It seems I will just have to accept that I will be becoming more fringy over time. I believe that human life begins at conception because that is my ancestral history throughout the ages, without exception. With convenience and income becoming ever-more the goals of our globe's societies, I expect the leftward drift to continue on this issue, as it has with Trump. I feel that at some point most people will have to believe as I do on this issue, but it may be after some very dire consequences that come out of the disregard of human life. But these changes in thinking don't come quickly. Thanks for being a voice for the voiceless!
"I recently came across an article by a pastor, an evangelical apologetics guru no less, who implies he and his wife didn’t even undergo the so-called “ethical IVF” process where couples don’t discard their embryos. He writes with an apparently straight face that “an embryo is not synonymous with a child,” contrary to what a handful of sadly misguided “outliers” think, because embryos can die before implantation. It’s unclear by what magical process implantation is supposed to confer human childhood on the already developing human embryo, with its already unique human DNA."
It's really very simple. If you do it, it's a child. If I do it, it's a clump of cells.
Good, thoughtful essay. This conversation must begin and mature in the church and the home before it can effectively be taken into the community. It must include how we think about marriage and sexuality, all topics that have largely been abandoned by the church and left to be screamed about on social media.
Another, important question regards the political arena. How can Christians effectively be salt and light. We have abandoned the back fence in favor of the soap box and ballot box; neither of which are terribly effective at changing hearts. Perhaps a good place to start would be by answering the question: "How would we act if we had no vote?" I suspect we would be back to gossipping the Gospel to our neighbors over coffee the way we are supposed to.
As far as politics goes, as long as I am given the option, I will vote for the candidate I believe best able to delay the complete takeover of the strangling administrative state, the least worst candidate in a binary system. This year it is Trump. But local elections are far more consequential, and almost entirely ignored, except by the Left.
One thing that was brought home to me in looking over the pro-IVF pastor's resume is that a lot of evangelicals keep using the phrase "biblical worldview" and this is the sort of place it leads: a completely deficient account of the human person.
Trump shoots his mouth off. We know that. I don’t think he had any real pro life ideology but he did put some Constitutionalists on the courts including SCOTUS.
Pro life folks have been bleating about overturning Roe for 50 years. I would say this does not mean an abortion ban. My state (Oregon) had abortion before Roe. It is one of the most militant pro abortion states in the nation. Overturning Roe did nothing to change abortions in the state. It did give Democrats a cudgel to beat up Republicans. We had a real possibility of getting a Republican governor but they Democrats kept claiming “Republicans will ban abortion.”
Total BS but it works. How many times have democrats claimed Trump Pence will ban abortion. They lie but the media lets them lie. I think if anything Trump is trying to take away this cudgel. No it won’t get is Democrat votes but it gives them less to lie about.
I believe in protecting life from conception to natural death. I’m Catholic and I accept this as the Truth. I am also aware that this will never be the law. I’m willing to vote for Trump despite his wonky approach to some issues. We have a country to save.
Alas, "biblical worldview" is meaningless without a cohesive understanding and acceptance of what the Bible actually teaches. The soi-dissant apologist/pastor privileges having biological children of one's own to the point of idolatry. "Progressive Christians" aren't the only people who cafeteria-style their approach to the Bible.
I'm fascinated to learn that Richard Dawkins makes the same argument about twins as Francis Collins does in his book, The Language of God. Collins encourages a more nuanced view of abortion in the earlier stages of gestation because, after all, how can there be a soul before the cells split?
Admitting the unborn are full humans by consequence leads to admitting that, when slain, their blood cries out from the earth and demands a reckoning by the civil magistrate. Today's Christians can only go so far. We are, after all, functionally Marcionites.
If you believe abortion is morally wrong, don’t have one. But don’t impose your religious views on others. We are supposed to have separation of church and state in this country.
It seems I will just have to accept that I will be becoming more fringy over time. I believe that human life begins at conception because that is my ancestral history throughout the ages, without exception. With convenience and income becoming ever-more the goals of our globe's societies, I expect the leftward drift to continue on this issue, as it has with Trump. I feel that at some point most people will have to believe as I do on this issue, but it may be after some very dire consequences that come out of the disregard of human life. But these changes in thinking don't come quickly. Thanks for being a voice for the voiceless!
"I recently came across an article by a pastor, an evangelical apologetics guru no less, who implies he and his wife didn’t even undergo the so-called “ethical IVF” process where couples don’t discard their embryos. He writes with an apparently straight face that “an embryo is not synonymous with a child,” contrary to what a handful of sadly misguided “outliers” think, because embryos can die before implantation. It’s unclear by what magical process implantation is supposed to confer human childhood on the already developing human embryo, with its already unique human DNA."
It's really very simple. If you do it, it's a child. If I do it, it's a clump of cells.
Good, thoughtful essay. This conversation must begin and mature in the church and the home before it can effectively be taken into the community. It must include how we think about marriage and sexuality, all topics that have largely been abandoned by the church and left to be screamed about on social media.
Another, important question regards the political arena. How can Christians effectively be salt and light. We have abandoned the back fence in favor of the soap box and ballot box; neither of which are terribly effective at changing hearts. Perhaps a good place to start would be by answering the question: "How would we act if we had no vote?" I suspect we would be back to gossipping the Gospel to our neighbors over coffee the way we are supposed to.
As far as politics goes, as long as I am given the option, I will vote for the candidate I believe best able to delay the complete takeover of the strangling administrative state, the least worst candidate in a binary system. This year it is Trump. But local elections are far more consequential, and almost entirely ignored, except by the Left.
One thing that was brought home to me in looking over the pro-IVF pastor's resume is that a lot of evangelicals keep using the phrase "biblical worldview" and this is the sort of place it leads: a completely deficient account of the human person.
Trump shoots his mouth off. We know that. I don’t think he had any real pro life ideology but he did put some Constitutionalists on the courts including SCOTUS.
Pro life folks have been bleating about overturning Roe for 50 years. I would say this does not mean an abortion ban. My state (Oregon) had abortion before Roe. It is one of the most militant pro abortion states in the nation. Overturning Roe did nothing to change abortions in the state. It did give Democrats a cudgel to beat up Republicans. We had a real possibility of getting a Republican governor but they Democrats kept claiming “Republicans will ban abortion.”
Total BS but it works. How many times have democrats claimed Trump Pence will ban abortion. They lie but the media lets them lie. I think if anything Trump is trying to take away this cudgel. No it won’t get is Democrat votes but it gives them less to lie about.
I believe in protecting life from conception to natural death. I’m Catholic and I accept this as the Truth. I am also aware that this will never be the law. I’m willing to vote for Trump despite his wonky approach to some issues. We have a country to save.
Alas, "biblical worldview" is meaningless without a cohesive understanding and acceptance of what the Bible actually teaches. The soi-dissant apologist/pastor privileges having biological children of one's own to the point of idolatry. "Progressive Christians" aren't the only people who cafeteria-style their approach to the Bible.
I'm fascinated to learn that Richard Dawkins makes the same argument about twins as Francis Collins does in his book, The Language of God. Collins encourages a more nuanced view of abortion in the earlier stages of gestation because, after all, how can there be a soul before the cells split?
Yet another reason we should all have ignored Collins when he became COVID czar.
Admitting the unborn are full humans by consequence leads to admitting that, when slain, their blood cries out from the earth and demands a reckoning by the civil magistrate. Today's Christians can only go so far. We are, after all, functionally Marcionites.
If you believe abortion is morally wrong, don’t have one. But don’t impose your religious views on others. We are supposed to have separation of church and state in this country.