Last night, I had the privilege of attending the Tulare-Kings Right to Life annual fundraising banquet. This was my second, reminding me that I have now been in California for over a year. The speaker was different, but many faces were the same; more importantly, the goal was the same. Although leadership had changed and certain strategies had changed, it was still a night to rally the troops in an important battle.
The speaker last night was Dinesh D’Souza. He was honest about how he had spoken at many different venues. He shared that most venues he spoke at had self-serving motives. There was something they wanted to hear or wanted to gain. Dinesh gave some examples, both from his own experiences, as well as speaking in general. He said that at union rallies, people wanted raises, which really stuck out to me. He talked about different groups wanting power, or money — something that benefited them in some way. Then he came to Pro-Lifers and asked, “What’s in it for them?” So many causes, even good ones, are entangled with personal gain, but not the Pro-Life movement.
This can’t be said about pro-choice opposition. It’s an industry now. Jobs and livelihood are on the line. Convenience of mothers is on the line. Though Pro-Lifers know that children are time consuming to raise, create wear and tear on the woman’s body, and require great financial resources, we also know that they are worth it, because they are precious human lives. After all, what other kind of living thing might they be? Any parent knows the joys of those “I love you” moments. But still, the pro-choice side gains something if they get their way: additional autonomy, as well financial gain; and they dismiss the value of the unborn — some hoping only to delay the responsibility, as if a future child could take the place of one aborted.
I was happy to see so many churches united behind the cause. Proverbs 31:8-9 commands us to, “Open your mouth on behalf of those unable to speak, for the legal rights of all the dying. Open your mouth, judge in righteousness, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” (NET) Who is more voiceless than the unborn? Poorer? More needy? I really appreciate all those who represented our church there last night, and those who had the desire but were unable to attend. I pray you will join me in praying for the organization and their mission. I pray that it will be a part of our own mission.
It strikes me as incredibly Christ-like to put forth effort on behalf of someone else who could never pay you back, where is there is no personal gain. It’s Christ’s selfless love, reflected in us, to care about the unborn. It’s also his selfless grace to forgive and heal those who have had an abortion, and I really feel IRMA, the I Regret My Abortion, network that is part of TKRL really sets them above what a pro-choice person may accuse pro livers of being. Losing a child is a terrible thing. Feeling the gravity and weight of knowing you took your own child’s life must be immense. Listening to those tears, helping them mourn, telling them that God can forgive them, and embracing them, is another selfless act and is part of our job as ministers of reconciliation.
In a broader sense, I thought of our own need to rally, our own need to be aware of how hard the work is for us, the need to work with other churches, and not view each other as competition. We can more easily see that life is on the line in the abortion crisis, but we need reminders that human eternal life is on the line when sharing the Gospel, and — similar to those who have had abortion, or have changed their stance on the issue — the people who follow different paths than us are victims of bad ideas. It’s the ideas, not the people themselves, that are the enemies. Our culture is changing, and radically fast. If we want to make an impact, we could learn from our Pro-Life-focused friends: we need to rally, we need to train, and we need to understand the seriousness of the battle we are in.
Originally printed in the October 2019 FCC Newsletter