Politics Is Not Enough

I'm currently reading a book entitled Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey. It's a fantastic read. In the Introduction there is a one page section which I enjoyed reading and wanted to share. She entitled it Politics Is Not Enough. Pearcy writes,

"The reason a worldview is so compelling today is that we are still emerging from the fundamentalist era of the early twentieth century. Up until that time, evangelicals had enjoyed a position of cultural dominance in America. But after the Scopes trial and the rise of theological modernism, religious conservatives turned in on themselves: They circled the wagons, developed a fortress mentality, and championed 'separatism' as a positive strategy. Then, in the 1940s and 50s, a movement began that aimed at breaking out of the fortress. Calling themselves neo-evangelicals, this group argues that we are called not to escape the surrounding culture but to engage it. They sought to construct a redemptive vision that would embrace not only individuals but al social structures and institutions. 

Yet many evangelicals lacked the conceptual tools needed for the task, which has seriously limited their success. For example, in recent decades man Christians have responded to the moral and social decline in American society by embracing political activism. Believers are running for office in growing numbers; churches are organizing voter registration; public policy groups are proliferating scored of Christian publications and radio programs offer commentary on public affairs. This heightened activism has yielded good results in many areas of public life, yet the impact remains far less than most had hoped. Why? Because evangelicals often put all their eggs in one basket: They leaped into political activism as the quickest, surest way to make a difference in the public arena - failing to realize that politics tend to reflect culture, not the other way around. 

Nothing illustrates evangeicals' infatuation with politics more clearly than a story related by a Christian lawyer. Considering whether to take a job in the nation's capital, he consulted with the leader of a Washington-area ministry, who told him, 'You can either stay where you are and keep practicing law, or you can come to Washington and change the culture.' The implication was that the only way to effect cultural change was through national politics/ Today, battle-weary political warriors have grown more realistic about the limits of that strategy. We have learned that 'politics is downstream from culture, not the other way around,' says Bill Wichterman, policy advisor to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. 'Real change has to start with the culture. All we can do on Capitol Hill is try to find ways government can nurture healthy cultural trends.' 

On a similar note, a member of Congress once told me, 'I got involved in politics after the 1973 abortion decision because I thought that was the fastest route to moral reform. Well, we've won some legislative victories, but we've lost the culture.' The most effective work, he had come to realize, is done by ordinary Christians fulfilling God's calling to reform culture within their local spheres of influence - their families, churches, schools, neighborhoods, work-places, professional organizations, and civic institutions. In order to effect lasting change, the congressman concluded, 'we need to develop a Christian worldview.'" [emphasis mine]

That final paragraph is the best part. I agree with Pearcey and the folks she quotes in this passage. I believe the best type of transformation comes through grass roots work. Day to day, interaction by interaction. In being transformed people, made more and more into the likeness of Christ by his Spirit, we witness to Christ and introduce the world around us to the truth, the way, to Jesus by our upstanding conduct and preaching. In turn, light breaks through the darkness, unveiling injustice and sin, creating opportunity for confession, repentance, reconciliation, and prosperity.

When we depend upon the political leaders of this nation to bring about true change we end up fooling ourselves and getting less than we petitioned for. Sure, they can bring about some changes, but the type of change Christians are concerned with comes through Christ and his Holy Spirit. Through pray and humble servant love we live out the kingdom of heaven here on earth and see the will of our Father establishing itself among the various elements and beings of creation. We can be a part of the political sphere but we can not depend upon it or place our hope in it or the men and women who make the wheels of the government go round.

If we're going to put our eggs in one basket let's put it in the basket of Jesus Christ. If we're going to carry several baskets, lets make sure we view them for what they are. Let's learn the truth and embrace our reality. Let's change the world by letting God change us and work through us as living sacrifices.

Side note: If you live in the Vancouver Washington area and you want to read this book with other people and discuss it week to week then there is an avenue for that called Theology Pub. We meet at Brickhouse Bar and Grill every Monday at 7:30pm. We'd love for you to join us.

The Saint of Soldiers

Today, in the United States, it is Veteran's Day. It is a day which honors the men and women who have been faithful participants in the military of the nation. Interestingly (though probably not coincidentally), this day on the Church calendar is one that also remembers and honors a military participant. 

Today is the day of St. Martin of Tours.

