Friday, February 27, 2009

The Pro-Life Pastor in the 21st Century

We risk a truly post-human future. How is your pulpit ministry equipping Christians to respond biblically? What does a pro-life pastor looks like? Given current assaults on human dignity, the pro-life pastor must commit himself to four essential tasks. Scott Klusendorf

Monday, February 23, 2009

Living in His Forgiveness

An eight-week Bible study for post-abortive women, with life-changing stories from women (and men) who know God’s forgiveness. These stories and studies offer hope through the experiences each has faced, which in turn led her to a peace regarding the past that only Christ can offer. Leader's guide available. Sample chapters and ordering information.

Oh, The Humanity!

The gospel does not merely inform us of the life to come; Christ is not an escape raft for the hard realities of this world. Jesus has given us an example of what it means to be human here and now. Christ is fully human; he knows every human weakness, except for sin. And you are being made into his image. This is news far from worthy of lament. Read more.

Why Have Abortion Rates Fallen?

Pro-life activists can point to a set of statistics that suggests it is their crusade that has made the difference. Certainly, laws restricting access have had an impact. But attitudes matter as well. More women who become pregnant are deciding to carry the child to term. That would seem to be evidence that the quiet campaign for women's hearts and minds, conducted in thousands of crisis pregnancy centers around the country. Time magazine

Most fertility clinics break the rules

The California fertility doctor who implanted the octuplet mom with lots of embryos was no lone wolf: Fewer than 20 percent of U.S. clinics follow professional guidelines. Fertility doctors say there are many reasons clinics skirt the guidelines: pressure from patients who want to use more embryos to improve their chances of getting pregnant; financial concerns from those who are paying for their treatment out of their own pockets; and the competition among clinics to post good success rates. Associated Press

Why Do Scientists Need God?

Adam and Eve took the “modern” approach; they wanted to interpret the world apart from supernatural revelation. Why should we repeat their error? If man, before his disabling fall into sin, needed God’s supernatural revelation to interpret his world properly, how much more do we who live under the effects of sin! Answers in Genesis

Thursday, February 19, 2009

A 12-Year-Old's Pro-Life Presentation


12-year-old Lia of Toronto has become a star at her school and on YouTube with her five-minute pro-life speech, crafted for a school competition. Despite discouragement and outright opposition, Lia's presentation was so well done that she won the contest from which she'd been told she'd be disqualified. Her speech was too "controversial." Lia's mother says the topic was of her own choosing, and that she was determined not to back down. Life Site; YouTube

A Culture of Life vs. The Dragons of Death

Here’s an easy way to think about how we live as pro-life believers: Inside, Outside, Upside Down. The change must begin on the inside. But it cannot stay there. It must move outward in word and action. We go from the heart to the tongue. Outward movement will also touch our most intimate relationships: spouse and family. Outward movement will then move into the market place. Jesus’ mission is to turn this world Upside Down, and we are called to aid Him in this mission. Blythefield Hills Baptist Church; audio files

Friday, February 13, 2009

Love is a Choice

In the Old Testament, two Hebrew words describe God’s love for his people. The first, ahab, means: “to desire, to breathe after; to be inclined toward, to delight in.” Chesed speaks of a love that is firmly rooted in choice. It involves loyalty, steadfastness and commitment to a promise. It’s a love that doesn’t depend on the response or behavior of the receiver but rather on the steadfast character and commitment of the giver. Ahab has to do with feelings, whereas chesed implies a mind-set and mode of interaction based on unwavering loyalty to a commitment. True Woman

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Chastity sinks in importance

What do men and women want in a partner? Men are increasingly interested in an educated woman who is a good financial prospect and less interested in chastity. Women are increasingly interested in a man who wants a family and less picky about whether he's always Mr. Nice Guy. Today's young adults rank love and attraction as most important; a few generations ago it didn't even make the top three. Chastity -- which men ranked at No. 10 in 1939 -- fell to dead last in 2008. "When we administered the survey, several female students snickered at the idea that we even included the chastity item," the study’s author said. University of Iowa

