Several years ago a friend who was a member of a congregation we were attending came to me and said, "Why is it that our church never says anything about homosexuality?" (This was years before the controversial gay marriage decision of the supreme court). I was not on staff or in any formal leadership of the church, so I advised the person to ask the staff. She said, "I have."
The church we were attending was a large church that actually was known for outreach and ministry to homosexuals, and yet we had never heard a sermon that even addressed the topic. Later I went to the staff and asked the question, which did begin a series of discussions that ultimately lead to several public teaching venues where people were taught a biblical view of sexuality, but it took some effort to get the church to talk about it. The situation, though, definitely reflected on the church's reluctance to openly discuss social issues.
I was once reprimanded by an elder board for preaching on The Song of Songs in an environment where children were present, though I had warned the congregation for six months that the series was coming, giving them ample time to make arrangements for children if parents desired. There is an unwritten rule that "we don't preach on "social issues." If we win people to Chrit, the Holy Spirit will transform them and society will be transformed, or so we are told. For years evangelical churches, especially in the southern United States, said nothing about civil right issues, not because they believed in segregation, but because they were not interested in getting into politics.
Much of American Christianity in the 19th and 20th century took the position that Christ's kingdom was to be realized after he returned. That Jesus Christ would return to establish a just and fair society in the future, and the church's role was to evangelize in preparation. All social issues were secondary or ignored.
The problem with that view is that it fails to give people sound answers for daily issues. How do we respond to the 19-year-old single woman in our church who comes home from college and tells her parents she is pregnant by a young man she went out with one time? If we have failed to provide solid biblical teaching on sexuality, and we do not have support systems in place abortion is the easy way out? Or what about the high school boy in the Christian school who tells his parents, he thinks he's gay? Does our Great Commission responsibility to teach disciples "to obey all the I [Christ] have commanded" bear on that question? Or what about a father living in the inner city, who want to protect his family, does the Bible allow for self-defense, and protection? Can we preach the whole counsel of God and neglect it's teaching on justice, and morality?
I believe preaching the whole counsel of God must involve some level of discourse about social issues of the day. For me all spiritual truth has moral application, and all moral acts take place in a political environment. To neglect all political issues is to neglect the whole counsel of God. No one wants to go to church and hear a political or patriotic speech. It is usually not a pastor's role to endorse candidates, or political parties, but to helping people understand how the bible says about social issues and political policy is part of teaching the whole counsel of God. I started this blog from the conviction that a Christian world view was conservative and capitalistic, and that part of my call to teach the full counsel of God involved teaching how the Bible spoke to the issues of our time.
With abortion at the forefront of our political lives we must help Christian's understand how a biblical view of life effects their vote. In the upcoming election neither Presidential candidate (former President Donald Trump, or incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris) favors a ban on abortion. One party adopts a complete Pro-choice view, saying the decision to abort should be left entirely to the mother. Some democrats even openly support infanticide immediately following birth Some Republicans takes the position that though abortion is homicide, there are times when the taking of one life by another person is permitted under law, and there are times a mother should be allowed to abort her child. There are some members of that party who advocate banning all abortions and penalizing a mother or a doctor who participates in abortion for any reason.
If we believe that the Bible gives us the wisdom to make godly decisions in every way, then we must be able to speak theologically about abortion. There are several issues that must be addressed:
1. We must have a consistent biblical anthropology. We must understand how God views human life. We must understand what the nature is of human liberty.
2. We must have a consistent biblical eschatology. We must understand how we are to relate to a world where the consummation of Christ's kingdom is yet to come? What is our social responsibility to our communities and nation?