Born a pagan (in what is now Hungary) only a few years after the conversion of Emperor Constantine, he was the son of a military veteran who had been a senior officer in the Roman military. Martin was named after Mars, the god of war. At the age of 15 he became a soldier to be thrown into the "holy wars" of the empire, following in his father's footsteps. 

On a rigid cold day, Martin was at the city gates of Amiens (modern-day France) and saw a beggar shivering. Since he was on duty he was only girded with his weapons and military garb. As his heart was overwhelmed with compassion for the beggar he cut his cape into two pieces with his sword and wrapped the garment around the beggar to warm him up. The people laughed at the soldier for his now distasteful appearance (can you imagine walking around with half a cape) while others felt shame for their lack of desire to help the poor man.

Later that night, while sleeping,  Martin saw Jesus wrapped in the cape he had given to the beggar. The Saviour said to the soldier, "Martin, still a catechumen, has covered me with his garment." When Martin turned 18 he was baptized as a Christian and began to live more like a monk than a soldier despite continuing at his military post. 

At the age of 23 he refused a war bonus and told his commanding officer, "I have served you as a soldier; now let me serve Christ. Give the bounty to those who are going to fight. But I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight." In this protest Martin echoed the early church father Tertullian who stated, "The Lord, in disarming Peter, subsequently unbelted every soldier." Shortly after this, but not without difficulties, Martin of Tours was discharged from his military position.

St. Martin of Tours is often referred to as the first conscientious objector to war. It's interesting that he was a soldier before his objection to such activity. For Martin, part of his conversion consisted of laying down his arms and pursuing Christ's kingdom (over Constantine's) by loving the poor and healing the sick. He always viewed himself a soldier but there came a time when he enlisted in the military of Christ his King and that conflicted with his allegiance to Constantine and his activity in the Roman military. 

What I love about this saint is that he lives out the prophecy we see in Isaiah 2:4 which states, "...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Joel 3:9-10 has similar words which apply beautifully to this saint when it is written, "Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, 'I am a warrior.'"

Martin, always a warrior, beat his sword into a plowshare and spear into a pruning hook by ripping his uniform into a blanket for the suffering beggar. He took what was meant to show status for the warrior and made it a warm cloth for the low in status and weak. The event is poetic to say the least. 

After he left the military the soldier for Christ became an exorcist and a true monk in Milan and later on a small island. He established the first French monastery. A decade later he traveled to Tours to heal a sick man and became the bishop of the people there. Along with Ambrose, Martin stood against the killing of heretics and against the Emperor having a say in similar Church matters. He did his best to work with those he disagreed with, even on matters as large as killing heretics. He saw the gray in life.

At the end of his life, prior to passing away, he prayed "Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work. Your will be done." Like Paul, he wanted to serve others before being with Christ. He always followed the orders of his Commander-in-Chief Jesus. May we all be able to pray such wonderful words and take care of the poor and hurting around us. May we see ourselves as enlisted in the military of the Kingdom of God, serving others in humble love as our act of war against evil. 

Struggling with Contraceptives

When I was in high school I was a teen peer educator for 2 years on the issues of safe sex, HIV, AIDS, STDs, date rape, and more through a program called R.E.A.L. (Reaching Educating And Learning) at the Southwest Washington Health District.  It was a great experience and God taught me about loving others through it, even though I was not yet following Christ.

I've never had much of a struggle with the idea of birth control. I've not approved of the "morning after pill" or abortions since becoming a Christian since both seem obviously incompatible with the teachings of scripture. Birth control pills, condoms, vaginal barriers, etc., on the other hand, have never been problematic in my mind. Why? I can't say. The notion of controlling child-birth has never crossed my mind as unfaithful or irresponsible.

Recently, however, I've begun to question my protestant position on this issue. Perhaps it's not ideal or even God-honoring to use these birth control methods (unless of course they are absolutely necessary for one's health I guess). What has made me question this?

The Soul and the Conception

A couple early church leaders have some strong words about this sort of thing. Below are a few quotes from the early church leader Tertullian regarding when human life begins.

"Life begins with conception, for we contend that the soul also begins from conception. Life takes its commencement at the same place and time that the soul does." -Tertullian

Lactantius agrees with Tertullian when he writes, "The soul is not introduced into the body after birth, as some philosophers think. Rather, it is introduced immediately after conception, when the divine necessity has formed the offspring in the womb."