13 Ways to Ruin Your Life

Jarrod Jones shares a sobering look at the many ways that men can ruin their lives by not guarding against sexual sin. Using Proverbs 7 as the backbone of his book, he analyzes the life of the “fool.” Free book to download. Read more.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Darwin, Design, and the Brain

Evolutionists are often critical of creationists for starting with a conclusion (that the Bible is true and that God made everything in six days). In this case, however, it is Darwin who is starting with the conclusion. Follow Darwin’s logic: since man evolved from an ape-like ancestor, his mind cannot be trusted, and, therefore, the conclusion that the universe is designed must be wrong. Darwin is starting with the conclusion—that man evolved from lower forms—and applies circular reasoning to refute design. Answers in Genesis

Friday, February 6, 2009

Facts on Induced Abortion Worldwide

The number of induced abortions declined worldwide between 1995 and 2003, from nearly 46 million to approximately 42 million. About one in five pregnancies worldwide end in abortion. Most abortions occur in developing countries — 35 million annually, compared with seven million in developed countries — a disparity that largely reflects the relative population distribution. Guttmacher Institute

The Left Practices Genocide by Abortion

Between 1882 and 1968, 3,446 blacks were lynched in the United States. That number is bypassed by the number of African American abortions every three days. Today's potential African American population has been reduced 25 percent by abortions. Human Events

Till Children Do Us Part?

Researchers found that the average drop in marital satisfaction was almost entirely accounted for by the couples who slid into being parents, disagreed over it, or were ambivalent about it. Couples who planned or equally welcomed the conception were likely to maintain or even increase their marital satisfaction after the child was born. NY Times

2 Kids + 0 Husbands = Family

The stock characters of the explosion of out-of-wedlock births are feckless fathers and hapless young mothers. But an increasing number of unmarried mothers are college-educated, and they are in their 30s, 40s and 50s. NY Times

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Following John the Baptist

Mexico's Social Democratic Party is threatening the Catholic Church for opposing abortion, homosexual "marriage," and euthanasia, saying they'll file suit if the church does not keep quiet. Dr. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission says the church can't afford to be intimidated into submission. "The church has a responsibility to God to speak to all issues as it pertains to our values: our family values, our corporate values, the activities of the church," he notes. A good example is John the Baptist "who spoke out against Herod because of living in open adultery." One News Now

Faith-Based Hiring & the Obama Administration

During his 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama said he intended to overturn President Bush’s policy of allowing faith-based groups that receive federal funding to consider a potential employee’s religion when making hiring decisions. Pew Forum; related stories:

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Bible's Clear, Indirect Pro-Life Message

Working solely with the calendar of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Luke has told us that Jesus was a person with sufficient individual identity that His cousin could recognize him through the assistance of the Holy Spirit (1:41-44). But Luke has also told us that when this occurred, Jesus could only have been a maximum of four weeks old and probably was much younger than that. So the pressing point of all this analysis is not that John (in his third trimester) was a person in the womb when he leapt for joy. The unavoidable and much more forceful point is that Jesus was in the very earliest portion of His first trimester when He was recognized by John as a person. Life News

Wise Decision–Making in a Wicked World

Subtitled "God’s Guidelines for the ‘Gray’ Areas." There are biblical principles that are true anywhere, anytime, and under any circumstances that will help us communicate and “live out” the gospel more clearly. A great place to discover this strategy is found in 1 Corinthians. Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Testimony of an ‘almost statistic’

“To say that God cannot forgive an abortion is to tell Him that His blood is not enough.” This is the message that my mother now delivers through Crestwood Baptists’ GRACE Ministry for post-abortion women. It's estimated that 1 in 4 women age 45 or younger have had at least one abortion; 70 percent claim some sort of Christian affiliation. The confidential ministry encourages women to Grieve the past; Receive forgiveness; Allow healing to begin; Choose to forgive; and End the silence. She wants to encourage other women who have chosen abortions in the past to give that burden over to Christ and receive His forgiveness. Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Family Breakdown is a 'Triumph for Human Rights'

