4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
6 Then said I: "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth."
7 But the Lord said to me: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Our lives have value because God has formed us; He is our Creator and He desires to bring us into new life, the new creation, in Christ Jesus. We can also see that not only has He formed us, but He has given our lives purpose. Jeremiah the prophet was set apart, as God points out, and even though the prophet regarded himself as too young to speak out for God, He reminded Jeremiah that He had been called, ordained to speak His truth.
It is good to know that the issue of the sanctity of life continues to be a significant political matter in our country. And, just a note: those who are Christian and pro-life have the opportunity to demonstrate that in so many ways, from not only the pre-born child in the womb, but for the way that we show love toward other people. In an age where incivility and disrespect reign, we have the unique opportunity to show compassion toward others, even with those whom we disagree. Responding to hostility with hostility is not the way of the cross - we have to show that we value the lives of our fellow human beings.
But, with respect to the life issue, specifically toward abortion, there is some interesting data that Christianity Today has reported on with respect to white, evangelical women and last fall's election. According to the story...
The article does point out that, "Voting patterns among evangelicals of color are a different story, but one that can only be captured in broad strokes due to the limitations of exit poll surveys." It quotes a LifeWay Research study that "found that evangelicals of color sided with Hillary Clinton (62%) nearly as strongly as white evangelicals sided with Trump (65%)."
The Democrat party is struggling with the life issue as well. The party supports abortion and party chairman Tom Perez had basically said that pro-lifers were not welcome in the party. In a recent press release, the Susan B. Anthony List mentions that Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Luján has "faced backlash from abortion activists over his recent assertion that there will be no “litmus test” on abortion for the Democratic Party."
After The Atlantic had reported that a DCCC spokesperson had indicated "no interest in working with Democrats for Life of America," SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser made these comments:
First of all, I think this is an issue that will not go away. And, it was a dominant issue in the Presidential election. Even though people, including evangelicals, take issue with some of the statements that Donald Trump has made and the imperfect way that he handles the Presidency, his policies have been spot-on regarding the life issue. One might regret voting for Trump, but you still have to go back to last fall and consider the alternatives - and the life issue, especially related to the Supreme Court, I believe, drove those who voted for him.
As it's been said, if you don't get the life issue right, it affects the way you regard other issues. Regardless of party, protecting the most vulnerable among us - the unborn - should be a paramount concern. With the Democrat party wrestling with how to treat pro-lifers, it is an indication that this is an important issue.
This continues to be a contentious issue, and there is room for vigorous and reasoned debate in the culture. But, at the end of the day, we have to be careful that we stake out our position and speak the truth, but that we do so in order that the lines of communication continue to be open, so that hearts can be won. Unfortunately, the response is all too common these days to shut down and silence the opposition - that is not constructive. The people that cry about "hate" too often show hostility in how they respond to those with whom they disagree...as the faith community, we have to show a better way.
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In Proverbs 24, we see some words about our responsibility to protect, preserve, and uphold human life:
11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
It is good to know that the issue of the sanctity of life continues to be a significant political matter in our country. And, just a note: those who are Christian and pro-life have the opportunity to demonstrate that in so many ways, from not only the pre-born child in the womb, but for the way that we show love toward other people. In an age where incivility and disrespect reign, we have the unique opportunity to show compassion toward others, even with those whom we disagree. Responding to hostility with hostility is not the way of the cross - we have to show that we value the lives of our fellow human beings.
But, with respect to the life issue, specifically toward abortion, there is some interesting data that Christianity Today has reported on with respect to white, evangelical women and last fall's election. According to the story...
...unlike any other age group, millennial evangelical women were more likely than their male counterparts to vote for Trump, according to the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) provided to CT by Ryan Burge, politics researcher and blogger for the site Religion in Public.In last year’s election, 73 percent of white evangelical women under 35 voted for Trump compared to 60 percent of white evangelical men of the same age. The article goes on to say:
Of course, there’s the pro-life movement, which has undergone a resurgence in recent years thanks to the leadership of young women, according to Penny Young Nance, president of Concerned Women for America (CWA) and author of Feisty & Feminine: A Rallying Cry For Conservative Women.
Despite a few female evangelical leaders speaking out against Trump, Nance mostly saw women voting according to their conservative values—and they’ve been happy with the results.The article quotes Kelsey Gold, a recent graduate of Liberty University and coordinator of the Young Women for America outreach. She says: "Most of us don’t condone the rhetoric that Trump uses, but most support his policies." She also is quoted as saying, "Since the Women’s March, Christian conservative women are realizing their voice isn’t being heard,” adding, “The voices that claim to speak for all women really didn’t.”
The article does point out that, "Voting patterns among evangelicals of color are a different story, but one that can only be captured in broad strokes due to the limitations of exit poll surveys." It quotes a LifeWay Research study that "found that evangelicals of color sided with Hillary Clinton (62%) nearly as strongly as white evangelicals sided with Trump (65%)."
The Democrat party is struggling with the life issue as well. The party supports abortion and party chairman Tom Perez had basically said that pro-lifers were not welcome in the party. In a recent press release, the Susan B. Anthony List mentions that Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Luján has "faced backlash from abortion activists over his recent assertion that there will be no “litmus test” on abortion for the Democratic Party."
After The Atlantic had reported that a DCCC spokesperson had indicated "no interest in working with Democrats for Life of America," SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser made these comments:
“Spokeswoman Meredith Kelly’s statement that the DCCC flatly refuses to work with Democrats for Life contradicts the comments previously made by her boss, Rep. Luján. It is further evidence that Democratic Party leaders are likely stringing pro-lifers along, using them for their votes without intending to back away from their extreme position on abortion.
“The Democratic Party cannot wave this deepening crisis away with facile platitudes. One-third of rank-and-file Democrats consider themselves pro-life. An even greater number of Democrats support banning late-term abortion after twenty weeks and oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.So, with life continuing to be a dominant issue in the world of politics, what can we as people of faith - and life - take away?
First of all, I think this is an issue that will not go away. And, it was a dominant issue in the Presidential election. Even though people, including evangelicals, take issue with some of the statements that Donald Trump has made and the imperfect way that he handles the Presidency, his policies have been spot-on regarding the life issue. One might regret voting for Trump, but you still have to go back to last fall and consider the alternatives - and the life issue, especially related to the Supreme Court, I believe, drove those who voted for him.
As it's been said, if you don't get the life issue right, it affects the way you regard other issues. Regardless of party, protecting the most vulnerable among us - the unborn - should be a paramount concern. With the Democrat party wrestling with how to treat pro-lifers, it is an indication that this is an important issue.
This continues to be a contentious issue, and there is room for vigorous and reasoned debate in the culture. But, at the end of the day, we have to be careful that we stake out our position and speak the truth, but that we do so in order that the lines of communication continue to be open, so that hearts can be won. Unfortunately, the response is all too common these days to shut down and silence the opposition - that is not constructive. The people that cry about "hate" too often show hostility in how they respond to those with whom they disagree...as the faith community, we have to show a better way.
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