I am writing this on the twenty-fifth anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's release of the "Personhood Proclamation." On January 14, 1988, Reagan released the following declaration: "America has given a great gift to the world, a gift that drew upon the accumulated wisdom derived from centuries of experiments in self-government, a gift that has irrevocably changed humanity's future. Our gift is twofold: the declaration, as a cardinal principle of all just law, of the God-given, unalienable rights possessed by every human being; and the example of our determination to secure those rights and to defend them against every challenge through the generations.....
"One of those unalienable rights, as the Declaration of Independence affirms so eloquently, is the right to life. In the 15 years since the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, however, American's unborn have been denied their right to life. Among the tragic and unspeakable results in the past decade and a half have been the loss of life of 22 million infants before birth; the pressure and anguish of countless women and girls who are driven to abortion; and a cheapening of our respect for the human person and the sanctity of human life....
"That right to life belongs equally to babies in the womb, babies born handicapped, and the elderly or infirm. That we have killed the unborn for 15 years does not nullify this right, nor could any number of killings ever do so.....Our nation cannot continue down the path of abortion, so radically at odds with our history, our heritage, and our concepts of justice. This sacred legacy, and the well-being and the future of our country, demand that protection of the innocents must be guaranteed and that the personhood of the unborn be declared and defended throughout our land...."
President Reagan's words are sobering, particularly as we consider how much more they are needed today than in 1988. In America and throughout the world, the church of Jesus Christ must rise up to defend the rights of all individuals - children in the womb and abused children outside the womb, kidnapped girls forced into sex trafficking, men captured and sold into slavery, and the aged, infirm, or unwanted murdered through euthanasia and genocide. Our triune God is the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of life, He has bestowed dignity on every person, and He alone has defined personhood. The barbaric murder, abuse,and slavery of our fellow human beings ought to bring us to tears, to our knees in prayer, and to action in behalf of the least of these as we preach the gospel to the nations and fight for the life and freedom of all individuals so that they might live and hear the gospel of eternal life.
(Dr. Burk Parsons, editor of Tabletalk, April 2013, www.ligonier.org)
(The entirety of President Ronald Reagan's Personhood Proclamation can be found at www.PersonhoodUSA.com)
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
The Voice of the Church
When Planned Parenthood adopted a strategy to win the debate on abortion and establish the legal right for women to have abortions on demand, it asked a strategic question: "From where will our strongest opposition come?" the organization anticipated that opposition would come most fiercely from the Roman Catholic Church. In order to offset the impact of the Roman community, Planned Parenthood adopted a strategy to encourage Protestant churches to support a womna's right to abortion on demand. It encouraged the use of the mantras "A woman's right to choose" and "A woman's right over her own body." A further part of the strategy was to use the slogan "pro-choice" rather than "pro-abortion." In other words, the efforts to legalize abortion on demand was wrapped in the flag of personal liberty.
The Planned Parenthood strategy was eminently successful. For the most part, the mainline liberal churches backed the feminist crusade in favor of "choice." What was most distressing was the silence of evangelical churches, churches committed to the authority of the Bible and the classical Christian faith. It took many years for the evangelical church to come to a consensus on the evil of abortion but, more tragically, many evangelical churches still refuse to speak out against the destruction of babies made in the image of God.
Several years ago, I produced a series of video lectures, out of which emerged my book on abortion. We made an effort to get these educational materials to evangelical churches, to help them instruct their members concerning this profoundly serious ethical issue. I was saddened to receive the same response over and over again. Innumerable evangelical pastors told me they could not use our materials in their churches because the issue of abortion is so controversial. If they took a stand against abortion on demand, they said, they would divide their churches. What? Divide these churches? What could be a greater evil than such a division? The answer is this: Remaining silent on the most serious ethical issue that the United States has ever faced.
If the slaughter of millions of unborn babies is to stop, the church must once again become the church. Those who hide behind the idea that the church should never speak to political issues have missed the scriptural accounts of what we would call prophetic criticism. It may have been politically incorrect for Nathan to confront David over his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah (2 Sam. 12:1 - 15a). It may have been politically incorrect for Elijah to confront Ahab for his sinful confiscation of Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21). It may have been politically incorrect for John the Baptist to challenge Herod the Tetrarch's illicit marriage ( Matt. 14). In these and other examples from sacred Scripture, we see representatives of the church not trying to become the state but offering prophetic criticism to the state - despite the potential consequences. The church is not the state, but it is the conscience of the state, and it is a conscience that cannot afford to become seared and silent.
