James 1:27

This was orinally written August 28, 2018.

Last week I said that one of the difficulties of our current, polarized political climate is that to speak up on any controversial issue is to be pigeon-holed into a political party or agenda. As Christians our loyalty lies not on a political platform, which will rot and decay, but on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ, which lasts forever. It is important to say this again, before addressing another hot-button topic.

Abortion is a deeply dividing topic. Identifying the exact moment when life begins is inherently complicated. However, given what we now know about genetics and how the human fetus develops, it is hard not to admit that the potential of life is at the moment the male sperm fertilizes the female egg and a zygote cell forms. All the genetic information necessary for a human life exists in a zygote cell. Eye, hair, and skin color have been determined. Whether it will be a boy or a girl has been determined.

Is it unfair for a woman to be forced to use her body to carry a child she does not want, with all the biological, economical, and societal factors that go with it? It may be. But, is it not unfair to end what will likely result in a life? You need to choose between two unfairnesses. It seems to me the unfairness toward the yet unborn person is greater than the unfairness toward the woman.

For many, abortion is also a deeply personal issue. Throughout my limited life experience, I have met many women who found themselves faced with an unwanted pregnancy and chose to keep the child. Today, they would not trade that child for the world. Alternately, I have met woman who found themselves with an unwanted pregnancy and chose to abort. For those women, that decision haunted them for years, decades, or longer. For the woman reading this who suffers the pressing weight over such a past decision, know that in Jesus there is mercy, grace, and no sin that cannot be forgiven. Lean on him, and find a trusted person to talk to.

James said, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress… (James 1:27)” If we are to care for orphans, are we not in a far greater way to stand up for the unborn who have no voice but ours?