Tertullian further explains this position when he writes, "Now the entire process of sowing, forming, and completing the human embryo in the womb is no doubt regulated by some power, which ministers therein to the will of God - regardless of what may be the method that it is appointed to employ... We, on our part, believe the angels to officiate herein for God. The embryo, therefore, becomes a human being in the womb from the moment that its form is completed." He also made his point in very simple words by stating, "The flesh and the soul have a simultaneous birth, without any calculable difference in time."

In the gospels we read that Mary becomes pregnant with the Messiah. Are we to think that the coming Saviour was not yet who the angel proclaimed to Mary and Joseph the very moment the process of pregnancy began? All this has weight in the following words.

Ending Pregnancy
The father of Western theology (Tertullian) also wrote about pregnancies that end early. He writes, "If we become injured in the womb, this is a loss suffered by what is already a human being." When it comes to the use of methods to intentionally end pregnancy the early church leaders had things to say as well.

"We say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder. And we also say they will have to give an account to God for the abortion." -Athenagoras

"Are you to dissolve the conception by aid of drugs? I believe it is no more lawful to hurt a child in process of birth, than to hurt one who is already born." -Tertullian 

"There are some women, who by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels. So they commit murder before they bring forth. And these things assuredly come down from the teaching of your gods." -Mark Minucius Felix 

Intentional Sterility 
The above words can all be considered to only address post-conception methods of abortion. But there are other words from the early church that speak of methods which produce sterility and even of the need to welcome children as we seek sexual activity.

"Women who were reputed believers began to resort to drugs for producing sterility. They all girded themselves around, so as to expel what was being conceived. For they did not wish to have a child by either a slave or by any common fellow - out of concern for their family and their excessive wealth. See what a great impiety the lawless one has advanced! He teaches adultery and murder at the same time!" -Hippolytus

"If God still forms man, we will be guilty of audacity if we think of the procreation of children as something offensive. For the Almighty Himself is not ashamed to make use of it, in working with His undefiled hands." -Methodius

It's murderous. It plays God, seeking to control what it taught to be his work in humanity (this also puts the "pull-out" method in jeopardy). It holds potential to make us sexually irresponsible by eliminating natural consequences. These are a few arguments against using these birth control methods that I've come across.

Admittedly, some of these early church leaders also believed that marriage and sexual activity were only to be engaged in for procreation alone. Some of these men even said that pleasure is not something to be persued. For our culture, this sounds crazy. I'll confess that I disagree with a bit of these teachings. But that doesn't make me right. We're all influenced by the time and culture we are in.

I'm not saying I'm persuaded that Christians should abstain from these contraceptives. Not yet anyway. I'm trying to wrestle this out and find understanding. I want to do that fairly by investigating all the legitimate positions possible.

I'm borrowing a book from a friend that discusses this issue in seemingly efficient detail. It's called Birth Control for Christians; Making Wise Choices by Jenell Williams Paris. I'm looking to answer the question: "Why shouldn't I support abstaining from these practices as a Christian?" I'm curious to see what the author has to say about surgical procedures such as vasectomies.

Perhaps this article is merely for my own sake, but I hope that it also spurs on questions and discussion that build up others. Let's reason together and seek discernment. May Christ lead us to living out truth and goodness so that we may reflect him to the world.

Voting As Worship

My brother and schoolmate John Lussier of Hope in Exile sent out a few tweets today that were incredibly on target as social commentary and I had to share his words and some thoughts on them. He wrote, 

"We've made voting a sacred act. It is our 'responsibility' and those who do vote somehow gain their 'dignity' from it."

"'Get up and vote!' Has been turned into an altar call at the Church of the Public Square. Who are you gonna live for?"

Lussier responded to someone asking if he thought voting was in fact a sacred act. He responded saying, "I don't think so. It has been made to be something we have to do, because we have divinized the State and its solutions."

In many ways I agree whole-heartedly with my friend. We have far too often convinced ourselves to look at the State and her methods as divine, even if we won't admit it. Too often we feel the authorities and their legislation will save us (or others). When we have such high views of the State and those who make it up we turn President's into Saviours and votes into worship. With such a perspective we can see why we must bless the world with democracy and defend it with great violence (and we will feel more than justified for both). This is nationalism at it's highest point. 