The state is an instrument ordained by God. It is also governed by God. The church does not need to be the state, but it must remind the state of its God-given duty. The principal reason for the existence of any government is to maintain, sustain, and protect the sanctity of human life. When the state fails to do that, it has become demonized. and it is the sacred duty of the church and of every Christian to voice opposition to it.
The evangelical church's chief strategies to end abortion have been to put pressure on abortion clinics and on elected officials. There is nothing wrong with these strategies; however, one strategy that has not been used or adopted widely is that of protesting those churches that support the ghastly murder of unborn babies. It is time for Chritians to give prophetic criticism to the church, specifically to those churches that support abortion on demand or remain silent on this major issue.
In my own city, one of the largest evangelical churches has publicly welcomed the woman in America who is the most visible and vocal supporter of partial-birth abortions. That's a scandal to the Christian community. It's a scandal to the cause of Jesus Christ. That church needs to be called to account.
It is time for churches that see the evil of abortion to stand up and be counted - no matter the risk or the cost. When the church is silent in the midst of a holocaust, she ceases to be a real church. Wherever human dignity is under attack, it is the duty of the church and of the Christain to rise up in protest against it. This is not a political matter, and neither is it a temporary matter. It is not a matter over which Christians may disagree. It is a matter of life and death, the results of which will count forever.
(Dr. R. C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries, Tabletalk, April 2013 www.ligonier.org)
The Planned Parenthood strategy was eminently successful. For the most part, the mainline liberal churches backed the feminist crusade in favor of "choice." What was most distressing was the silence of evangelical churches, churches committed to the authority of the Bible and the classical Christian faith. It took many years for the evangelical church to come to a consensus on the evil of abortion but, more tragically, many evangelical churches still refuse to speak out against the destruction of babies made in the image of God.
Several years ago, I produced a series of video lectures, out of which emerged my book on abortion. We made an effort to get these educational materials to evangelical churches, to help them instruct their members concerning this profoundly serious ethical issue. I was saddened to receive the same response over and over again. Innumerable evangelical pastors told me they could not use our materials in their churches because the issue of abortion is so controversial. If they took a stand against abortion on demand, they said, they would divide their churches. What? Divide these churches? What could be a greater evil than such a division? The answer is this: Remaining silent on the most serious ethical issue that the United States has ever faced.
If the slaughter of millions of unborn babies is to stop, the church must once again become the church. Those who hide behind the idea that the church should never speak to political issues have missed the scriptural accounts of what we would call prophetic criticism. It may have been politically incorrect for Nathan to confront David over his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah (2 Sam. 12:1 - 15a). It may have been politically incorrect for Elijah to confront Ahab for his sinful confiscation of Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21). It may have been politically incorrect for John the Baptist to challenge Herod the Tetrarch's illicit marriage ( Matt. 14). In these and other examples from sacred Scripture, we see representatives of the church not trying to become the state but offering prophetic criticism to the state - despite the potential consequences. The church is not the state, but it is the conscience of the state, and it is a conscience that cannot afford to become seared and silent.
The state is an instrument ordained by God. It is also governed by God. The church does not need to be the state, but it must remind the state of its God-given duty. The principal reason for the existence of any government is to maintain, sustain, and protect the sanctity of human life. When the state fails to do that, it has become demonized. and it is the sacred duty of the church and of every Christian to voice opposition to it.
The evangelical church's chief strategies to end abortion have been to put pressure on abortion clinics and on elected officials. There is nothing wrong with these strategies; however, one strategy that has not been used or adopted widely is that of protesting those churches that support the ghastly murder of unborn babies. It is time for Chritians to give prophetic criticism to the church, specifically to those churches that support abortion on demand or remain silent on this major issue.
In my own city, one of the largest evangelical churches has publicly welcomed the woman in America who is the most visible and vocal supporter of partial-birth abortions. That's a scandal to the Christian community. It's a scandal to the cause of Jesus Christ. That church needs to be called to account.
It is time for churches that see the evil of abortion to stand up and be counted - no matter the risk or the cost. When the church is silent in the midst of a holocaust, she ceases to be a real church. Wherever human dignity is under attack, it is the duty of the church and of the Christain to rise up in protest against it. This is not a political matter, and neither is it a temporary matter. It is not a matter over which Christians may disagree. It is a matter of life and death, the results of which will count forever.
