everyone knows something about Jesus. We have not repented. We stand on the shoulders of centuries of Christian truth which has enabled the freedoms we hold so dearly. We kill children, like the worshippers of Molech (2 Kings 23:10). We have no excuse. No excuse whatsoever.
1All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
What George Tiller did to unborn babies was heinous and, in a just world with a just government, worthy of punishment under law. What the mothers of those babies suffered afterwards is also unspeakably tragic. However, it is never right to take the law into one’s own hands and wreak vengeance outside the existing laws of government. Murder is condemned in Scripture, and Scott Roeder’s act must be condemned.
I don’t know if Roeder claims to be a Christian or not, or if he is just a fanatical anti-abortionist. In cases where the existing law is immoral, as is the case with abortion in this nation, a Christian’s view is to do what one can, legally, to help change such laws. When that is not possible, Christians are to take an eternal perspective. There will be justice someday. If not on earth, then in heaven.
Yay! Here’s some really good news for babies! And moms.
From the most recent Gallup poll: More Americans “Pro-Life” Than “Pro-Choice” for First Time
Here’s the link:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/118399/More-Americans-Pro-Life-Than-Pro-Choice-First-Time.aspx
A couple of days ago, I posted an article expressing my sadness about the recent changes in the United States in regard to the funding of international abortion clinics and the change at the FDA in its policy about research on human embryos.
I rarely post about issues like this, because they tend to take the focus off of what is most important in life: a relationship with a living God. However, these recent changes have indeed saddened me, and more than saddened me—I see them as an ominous degradation of our culture. It’s not surprising that several have disagreed.
In light of the fact that our government is now financially supporting international abortion clinics, this video is interesting.
Our new president has signed some executive orders in these first days after his inauguration. Here is, from my point of view, the very saddest for our nation: President Obama has reversed our abortion-funding policy for international family planning clinics. One of the reasons?
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