This is also idolatry. Plain and simple. Voting is not a responsibility but rather a right (which means you are free to vote or not vote and neither decision makes you more or less a citizen or appreciator of the nation). We are not made more valuable based upon who we vote for or even upon the decision to vote. Don't be fooled into thinking that you owe anyone your vote. Not soldiers, not neighbors, not politicians, not America, not God; no one. 

The State, the Kingdom of God, the President, the Christ, the voting booth, the Church. All have a place in this creation but not all save. That's what matters. All our acts are significant, and in some senses, sacred. However, don't be led astray and begin to think that voting is like the Eucharist or baptism. It is not an ordinance and it is not demanded of us. 

Christ saves us. His solutions are the ones we put our trust in. When we trust in the divinity of Christ the King and cling to his kingdom then our views of voting being a sacred duty are shattered. We won't follow the sacred acts of national worship because we will have exchanged them for the liturgy found through Christ and his Body.

As I've said in other articles, voting isn't bad. If a person feels divinely pressed to vote they they ought to listen to their conscience and do so. Whatever we do must be for the glory of God and it should look like Jesus Christ. The water gets muddy in this part of the discussion but the point of this specific discussion is simply to remind ourselves that our worship doesn't belong to the state but to God. The state, the president, the legislation; none of these can ever save us. Christ has already saved us and we must respond accordingly, giving him all our worship and allegiance. As singer/songwriter Derek Webb sings, "There is a day that’s been inaugurated but has not yet come, that we can proclaim by showing that there’s a better way." 

So during this election season, do not forget that, as Christians, you already belong to a kingdom and it's king. Don't let foreign (aka earthly) nations and politicians distract you too much. Don't think you owe them anything but your allegiance to Christ, because you don't. The State needs your loyalty to Jesus far more than your vote, even if she doesn't know it. 

How To End Abortion

In this election season there is a lot of talk about abortion and which candidate is going to fight for the 'rights' of the unborn or of the pregnant. We hear labels like 'Pro-choice' and 'Pro-Life' (both of which are terrible titles for what they tend to represent and terrible for the sake of honest discussion since they create a false dichotomy simply by existing in opposition to one another)* and we enter into discussions that focus solely on legislation. 

Too often we hope to find our answers for a better world in the men and women running for political office. For some reason, we think our hope belongs in legislation and that if we could just get that one Supreme Court case overturned, or that one bill passed, then we'd be satisfied and then things would be better. If we could see a law then we'd have real change. Then we'd have our answer, our way.

Unfortunately, that's a misguided hope. Especially when it comes to abortion. 

When I discuss the issue of abortion and how we can best approach it, there are a few pillars which hold up my arguments. There is a foundation upon which I am building and I think it necessary to briefly provide some core beliefs and facts that make up that foundation.

Some Foundation

• Abortion is legal in the United States and has been for several decades.
• Christians are to put their hope in Jesus Christ and not in man or man-made systems.
• Christians are first and foremost citizens of the kingdom of God, a society within the world that is different from all other societies (being in the world but not of it).
• The chief concern of Christians is the work of reconciliation for sinners towards God and the rest of the world.

I've written previously (and recently) about politicians, voting, and why I don't find the government to be the place in which we should place our hope for change. The fact is that the law doesn't change hearts. As the band Brave Saint Saturn sings in their song Underground, "Real love doesn't come from a mandate. Real change you can not legislate." Jesus Christ changes hearts. We are transformed by the Holy Spirit. If we want to see real change in our world then our answer isn't in the United States Supreme Court, Congress, or President; It's in Christ and his means.

Jesus Christ has continued his ministry on this earth through his Church which is his Body. In this world, we are to be like Jesus. A pagan once wrote of the early church that "because of them, good flows on in the world." This consists of many things. Part of the ingredients are loving our neighbors, taking care of widows and orphans, being hospitable and generous, and living sacrificial lives. 

I firmly believe that Christians are not to rely on the government to stop abortion in this nation. While it's true that the amount of reported abortions have gone up in number since Roe vs. Wade, we also must confess that many of those are replacing unreported and unsanitary abortions that were already taking place. It's undeniable that the Supreme Court decision altered the way our society reacts to unwanted pregnancies. However, going backwards in legislation doesn't promise to create change for the better so why put focus on such efforts (remember prohibition)?