A leader of the United Nations Population Fund has declared that the breakdown of traditional families, far from being a “crisis,” is actually a triumph for human rights. Speaking in Mexico City, Arie Hoekman denounced the idea that high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births represent a social crisis, claiming that they represent instead the triumph of “human rights” against “patriarchy.” Life Site News

The Reality of Innocence

In recent debates on multiple births, my thoughts turned immediately to ‘Jon and Kate Plus Eight’ — Cara, Mady, Alexis, Aaden, Collin, Leah, Hannah and Joel. Not every fertility technique may be wise. But every life, once begun, is an unmatchable individual and an unqualified blessing. When medical ethicists push selective reduction, the question naturally arises: Which ones? The main achievement of this healthier kind of reality television is to reveal the dignity of domesticity. Jewish World Review

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Pastors Protest at 'World's Largest Abortion Clinic'

A diverse group of pastors gathered on the 36th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision to condemn renovation of a six-story Houston building into what they described as "the largest abortion clinic in the world." Sonny Foraker, spokesman for the Greater Houston Area Pastor Council, told the group of supporters and journalists, "We are standing here because [abortion] is a moral evil that destroys human life. We stand together as pastors to say this is not something we want in our community." Opposing Views

What Makes Abortion Plausible? What Makes Abortion Unthinkable?

An edited transcript of a message preached by R. Albert Mohler, Jr. for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2009. Here is the sixth and final part in the six-part series. Access all the installments here.

The prince of preachers: C.H. Spurgeon

The Electronic Bible Society has updated some of Spurgeon's sermons, not to change the meaning, but to make them more easily understood by modern readers. Answers in Genesis; access "updated" sermons

The Adoption Option: By The Numbers

Whether the decline of documented American births in the 1970s is directly related to the legalization of abortion in 1973 is not proven, but statistically, it is known that domestic adoption decreased dramatically after the court decision of Roe v. Wade. . . . In addition, other societal changes, like the acceptability of single parenting, are potential reasons for adoption decline. The Bulletin

8 Traits of Teens Who Abstain From Sex

Encouraging abstinence—maintained or regained—should be the goal of all teens. In fact, by the measure of recent sexual behavior, rather than virginity, close to 70 percent of high school students are abstinent. And many teens who are not currently abstinent are succumbing to peer pressure, real or virtual. High school abstinence is associated with better physical and mental health across socioeconomic groups, no matter how much you torture the statistics. US News & World Report

7 Factors That Foster Teen Virginity, Pledge or No Pledge

Despite broken promises, virginity-pledging teens were considerably more conservative in their overall sexual behaviors than teens in general—a fact that many media reports have missed cold. The act of making a virginity pledge may not affect a teen's future sexual behavior, but the kind of teen who takes a pledge is the kind who's already likely to be sexually restrained throughout adolescence. There's an important message here for parents: The focus should be on cultivating the teenager's ongoing home and social environment, rather than on eliciting a one-time, easily-forgotten promise. US News & World Report

Media lust for sensationalism

Jim Sprague of the Pregnancy Resource Center in Grand Rapids, MI, was recently interviewed by a local TV reporter, to get his reaction to the Obama presidency. He explained they intend to do “what we’ve been doing for nearly 2½ decades: loving women in crisis pregnancy situations, helping them to choose life and staying committed to walking with them even if they don’t,” and described all the services they offer. There was a long silence. Then she finally said, “Wow. I didn’t realize you did all that.” Jim goes on, “The conversation abruptly ended because I wasn’t helping her get her story. While she seemed genuinely impressed with the work being done at the PRC, she finally tipped her hand.” She wanted to know, “Is there someone in Grand Rapids I could call that is more controversial?” As he hung up, it occurred to Jim that helping women and their families isn’t sensational enough to sell the story. “When I got home that night I read in the newspaper the story of a man in another town who drove his car into the local abortion clinic. ‘Jesus told me to do it,’ he said. Now that sells.”