Choosing Life

I am an evangelical and an informed voter. Those things actually came together when I was in college. My undergraduate major was in Political Science; and during my college years I also made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. So those two considerations, at times aligned but often at odds, have always influenced my view of politics and informed how I vote.

The issues that are important to my faith and that reflect my values are most important to me. I am concerned about the character of the individuals who seek elected office, because it is my hope that they will not just talk about values but live out their values, as the scripture tells us to do (James 1:22 NIV).

So during the heyday of the Christian Collation and similar types of groups, evangelicals had their sway and influence on the Republican party. But that is not the case any longer. Donald Trump has made the decision to moderate his views on one of the most important issues to evangelicals, which is abortion (Beaumont and Fernando, 2024). The progressives have won that battle: A majority of Americans support the idea that Abortion should be legal in all or most cases (Pew Research Center, 2024).

So for the party that stands against abortion, this becomes a losing proposition in national elections. While there are other important issues, the Left uses abortion like a marauding mastodon to overshadow other issues of substance. I say that because although I will probably vote Republican, I fear for American’s long-term health. This is a matter of life and death, both for the innocent victims of abortion, as well as for our nation.

Life is a gift given by God to parents and to the world, where an individual grows in maturity and strength to express their abilities and talents in service to others. Jesus experienced a similar trajectory in His development, because God protected Him from harm (Luke 2:52). God has breathed into the dust of the Earth and formed a man first and then a woman, to inherit the world that He created and steward its resources (Genesis 1:27-30 ESV). The gift of life is not simply breathing and walking on this earth, but living in such a way to respect and reflect the beauty of the God who created us in His own image (Genesis 1:27).

This gift of life given by God is in contrast to efforts by groups here on earth to, in their words, “protect access to sexual and reproductive healthcare and education” (Planned Parenthood, n.d.). This is the mission of Planned Parenthood, which in actuality is an oxymoron. Planned Parenthood is not helping couples plan for parenting a precious life in their care and leading it into its God-given destiny. Instead Planned Parenthood is the leading provider of abortion in America (Rovner, 2011).

One article from a secular humanist site declared that Christians should be satisfied with the aborting of babies – if we believe that innocent children have not yet reached the age of accountability – because all those little souls as yet unborn are brought into the presence of their Heavenly Father (Gannon, 2022). The author questioned why, if Christians believe that these aborted souls were saved from the choices that could lead them on a different path, would we work so hard to have these children born, when they might grow up and miss out on the assurance of salvation through selfish choices and the embodiment of evil (Gannon, 2022). This is horribly twisted logic, which completely misses the most significant reason those who stand against abortion pray and hold days of silence or protest these innocent lives being taken.

If life were not precious, God’s son would not have given His life so that those who believe in Him could live full lives here on earth (John 10:10); but also eternally (John 3:16). The issue of a soul moving directly into God‘s presence in the absence of living and breathing because of not having made a choice to sin or not to sin confuses the point of why life has been given in the first place.

All humans have the stamp of the Divine nature on them, and therefore have great value. Similar to a precious coin minted with the insignia of its designer, each life has been designed in majestic detail, down to its very unique DNA. 

God sees these uniquely designed creations and qualifies them as living beings, even deep within a mother’s womb prior to their emergence (Psalm 139: 13-16). Our distinctive mix of knowledge, gifts, abilities and passions are part of a Divine plan to bring beauty and truth and freshness in this human experience. What if no one wrote the next great song or play? What if no one stood to protect the rights of those who were being taken advantage of? Where are the soldiers and ministers, the seamstresses and the entrepreneurs who have not experienced life in order to share their gifts with the world? This is the beauty and the uniqueness of life. If that life is not lived, it is a gift never received. It is a treasure never opened; an opportunity for healing that will never be acquired.

The scripture is clear that government has been given by God to men to protect them from evil and to punish the wicked – those who rebel against its authority (Romans 13:1-4). This is so that we can live peaceable, quiet lives and undertake the work of evangelism to propagate the faith (2 Timothy 2:2).

There will be times when government will lead with values similar to our own; but also times when government, in order to keep political peace, will compromise on issues important to evangelicals that are in opposition to our faith and practices. I applaud those leaders who have stood up for the faith (Mohler, 2024); and those who have stood strong in the face of unjust punishment for simply standing in front of abortion clinics leading prayer. There must be a warning here: our national rebellion against the law of God will not go unpunished (Deuteronomy 28:45).

After I accepted Christ in college, someone gave me a copy of Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth. Lindsey in 1970 repeatedly projects a diminished world influence for the United States, a view which many foreign policy experts currently support (French, 2022). It is more than likely that the influence of the United States wanes significantly in the end times, as Lindsey predicts. This could happen prior to what is called the “Rapture of the Church” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18); or it could happen while we are alive. This is a direct result of our compromised values, not only with abortion but other flagrant acts of rebellion to what God has commanded.

It is possible that through our prayers of repentance before this next election cycle that God will turn away His wrath on His people here in this country and forgive our national sin of, in the words of a prominent newscaster, “sacrificing our children” (Bicek, 2023) before they are given the opportunity to live. God had in His plan to punish His people Israel for their rebellious ways; but He stayed His hand when a good King arose whose heart was right with God and who removed the idolatrous images from the land (see 2 Chronicles 15:1-17).

Whether or not the candidate chosen in our upcoming election leads us forward into a time of repentance and a resolve to choose to cherish life, we would do well to pray that God give us leaders that listen to His heart and who follow His ways. It was Moses, the leader of Israelites through 40 years of wandering, who challenged the people before they entered their land of promise to choose life.’ Moses told the people, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live” (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT). This message was not just for the people then, but for us as free men and women entering our own season of promise. The choices we make this November, as in Moses’ day, will mean the difference between life and death, not only for us but for the children who follow us. So let us “Choose Life!”

Sources

Beaumont, T.; & Fernando, C. (2024, July 8). Republicans move at Trump’s behest to change how they will oppose abortion. Associated Press

Bicek, J.C. (2023, November 6). Tucker Gets It—Abortion is Child-Sacrifice. Chrisitian Medical and Dental Associations.

French, H.W. (2022, June 28). America Is Losing Its Value Proposition. Foreign Policy Magazine.

Gannon, P. (2022, March). Abortion: What Happens to the Souls? Free Inquiry Magazine, 42(2).

Lindsey, H. (1970). The Late Great Planet Earth. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing.

Mohler, Jr., R.A. (2024, September 3). Trump and Abortion. WORLD Magazine.

Pew Research Center (2024, May 13). Public Opinion on Abortion. Pew Research Center: Fact Sheet.

Planned Parenthood (n.d.). About Us.

Rovner, J. (2011, April 13). Planned Parenthood: A Thorn in Abortion Foes' Sides. National Public Radio