(Dr. R. C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries, Tabletalk, April 2013 www.ligonier.org)
Monday, April 8, 2013
Several Items of Interest
Liberty University Thrives
Virginia's Liberty University is becoming known in higher education circles as a school on the move. Andrew K. Benton, Peperdine's president, said, "They're viewed as new and pressing forward. There's a high energy there." In the almost six years since University founder Jerry Falwel's death, Liberty has doubled its student head count - twice. Liberty is now the largest private, nonprofit university in the country and also the nation's largest university with a religious affiliation. Financial blessing is evident as Liberty is building a $50 million library, replacing old dormitories, and hoping to place its football team in a conference eligible for NCAA bowl games. (The Washington Post, March 2013)
Holocaust In North Korea
North Korea has an estimated 200,00 prisoners, and 70,000 of them are Christians, Open Doors reported. The nation tops Open Doors' list of the worst countries for its brutal treatment of believers. Two survivors of the country's state gulag testified before the U.N. Human Rights council in Geneva that prisoners are living in Holocaust-like camps, fundamentally "the same as Hitler's Auschwitz." (One News Now, February 2013)
"Just Pray No!" To Drugs April 6-7
Since April 7, 1991, "Just Pray No!" Ltd. has united millions of Christians from 150 nations and territories around the world in intercessory prayer on behalf of the addicted and their families. Substance abuse continues to be a troubling issue for America, and April 6-7 is the 23rd annual weekend set aside to pray and fast. (www.justprayno.org)
North Dakota Second State to Pass Bill Criminalizing Abortions After Heartbeat is Detected
Legislators in North Dakota have passed one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation, criminalizing any abortionist that kills a baby after a heartbeat is detected, the Christian News Network reports. Senators voted to approve the "Hearbeat Bill" Friday, sending the legislation to Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple for signing Dalrymple, who is pro-life, has not yet indicated whether he will sign the bill into law. According to reports, the bill would require any abortionist in the state to check for a fetal heartbeat, which can be detected by medical equipment as early as 12 weeks - though fetal developmet experts state that an infant's heart begins beating just 20-25 days after conception. If the abortionist performs an abortion despite the existence of a heartbeat, he or she would face felony charges and could spend up to five years in prison and/or pay up to $5,000 in fines. The mother would not face any criminal charges. The bill includes exceptions for the physical impairment or death of the mother, but no exceptions for rape or incest. "The images and heartbeat from the womb provide strong and overwhelming evidence of - at the very least - potential life," said Sen.Spencer Berry, a sponsor of the bill. "And we have been instructed by the Supreme Court to protect that very potential." North Dakota becomes the second state in the nation to pass the "Heartbeat Bill", legislators in Arkansas voted the week prior to override the veto of their Democratic governor and make the bill state law.
(Religion Today Daily Headlines, March 19, 2013)
"You can organize marches and make your protests. It all comes to nothing, and makes not the slightest difference to anyone. But if you have a large number of individual Christians in a nation, or in the world, then and only then can you begin to expect Christian conduct on the international and national level. I do not listen to a man who tells me how to solve the world's problems if he cannot solve his own personal problems. If a man's home is in a state of discord, his opinions about the state of the nation or the state of the world are pruely theoretical." Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Virginia's Liberty University is becoming known in higher education circles as a school on the move. Andrew K. Benton, Peperdine's president, said, "They're viewed as new and pressing forward. There's a high energy there." In the almost six years since University founder Jerry Falwel's death, Liberty has doubled its student head count - twice. Liberty is now the largest private, nonprofit university in the country and also the nation's largest university with a religious affiliation. Financial blessing is evident as Liberty is building a $50 million library, replacing old dormitories, and hoping to place its football team in a conference eligible for NCAA bowl games. (The Washington Post, March 2013)
Holocaust In North Korea
North Korea has an estimated 200,00 prisoners, and 70,000 of them are Christians, Open Doors reported. The nation tops Open Doors' list of the worst countries for its brutal treatment of believers. Two survivors of the country's state gulag testified before the U.N. Human Rights council in Geneva that prisoners are living in Holocaust-like camps, fundamentally "the same as Hitler's Auschwitz." (One News Now, February 2013)
"Just Pray No!" To Drugs April 6-7
Since April 7, 1991, "Just Pray No!" Ltd. has united millions of Christians from 150 nations and territories around the world in intercessory prayer on behalf of the addicted and their families. Substance abuse continues to be a troubling issue for America, and April 6-7 is the 23rd annual weekend set aside to pray and fast. (www.justprayno.org)
