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FIRST-PERSON: No ‘bigger fish to fry’ than abortion

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ROGERS, Texas (BP) — We live in a world where the truths we have always known and relied upon are being cast aside in favor of new paradigms, most of which are not for the better.

Christians are being forced to scatter their attention and fight the culture war on many fronts. The battle for the biblical definition of marriage is certainly worth our fight. But it is, by no means, the only front in this culture war.

We still need to confront the legally sanctioned atrocities of abortion.

People may believe they have “bigger fish to fry,” to use an old expression. Make no mistake: I am appalled at all that is going on in our declining social and political climate, but I still would argue that abortion remains an ominous indicator of our descent into the morass of hedonism.

Legalized abortion on demand, at a minimum, is the utter contempt for God and all that He has said and done. It is an attack on Him as the Creator of life; it is counter to His command to be “fruitful and multiply”; it is dismissive of all He says about the hope a new life represents for the future; it violates the natural God-given bond between a mother and child; it lays aside what Scripture says about the protective and provisional responsibilities of fatherhood; it violates God’s Word concerning murder; it is a grievously sinful practice, often used in an attempt to otherwise deal with other previously committed sin. The problem of sin, though, is never solved by committing more sin.

The old argument that a woman should be able to do what she wishes with her own body is, at best, a declaration of selfishness. By contrast, many selfless and bighearted people stand with open arms waiting to adopt children who, otherwise, will have their lives snuffed out “legally” by an already born doctor financially profiting from the demise of small babies.

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Now 42 years after the famed Roe v. Wade decision and nearly 60 million abortions, “Sanctity of Human Life” Sunday, once widely recognized by churches each January, has faded as many services go on as usual. The problem is actually bigger than ever, but the sense of urgency has diminished.

I was deeply moved by an expression of concern for the unborn on the most recent “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.” The church I pastor hosted our Baptist association’s annual meeting on Sunday evening (Jan. 18). I noticed one group of about 12 men and women all dressed very well, but in black — the men in black suits and the women in black dresses. Out of curiosity, I stopped one of the gentlemen and asked why everyone from his church was dressed in black. He said to me, “We always wear black on this Sunday.”

I felt myself fighting back tears as his simple explanation touched a spot deep in my heart. Even though I had preached a message on the sanctity of human life that very morning, I knew that mere words or even a sermon could not begin to touch the depth of injustice that is going on every day, in every state, in every community. In John 11, Jesus stood at the tomb of Lazarus who had died. He was about to raise him from the dead, but before He did, verse 35 says, “Jesus wept.” Death of all types grieves the heart of God and causes Him to weep. How much more is He grieved by senseless death, which so greatly devalues the previous gift He gives each successive generation.

I am convinced that every day for 42 years, since Roe v. Wade, one of the biggest stories in America — regularly ignored in the newspapers and, too often, in our hearts — is that an otherwise civilized society would legally allow a practice that rivals or tops any torturous act of ancient or medieval times and, by and large, indifferently look the other way.