response to amy

[this started out as a little reply to amy's comments, but got a little bigger... so i decided to post it here. as for all my posts, these represent my own views and ideas, and not necessarily those of anyone else. at least they seem to represent my ideas at the present moment, as far as i know.]

amy, i agree... i too would rather not get too 'political', or aligned with any particular party on this. so i guess the question is how to speak about the issue in a way that doesn't sound like republican talking points. also, i think you have to balance outspokenness with plenty of grace. so figuring out how to talk about it without coming across like a raging, angry 'fanatic'.

on the flipside, what's interesting to me is that today's 'fanatic' is often tomorrow's 'hero'. what do we think of John Brown? he was a zealous and violent abolitionist, and some people (including Thoreau and Frederick Douglass) hailed him as a hero. he led raids that killed pro-slavery forces, and was eventually executed. Frederick Douglass wrote: "His zeal in the cause of freedom was infinitely superior to mine. . . . Mine was as the taper light; his was as the burning sun. I could live for the slave; John Brown could die for him." he was a zealout... maybe a 'fanatic' for the abolitionist cause. was he a hero? personally i'm ambivalent about Brown. i support the cause, but not all of his means. i'm not a 'by any means necessary' kind of guy. i personally prefer the way of Jesus, Gahndi, MLK Jr. but you know, they were considered fanatics and extremists too. Like MLK Jr. said, "The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be." absolutely! i just want to make sure I’m an extremist for the right things.

when it comes to not talking about the issues for fear of being 'political' or making enemies, i don't think there's any room on the sidelines for a christian. first, i just don’t think we can avoid law and politics when it comes to issues of morality. Like MLK Jr. said, "Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless." if that applies to slavery, segregation, and discrimination, doesn’t it also apply to other moral issues, like abortion? i don’t think any of us would disagree with the emancipation proclamation, or complain that it wasn’t going to change hearts in the South. no, we’re not going to change people’s hearts just by passing or changing laws, but it might be necessary in the meantime.

i don’t by any means think that abortion is the only great moral question of the day. there are significant issues of poverty, hunger, discrimination, environmental disregard, greed, etc. however, in the U.S. today, in terms of number of lives affected (and lost), the degree and nature of the harm done, and the repercussions for our society, i do believe it’s one of the greatest issues. so the question is how we respond as christians. i don’t think an option is not talking about it, or avoiding it in favor of less controversial issues, or issues that are more ‘politically correct.’ expediency be damned!—i don’t know what ‘end’ would justify our silence on this. "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people." (MLK Jr., of course)

okay, so then how do we not be silent on this, but also speak out with grace and mercy? i think we need to be very compassionate and merciful toward people who disagree on this issue--not calling people "baby killers" and such (obviously). i think we have to keep some sort of distinction between this issue and any particular political party or candidate. it would be wonderful to have a pro-life wing of the democratic party, and maybe that will happen someday. in the meantime, i don't think we can speak as though pro-life equals republican. i think you can vote democratic and still be outspoken on the life issues, including matters of law. i don't think this issue trumps all other issues (even though i think it's one of the most important). christians should also be outspoken about other moral issues: poverty, social justice, world hunger, the environment, etc.

also, as christians we need to be really good about providing alternatives to abortion. that means really supporting single moms (including things having to do with public policy, health care); we have to be out there helping moms who choose to keep their kids (e.g. volunteering with counseling centers, housing moms); we should really support adoption, and if we have the resources maybe consider adopting a child (and not just a white, healthy baby), and most obviously not having abortions ourselves.

however, i strongly disagree with christians who feel like we shouldn't talk about abortion for fear of allowing christianty to be co-opted by the right wing. just because others have over-emphasized an issue doesn't mean that we should then under-emphasize it... as if that somehow brings balance. i also think it's foolish to think that lowballing this issue is going to make christianity more attractive to liberal, secular people. if that strategy works, then jesus didn't know what he was doing. read mark 10:17-31 (the rich and the kingdom of god). what would we say to jesus? "you know jesus, maybe if you hadn't been such a hard-nose about giving everything to the poor, this guy could have followed you. besides, there are many other issues other than just generosity with money! we're really in danger of turning christianity into a 'poor thing'... how are we going to reach people in the upper classes? we need to make a way for the rich to enter the kingdom too! i'd say we stop emphasizing this money thing and maybe focus on other issues."