North Dakota Second State to Pass Bill Criminalizing Abortions After Heartbeat is Detected
Legislators in North Dakota have passed one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation, criminalizing any abortionist that kills a baby after a heartbeat is detected, the Christian News Network reports. Senators voted to approve the "Hearbeat Bill" Friday, sending the legislation to Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple for signing Dalrymple, who is pro-life, has not yet indicated whether he will sign the bill into law. According to reports, the bill would require any abortionist in the state to check for a fetal heartbeat, which can be detected by medical equipment as early as 12 weeks - though fetal developmet experts state that an infant's heart begins beating just 20-25 days after conception. If the abortionist performs an abortion despite the existence of a heartbeat, he or she would face felony charges and could spend up to five years in prison and/or pay up to $5,000 in fines. The mother would not face any criminal charges. The bill includes exceptions for the physical impairment or death of the mother, but no exceptions for rape or incest. "The images and heartbeat from the womb provide strong and overwhelming evidence of - at the very least - potential life," said Sen.Spencer Berry, a sponsor of the bill. "And we have been instructed by the Supreme Court to protect that very potential." North Dakota becomes the second state in the nation to pass the "Heartbeat Bill", legislators in Arkansas voted the week prior to override the veto of their Democratic governor and make the bill state law.
(Religion Today Daily Headlines, March 19, 2013)
"You can organize marches and make your protests. It all comes to nothing, and makes not the slightest difference to anyone. But if you have a large number of individual Christians in a nation, or in the world, then and only then can you begin to expect Christian conduct on the international and national level. I do not listen to a man who tells me how to solve the world's problems if he cannot solve his own personal problems. If a man's home is in a state of discord, his opinions about the state of the nation or the state of the world are pruely theoretical." Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Several Items of Interest
Only 57 Churches Remain in Iraq, Down From 300 in 2003
Iraq had 300 churches and 1.4 million Christians in 2003, but now only 57 churches and about half a million Christians remain, with members of the minority fleeing Islamist attacks, the Christian Post reports. "The last 10 years have been the worst for Iraqi Christians because they bore witness to the biggest exodus and imigration in the history of Iraq." said WilliamWarda, head of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, a registered local non-governmental organization. Patriarch Louis Sako of the Chaldean Church said the remaining 57 churches also continue to be targeted. Iraqi Christians have faced several bomb attacks, killings, abductions, torture and forced conversions to Islam ever since the U.S.-led liberation war began in 2003. Christians have not only been targeted for their faith by al Qaeda and related terror groups, but have also been caught in the crossfire of the Arab-Kurd and Shi'a-Sunni conflicts, which rose to new heights after the 2003 U.S. operations.
Oregon High School Creates Unisex Bathrooms for Transgender Students
An Oregon high school has created six unisex bathrooms to be used by transgender students, Fox News reports. Officials at Portland's Grant High School, the district's largest, say four student restrooms and two staff restrooms will be open to all students, but create an option for five to 10 transgeneder students at the school. The move is a first in the district and an unusual move for a K-12 school when compared to others in the country. Typically, according to The Oregonian, schools make staff or other small bathrooms available. "We just need to make sure that all students are safe and comfortable here, and that they have their needs met," said Kristyn Westphal, Grant High vice principal. "If they feel unsafe using the bathroom, that's a problem." The conversion cost less than $500, most coming from changing to interior locks.
Rob Bell Affirms Gay Marriage
Rob Bell, controversial author and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, affirmed and openly endorsed gay marriage Sunday at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral in response to a question regarding same-sex marriage , the Christian Research Network reports. Bell said: "I am for marriage, I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs - I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are." Bell went on the say that while it used to be fair to equate evangelicals with social conservatism, that assumption no longer holds true. "I think we're witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn't work," he said. "...We have supported policies and ways of viewing the world that are actually destructive. And we've done it in the name of God and we need to repent." Bell is known for quesitoning, challenging and redefining the beliefs of orthodox Christianity. His book Love Wins caused a stir by discounting the existence of hell and his newest book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, is said to "tackle misconceptions about God."