If we want to see the pattern of abortion change then we need to look to Christ and begin to function as the Church, just as we were meant to do. When we live into our purpose as Christ's body we'll not only see less abortions but we'll see healthier families, stronger marriages, less unwanted pregnancies, and less premarital sex (because these are the results of living faithfully and obediently to Christ). 

So how do we end abortion if not through traditional American means like voting the 'right' person into office or picketing at Planned Parenthood (because that rarely does much good)? How do we see the change that our hearts desire to see? Maybe we've been doing all we know to do and it isn't working (like voting, picketing, and wearing shirts that say "abortion is murder"). How can we end abortions by just being the Church? What does that even look like?

What We Can Do

We need to remember what our goals are. We need to remember what our mission is. Our mission is to be the Bride of Christ, rejecting sin in our own lives and doing the work of reconciliation so that others may join Christ in his death and resurrection and also live life to the fullest, free of sin's bondage.

In being a faithful witness to Christ, we commit ourselves (as Christians) to honoring the covenant of marriage, dating responsibly, remaining sexually pure, responsibly teaching our children about the reality of sex and this world, and constantly practice confession, forgiveness, repentance, and grace. Being a community of people that is obedient to Christ and who takes these commissions seriously results in a community that calls for and produces less abortions within itself. It also stands as a witness to the world so that the world may see how such a society can come to exist (that is, through Christ and his Spirit) and spurs on conviction.

While much of that is very hard and often seems impossible or idealistic (which it isn't, otherwise we prove ourselves to have a severe lack of trust in scripture and God) we must push through the difficulty and become such a community (and obviously, such individuals). 

Besides being a faithful and obedient people in relationships and sexuality, what are things we can do to foster a community in which abortions become less of a desirable option? How do we offer a better solution? How do we tell a better story than the one our earthly culture is telling?

First of all, we commit ourselves to not getting abortions. As the bumper stickers say, "If you're not for abortion then don't get one!" While we can't agree with the mentality that morality is private and individualistically determined, we have to see that part of the answer is obvious; if you're a Christian and you become pregnant then give birth to that child instead of destroying the life that is growing inside of you. Let us make a modest proposal; that Christians not get abortions. 

This is a nonnegotiable. Barnabas (who worked with the Apostle Paul) wrote, "You shall not kill the child by obtaining an abortion. Nor, again, shall you destroy him after he is born." The disciples wrote a similar teaching in the Didache stating, "You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill one who has been born." Even the pagans recognized that Christians abstained from this practice. In the Letter to Diognetus it is written, "They bear children, but they do not destroy their offspring." Tertullian was perhaps the most explicit when he wrote, "In our case, murder is once for all forbidden. Therefore, we may not destroy even the fetus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier way to kill a human. It does not matter whether you take away a life that has been born, or destroy one that is not yet born."** 

One of the biggest things the Church can do is to come alongside the youth of this nation, the pregnant, the single parents, the orphaned, and build relationships that are loving and providential. 

This means that local congregations and Christian couples/families ought to be intentional about knowing people in the community who are pregnant and didn't want to be. This may mean partnering with organizations such as Planned Parenthood (even if you don't partner with everything they do). When we know these women we are able to offer to adopt their unwanted child but we are also able to offer to adopt those parents into our lives, homes, and families. We should do everything we can to teach about sexuality and healthy relationships while also exampling these things. If we desire to tell people how they should live then we should show them how to live and help them do it. Mentoring and inclusion will allow these folks to see how we raise children and support one another and thus we can will love them and their child (and how they can do the same).

If we want to love women who are thinking about getting abortions then let's meet themas  early in the process as we can. Whether they are adults or teenagers we need to build trusting friendships with them and get them good counsel and resources. Hopefully, they can be persuaded into giving birth. If they aren't persuaded, then we need to be people who aid in the healing that is needed after an abortion takes place. Even if we can't support the decision to abort a child, we can love the person giving the abortion, offering them forgiveness on behalf of the child and the Father of both that child, the mother, and ourselves (that is, God). There is emotional baggage that comes with abortions and that needs healing.