3. How does our biblical anthropology effect our biblical eschatology?
When asked about whether believers should pay taxes Jesus said:
[22] Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” [23] But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, [24] “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” [25] He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Luke 20:22–25ESV) God has clearly established divine realms of authority and human authority to provide and maintain social order and justice to all humanity:
[1] Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. [2] Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then o what is good, and you will receive his approval, [4] for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. [5] Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. (Romans 13:1–5ESV)
God has established 3 governing realms:
God has established family. A place where a person works, produces goods for his or her survival and sustenance and nurture children to advance God's kingdom on the earth (Gen 2: 24& 25; Malachi 2: 13-16.
2. God has established governments and cultures and called Christians to make positive contribution us to those cultures. Governments are created to regulate equitable relationship between people. (Jeremaih 29: 4- 9; Rom 13: 1- 11; 1 Peter 2:13- 17
3. God has established ecclesiastical authority Heb 13:7 for evangelism and discipleship.
God clearly set boundaries and responsibilities for each area. Under the Old Testament King Saul and King Uzziah were both made powerless when they took on responsibilities reserved for the Priest. We expect out governments to do good, to enforce justice, but civil governments are not expected to abide by Old Testament Law. Nor are the civil laws of the Old Testament to be imposed on every nation. It is not necessary that governments enforce Sabbath Law, for example. It is not necessary for governments to prevent all behavior that is unwise or unproductive, like gambling, or drug use. This does not mean Christians should not advocate for those things, but God doesn't hold secular authority to the same standard that he holds church authority.
So how do we relate to a Christian government:
1. We must obey God rather than men. For believers in their own lives and church life where Biblical authority and governing authority conflict we must obey God. The church is responsible for holding those in the kingdom to it's moral authority:
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in) heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19 ESV)
It is my opinion that most churches in America violated their responsibilities to God when they denied access to worship and sacraments to their members for a public health emergency. Of course, congregational leaders needed to take precautions when they assembled but no government had the authority to tell the church how many people could assemble, whether they could sing. In submitting without question to those restrictions pastors and elders were disobedient to scripture.
2. When it comes to our relationship to civil authority. We can live and engage with governments that are secular and pagan and seek to have an influence in those governments. The prophet Obadiah was a trusted advisor and official for the pagan King Ahab. Although doing so required him to support a king who was hostile to God, Obadiah was able to protect the prophets from destruction; thereby providing a testimony even among the most pagan of 1 Kings 19:18. The case of Elijah and Obadiah is a good example, that some will be called to civil disobedience while others will influence from within.
3. It seems to me that with an issue like abortion which the scripture does not specifically address, Christians can advocate for the sanctity of life yet recognize the reality of life in a secular culture. Christians can recognize that while the Bible prohibits murder, it does not forbid homicide in every case. In the Old Testament God gave governing authorities the ability to take life, either in War or as a penalty for some offenses. I believe a case can be made that the Scripture allows for the taking of a life in self-defense. Under the Mosaic Law those who committed man slaughter were given refuge rather than killed. But is abortion, the same as manslaughter or murder. I do think that in the extremely rare case where the birth of a child will result in the death of the mother, the principle of the sanctity of life would always say we can preserve one life at the expense of another.
But what about our vote, do we have to compel the government to conform to Biblical standards. There were no republican forms of government at the time of the New Testament, so at time it is not clear how biblical Christians are to vote when no candidates policy conforms to biblical ethic. How do we preserve the prophetic voice in a secular culture. I think we can learn from Obadiah.