Kansas House Overwhelmingly Passes Bill Declaring Life Begins at Fertilization
Members of the Kansas House of Representatives have overwhelmingly passed a sweeping abortion bill that, among other regulations, declares life begins at fertilization, the Christian News Network reports. The bill declares: "The legislature hereby finds and declares the following: (1) The life of each unborn human being begins at fertilization; (2) unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected, and (3) the parents of unborn children have protectable interests in the life, health and well-being of the unborn children of such parents." HR 2253, which passed the House 92 to 31, also restrains the abortion industry in a number of ways, including prohibiting abortionists from receiving tax breaks, barring doctors in training at the state medical school from performing abortions on state time, requiring that all abortionists notify women of the risks associated with abortion, and prohibiting organizations that perform abortions from teaching in state sexual education classes. The bill will make its way through the state Senate in the near future, and is expected to pass. If it passes the Senate, it will move to the desk of Gov. Sam Brownback for signing. Brownback, a Roman Catholic, has remarked in the past that he would sign any pro-life bill into law that made it to his desk.
( Religion Today Daily Headlines, March 19, 22 & 26, 2013)
Iraq had 300 churches and 1.4 million Christians in 2003, but now only 57 churches and about half a million Christians remain, with members of the minority fleeing Islamist attacks, the Christian Post reports. "The last 10 years have been the worst for Iraqi Christians because they bore witness to the biggest exodus and imigration in the history of Iraq." said WilliamWarda, head of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, a registered local non-governmental organization. Patriarch Louis Sako of the Chaldean Church said the remaining 57 churches also continue to be targeted. Iraqi Christians have faced several bomb attacks, killings, abductions, torture and forced conversions to Islam ever since the U.S.-led liberation war began in 2003. Christians have not only been targeted for their faith by al Qaeda and related terror groups, but have also been caught in the crossfire of the Arab-Kurd and Shi'a-Sunni conflicts, which rose to new heights after the 2003 U.S. operations.
Oregon High School Creates Unisex Bathrooms for Transgender Students
An Oregon high school has created six unisex bathrooms to be used by transgender students, Fox News reports. Officials at Portland's Grant High School, the district's largest, say four student restrooms and two staff restrooms will be open to all students, but create an option for five to 10 transgeneder students at the school. The move is a first in the district and an unusual move for a K-12 school when compared to others in the country. Typically, according to The Oregonian, schools make staff or other small bathrooms available. "We just need to make sure that all students are safe and comfortable here, and that they have their needs met," said Kristyn Westphal, Grant High vice principal. "If they feel unsafe using the bathroom, that's a problem." The conversion cost less than $500, most coming from changing to interior locks.
Rob Bell Affirms Gay Marriage
Rob Bell, controversial author and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, affirmed and openly endorsed gay marriage Sunday at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral in response to a question regarding same-sex marriage , the Christian Research Network reports. Bell said: "I am for marriage, I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs - I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are." Bell went on the say that while it used to be fair to equate evangelicals with social conservatism, that assumption no longer holds true. "I think we're witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn't work," he said. "...We have supported policies and ways of viewing the world that are actually destructive. And we've done it in the name of God and we need to repent." Bell is known for quesitoning, challenging and redefining the beliefs of orthodox Christianity. His book Love Wins caused a stir by discounting the existence of hell and his newest book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, is said to "tackle misconceptions about God."
Kansas House Overwhelmingly Passes Bill Declaring Life Begins at Fertilization
Members of the Kansas House of Representatives have overwhelmingly passed a sweeping abortion bill that, among other regulations, declares life begins at fertilization, the Christian News Network reports. The bill declares: "The legislature hereby finds and declares the following: (1) The life of each unborn human being begins at fertilization; (2) unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected, and (3) the parents of unborn children have protectable interests in the life, health and well-being of the unborn children of such parents." HR 2253, which passed the House 92 to 31, also restrains the abortion industry in a number of ways, including prohibiting abortionists from receiving tax breaks, barring doctors in training at the state medical school from performing abortions on state time, requiring that all abortionists notify women of the risks associated with abortion, and prohibiting organizations that perform abortions from teaching in state sexual education classes. The bill will make its way through the state Senate in the near future, and is expected to pass. If it passes the Senate, it will move to the desk of Gov. Sam Brownback for signing. Brownback, a Roman Catholic, has remarked in the past that he would sign any pro-life bill into law that made it to his desk.
( Religion Today Daily Headlines, March 19, 22 & 26, 2013)
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