Being involved in our community and the development of our youth is a huge help as well. Being hospitable families that can influence neighborhood children to love God and serve him goes a long way. Being people who constantly pray with and for people (maybe even at abortion clinics) is helpful. Prayer changes things! Preaching the gospel changes things.

What We Shouldn't Do

While I think we need to be bold in our message and speak truth without wavering, I also believe that the Holy Spirit produces gentleness and kindness in us. In our compassion for others and our love for them we will not communicate in ways that cause damage but rather ways that convict and offer healing confession and repentance. For example, when I was in college I had friends who wore shirts that said "ABORTION IS MURDER" in big bold letters. While I agree with the statement I would never want that to be my only statement, or even my introductory statement. 

Why? I had another friend who impregnated a woman out of wedlock. She got an abortion (against his desires) and those shirts broke his heart. They filled him with guilt and made him feel like a monster. It eliminated the opportunity for discussion and caused nothing but pain and anger. He didn't support abortion. He didn't like abortion. Yet, he was face to face with abortion. He had no idea what healing looked like because all he was told is "You're a murderer." 

Along with this is picketing. Some people picket on the side of the road with signs that have pictures of ripped up fetus' on them while others stand in front of abortion clinics and Planned Parenthood buildings while wearing sandwich boards and yelling at those going in and out. Awareness is a great thing. A lot of us don't see the truth about abortions and that should change. This is a way to do it. I won't argue against that. But like the T-shirts, we have to ask ourselves if this is the best way to start a discussion and if we're willing to let this be our only input in someone's life because odds are that these tactics won't produce valuable, convicting, edifying discussion opportunities with most people who come across our path and they will be left with this short statement. 

There are better ways to start the conversation while still being honest and bold. We don't have to condemn to convict. In fact, we're not supposed to condemn. Another fact: The Holy Spirit convicts people. We simply love them and speak truth through loving means.

I know that this is a rarity but we need to know that we can't bomb abortion clinics or shoot doctors who perform abortions (these have happened). Killing people is not a good way to say "Don't kill people." The enemy of God comes to kill, steal, and destroy. This is the opposite of what Christians are to do. Maybe we should be praying outside these buildings and getting to know the doctors so we can share the gospel with them but we shouldn't be causing damage.

Here's the problem with all of these protests: None of them are self-sacrificial. They are all short-sighted and convenient for the protestor while offering little to no room for valuable and edifying discussion. The invitation to confess, repent, be healed, transformed, forgiven, and brought into a family (of God) is not nearly (if at all) as present in these methods. People don't hear the full story through these methods and reconciliation is stifled as a result.

Final Thoughts

I'll never say people shouldn't vote their conscience or take action that they are persuaded is Godly. Sometimes a strongly worded t-shirt, picket sign, or ballot is the right thing. However, when we have the opportunity to do something greater and to be a people that reach out to others in practical ways then we should do that. Speaking the bold truth and sticking to our guns is vital but it means nothing if it isn't accompanied by loving action that changes hearts and social dynamics. Let's be up front and honest with people about what God tells his creation. Let's tell his truth to each other, our friends, the politicians, and everyone. 

Let's not forget though that we've been called to self-sacrifice and if we want to end abortion then we're going to have to seek that out with crosses on our backs and compassion in our hearts.  Any other way is not the Christian way and thus, as Christ's body, we must reject any other way.

Finally, our goal isn't to end abortion or even see less abortions. That's an unfair framing of the situation and even though I've given into it for the sake of this article we need to confess that being faithful to Christ and being his witness is our goal. We won't see the end of abortions or sin anytime before the judgment but we can be the people who bless the world as God intended in the meantime. 

As Derek Webb writes, "Our ultimate hope is not in politicians or powers or governments, but in a day coming when all things will be made right. And our ultimate concern isn’t success but faithfulness." Therefore, let us serve others as Christ has served us, loving people away from sin. May they know the option of being adopted by God into his family and thus know true life and desire to give life instead of extinguishing it.

*Most people believe in choices and people who are 'pro-life' don't seem to spend a lot of time speaking against military action, the death penalty, and healthy eating habits. 
**Tertullian also provides an even more explicit telling of how abortions worked in his time (not too different how we perform them). Some of the early church fathers (such as Hippolytus) also proclaimed that using forms of birth control which prevented birth should be avoided as well.