THROWBACK THURSDAY… to August 29, 2012
By Bud Shaver
(This post originally appeared on www.standforlife.net)
Injustice taints and forever mars the ability to play the moral card. History records and reveals to the world what was done on behalf of those forever scarred.
When you think of a father convicted of a heinous sexual crime that he did to his child, we don’t really care if he provided food, shelter, a good education, or even brought that child to church. One act of injustice forever mars his ability to claim that he was a good father.
When you think of Christians who lived in the deep South in America during the time of slavery who owned slaves, we don’t really care if they fed the poor, did other acts of service, or attended church regularly and tithed. One act of injustice forever taints their legacy.
When you think of church leaders who lived in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, we don’t really care how many gospel presentations they proclaimed, how many baptisms they did; we care about what they did or did not do on behalf of the Jews being led to the slaughter. One leader’s heroic actions and words of opposition to the injustice during that generation live on and history remembers Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
In the light of injustice we get clarity. All that matters is our participation with our generation’s injustice and whether we are striving to end that injustice. History is the ultimate arbiter.
The greatest injustice of our generation is abortion! 54 million (+) children have been legally slaughtered in the name of “choice.” 65% of those obtaining abortions claim to be Christian/Catholic[i]! Whatever is being said or done from our churches and church leaders is not producing much of a difference for the children being led to the slaughter!
In light of the empty sidewalks, deafening silence from the pulpits, and pews filled with post-abortive women and men (1/3rd of American women over 45 have had at least one abortion[ii]), history is already documenting the American church of the 21st century! In the light of injustice the legacy we leave behind will be forever tainted and determined by what we do and have done to end this barbaric killing!
Posterity will not ask you about your giving, how many times you read through the Bible in a year, how many missionaries you sent around the globe, or how many soup kitchens you started. You will be asked what you did to end the open genocide being perpetrated across the street from our churches and in the midst of our communities!
How to Start a Pro-Life Ministry at Your Church
Start a prayer group at your church. Seek to build a core group of people who are pro-life to pray about the direction of a ministry to the pre-born and their mothers within your church.
Educate. Host a pro-life presentation/training with local organizations and/or pastors who are already involved in local pro-life ministry to find out what is taking place with regard to abortion in your community.
a. These presentations could be tailored to a midweek Bible study, men’s or women’s Bible studies, or a Sunday or midweek whole church service.
b. If there are no local organizations start one! If your pastors are not involved pray for them and meet with them to encourage their involvement and support!
Become Active. Decide how active you want your church to be and what types of events/activities you want to participate in. There are many opportunities to get involved such as:
a. Praying at an abortion clinic once a week or once a month or more.
b. Volunteering at or open a local pregnancy resource center.
c. Hosting a series of pro-life “apologetics/sidewalk ministry” training classes.
d. Post-abortion healing training.
e. Donate to local pregnancy centers. Host a clothing/diaper/formula drive.
f. Outreach at local universities or other outside venues.
g. Come up with your own ideas to reach out, educate, and serve the pregnant women in your community.
Find out about other local/national Pro-life organizations.
a. Sign up for e-mails and newsletters to stay informed about their events.
b. 40 Days for Life
The main reason to start a pro-life group in your church is to make a difference in your community. There are many ways to get involved. Together we can end abortion one woman, one child, one day at a time! The end to abortion begins with the churches in America!
Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
Proverbs 24:11-12
[i] http://www.guttmacher.org/presentations/abort_slides.pdf
[ii] Henshaw SK, Unintended pregnancy in the United States, Family Planning Perspectives, 1998, 30(1):24–29 & 46.
Jones RK and Kavanaugh ML, Changes in abortion rates between 2000 and 2008 and lifetime incidence of abortion, Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2011, 117(6):pp-pp.