Obadiah was the Old Testament prophet who served as one of the most trusted counselor to King Ahab, a Baal worshipper and enemy of Jehovah. He protected and preserved many prophets in Israel. For me like Obadiah we can recognize government does not instill virtue in people. No legislation is going to persuade society that abortion is wrong. Even a civil war, and a legal end of slavery did not create equal opportunity for black people in America. We will not end abortion by passing laws, but rather by a spiritual transformation of our people. Obadiah understood that to defeat the idolatry promoted by Ahab and Jezebel he needed to preserve the prophetic voice in the kingdom. Preserving the prophetic voice in society can mean speaking for godliness, while still engaging in the reality of life in a secular culture. In other words, in a society that routinely kills millions of babies a year legislation alone is not going to instill the virtue of life in secular people. While yes, there is no circumstance under which I can conceive that I would ever counsel abortion, yet a godless secular state is not likely to adopt a Biblical standard. The Law sets boundaries, but it does not make people virtuous. It is not the law that causes people to recognize the sanctity of life. If we try to shape our people virtue by passing legislation we will fail. Yet we can preserve a prophetic voice in a pagan government. An abortion ban will not pass, because a legislation will not persuade a majority of Americans to value life any more than a Civil War, a Presidential Proclamation, and three Constitutional Amendments brought civil rights to former slaves. In a society that has practice unrestricted abortion for 50 years and have killed 6 million children banning abortion will not be accepted. Substantial restrictions are realizable. We are saving lives, and therefore, honoring God if we support policy that limits abortion.
There is precedent for this approach in history. The abortion issue is often compared to slavery. It is a fair comparison as both are related to the sanctity of human life. The apostle Paul returned Philemon back to his owner with an appeal to release him. Yet made no attempt to change the social institution of slavery. While recognizing the civil reality of slavery, Paul advocated for freedom. We see the same principle in the American abolitionist movement. When Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation he exempted the border states. He knew that the slave states that had remained in the union (Missouri, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, Kentucky) would have left the union had their slaves been freed. Lincoln understood that winning the war was a first step in social change. Hearts and minds had to be changed before a 13th Amendment could ever be passed.
For me I see abortion the same way. The Dobbs decision of SCOTUS, which overturned Roe and Casey, did not end abortion, just as the Emancipation proclamation did not end slavery. Prior to both Roe and Casey abortions were practiced in the United States on a limited basis. I believe we can support Dobbs and support political candidates who support Dobbs (allow abortion with exception and with differing state policies) without compromising our personal positions on abortions. This was the position of Ronald Reagan who wrote a book opposing abortion while in office. I can vote for politicians (who holds the same position that Ronald Regan did) because it saves the live of millions of children. And I will then advocate to extent 14th amendment protect of life to the unborn. It seems to me to do so supports the improvement of society and the advocacy of human life
The fact is abortion will not be banned unless the society embraces the absolute value of human life. In an increasingly secular society where morality is based on consensus rather than absolutes the issues is not going to be won politically. This is the lesson we have failed to learn in history. Just as one can argue the American Revolution was spurned by the First Great Awakening, and the American abolitionist movement was spurned by the Second Great Awakening. It is only a spiritual awakening that will cause the country to embrace the sanctity of human life. The politicians are never going to be able to stop abortion. Only the prophetic voice in our pulpits empowered by the Spirit can reform the culture. While Obadiah spoke truth to power in the court of Ahab it took the prophetic voice of Elijah to defeated Baal and transform culture. We will never persuade a godless nation to ban abortion apart from spiritual renewal. Obadiah saved thousands of prophets from the sword of Obadiah, but it took the prophetic voice of Elijah to defeat the prophets of Baal.
Rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar and God that which is God involves understanding that the church cannot do what God intends the government to do, and that government cannot do what the church is intended to do. The abortion battle will never be won legislatively, it will only be won through consistent biblical preaching that calls the nation to prayer and repentance.
The United States performs millions of abortions a year. Seven states have no restrictions on abortions and even allow infanticide. Passing laws that will end millions of abortion will save millions of lives, which like the Emancipation Proclamation, which left slavery in place in seven states, is a major victory for righteousness.
Voting for politicians who proposed ending abortions with a few exceptions is not compromise. It is advocating for righteousness while maintaining a prophetic voice in a pagan culture. In the upcoming elections we have one party that advocates for abortion on demand and another that wants to prohibit abortions except for restrictions determined by each state. I believe Christians who vote to end most abortions are not compromising we are saving the lives of millions and preserving the prophetic voice in culture.
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