Not Rage, But Love

Why do you suppose that we see people frequently who are in favor of abortion, the taking of human life, acting angrily? Perhaps it's conviction, maybe they don't want to admit that what they support is wrong, maybe it's just flat-out hostility. James 1 states:
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

A recent article highlighted a decline in what is called "rage giving" to organizations that support abortion.  Yes, there is anger over the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the decline in the number of abortions, in which people of faith are rejoicing.  And, on my radio program, I have documented the acts of violence that have been committed against churches and centers that support life. We are called to love even those with whom we disagree, and we can display a sense of conviction, tempered by peace, not being consumed by our temper to lash out in an ungodly manner.

+++++

The difference between acting in rage and acting in peace is found in Psalm 37, where we can read:
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

One U.S. Supreme Court decision has made a major change regarding the abortion issue - that, of course, is the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade.  The polling website, Five Thirty-Eight, reported:

New estimates provided exclusively to FiveThirtyEight by #WeCount — a national research project led by the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit that supports research on abortion and contraception — indicate that there were 24,290 fewer legal abortions between July 2022 and March 2023, compared to a pre-Dobbs baseline.1 These people might have remained pregnant or obtained an abortion outside the legal system, which would not be captured in #WeCount’s data.

The article said that: "There were an estimated 93,575 fewer legal abortions in states that banned or severely restricted abortion for at least one week in the nine-month period after Dobbs...The number of legal abortions in states where abortion remained mostly available did rise by 69,285 in the same period, signaling that many people did travel and successfully obtain an abortion within the U.S. health care system."

Of course, this tells us that there is still much work to do for the pro-life movement, which has been faithful in education women and their families about abortion and doing good work to reduce chemical, or "mail-order" abortions.  There is certainly a front on which the distribution of the abortion pill has to be challenged.

And, there are encouraging signs on the financial front; the website, Ministry Watch, published a story recently that started out this way:

Recently, the Chronicle of Philanthropy published an article saying that “rage giving” to abortion advocacy groups after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 has dropped off.

Ministry Watch contacted several pro-life ministries, and the results are encouraging.  One example:

PreBorn! had a banner year of giving in 2022 with giving up 33%. Based on giving so far this year, it expects to receive $40 million in contributions, up from $27 million last year.

The article notes that, "PreBorn! partners with over 170 pregnancy centers across the nation, especially in states where abortion is more available."  Meanwhile, Care Net offers some encouraging signs, as well; Ministry Watch notes:

Care Net, which was established in 1975 not long after the Roe decision, saw an uptick in giving after the Supreme Court returned the issue to the states in its Dobbs decision last year. Since then, giving to the pregnancy center network has remained steady.

“If you are giving out of rage rather than out of love, it is not sustainable,” CareNet President and CEO Roland Warren said. “We offer compassion, hope, and help. That is compelling. It is more of a transformational request.”

He said Care Net is seeing an increase in the number of lower dollar donors along with re-engaged donors who had lapsed in their giving.

The website also contacted two smaller pregnancy centers, both of whom reported an increase in giving over the past year. 

So, contrary to media information that abortion is winning, it seems that, based on financial giving, the initial emotion of the Dobbs decision has waned, and that pro-life giving is even stronger.  And, with the report that a net increase of 25,000 lives have been saved in the year after Dobbs, this can bring hope - recognizing that thousands are still losing their lives in abortion clinics and through chemical abortions every single day.  But, we should still be righteously indignant about the mass termination of unborn life through abortion, but our emotions should be governed by the presence of Christ, not human, fleshly rage.

We can continue to pray that in the current landscape, that women will make an informed decision to choose life and recognize that there are Christ-centered ministries that are willing to stand with them, to provide not only education with tangible support.  And, if they choose to have their child - and we hope they will - they can find the avenues through which they can pursue the route to adoption. Each of us individually and collectively through our churches, we can seek ways in which we can be involved in affirming life.