Home Voices A Somber Anniversary

A Somber Anniversary

What is our role in this? Let me offer two ideas. 

First, We Speak up and Speak out for Those With No Voice.

Our role as Christians is not to be co-opted by political parties, but to speak prophetically to both (and all). To use the analogy of Major League Baseball, we don’t choose the American or the National League. We choose instead to be the umpire, calling balls and strikes, fouls and outs on both sides. 

Like an umpire in a baseball game, we cry foul when a president or a party acts out of bounds with our convictions. We call balls and strikes when they fail to act or miss out on opportunities to do the right thing, and we do that for both parties. 

Abortion is an issue on which we must cry foul. 

If you are a Democrat, call your party away from abortion extremism. I know that many of my African American sisters and brothers share pro-life views, and often have significant influence among Democrats. Perhaps for such a time as this, you can use that influence for the unborn. 

If you are a Republican, it’s time to address the accusation that Republican politicians are only pro-life for the elections. We need men and women of courage in the Republican party right now. 

For all of us, there will be a cost. But justice for the unborn matters. 

Second, We Can Be Involved Personally.

We can protest. I’ve spoken at rallies, and I’ve marched. We can speak up. We can vote. But we must do more than these things. 

We can support those who are in need. We can be available in our local communities to serve pregnancy centers that are pro-life, providing help for prenatal care and other needs. We can support a pregnant woman in any number of ways as she walks through the pregnancy. We can support policies that value and protect children. We can give in ways that support unborn and born children. 

We can show and share the gospel. We know that slavery in the Roman Empire was overthrown not by protests or politics, but by the continuous spread of the gospel until the entire empire was affected. We are at times too slow to act; but we can also choose the quick fix and miss God’s greater plan. 

Abortion has been a legal right for a very long time. During that span, we have seen a deepening cultural divide, an encroaching secularism, and a diminishing of important values. But we have hope today that the tide can be turned in favor of helpless unborn children who are created in God’s image. As followers of Jesus, let us do whatever we can to work toward a new day, when all children are given the right to life and are treated with love and care.