WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP)–Here we go again — another religious liberal telling us the “truth” about abortion. In this case, the liberal is the Rev. Mark Bigelow of the Congregational Church of Huntington in Centerport, N.Y., who is (to no one’s surprise) a member of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
In a Nov. 22 letter to Bill O’Reilly (of “The O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Network), Bigelow wrote:
“In your show you said Jesus was not pro-choice and you were sure he would be insulted were he to see this card,” referring to Planned Parenthood’s “Choice on Earth” holiday greeting card.
“Even as a minister I am careful what I presume Jesus would do if he were alive today, but one thing I know from the Bible is that Jesus was not against women having a choice in continuing a pregnancy,” he continued. “Jesus was for peace on earth, justice on earth, compassion on earth, and choice on earth.”
My, how touching! Folks, if you ever needed an example of Scripture twisting, look no further. The Scripture referenced, Luke 2:14, describes the angels’ celebration over the birth of Jesus, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (or, “peace to men of good will,” depending on the Greek text one follows). Read that verse again. Jesus was offering something to be sure: “peace on earth,” not abortion. But such a misreading of Scripture is not what is really tragic about this liberal’s nonsense.
All 842 Planned Parenthood abortion facilities are partly financed by you and me, the America taxpayer. According to a report prepared by the Republican Study Committee, $427.7 million is dedicated annually to “teen pregnancy prevention” sex education and contraceptive distribution programs. Clearly, the Congress we elected to represent us is too cowardly to stand up for truth and righteousness. Instead, they glory in funding Planned Parenthood’s religious intolerance.
This should be abhorrent to all Christians. Let’s be clear about what the Bible teaches. The incarnation of Jesus took place not at his birth but at his conception. That is a tremendously important truth. Since we were sinful right from the very beginning (“in sin did my mother conceive me,” Psalm 51:5), our Savior had to become our substitute beginning there.
The implications of this for the pro-life movement are clear. Jesus’ own conception is not only a necessary part of our salvation but the greatest argument against the sin of abortion. The tiniest embryo is a person for whom Christ died.
Life begins at conception. Jesus was considered the Messiah not from the first heartbeat, not from the first brain wave, but from his conception (see Luke 1:31). We can, however, be grateful to Rev. Bigelow for one thing. His absurd comments are a reminder that the debate over abortion is ultimately a theological one. And for theological answers, we must always go back to the teaching of the Word of God.
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Black is professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and author of numerous books, including “The Myth of Adolescence.” His website is www.daveblackonline.com.
