Before we get to far from last week’s message I wanted to post on the new book by Michalene Fredenburg entitled book “CHANGED – Making Sense of Your Own or a Loved Ones Abortion Experience”. I mentioned it in the message & lots of Journey people bought it after the services. I also noted that I read it in the week leading up to the message.
I know there is no more emotionally evocative subject in our public discourse than that of abortion. I have preached probably 7 messages hopefully reflecting a Biblical perspective on this subject.
As I said last time I spoke on this subject: (Message: And Justice for All in Series – When God Rocks Your World)
– We are unashamedly pro-life, not angrily pro-life, not; condemningly pro-life – but we believe that the Bible clearly & inescapably leads one to a place of welcome to all that He creates.
This is rooted not in a various proof texts (they are there) but in the fabric of the Bible starting in God’s very first statement about men & women made in the Imago Dei – the Image & Likeness of God. One of the best statements I’ve ever seen on this was from Pope John Paul II in his Theology of the Body.
Every person is totally unique and unrepeatable. No person can ever be compared to another, measured by, or replaced by another. Authentic love is attracted not just by “attributes” or “qualities” of a person that light a spark. From The Theology of the Body: Human Love in the Divine Plan
That being said, we have at Journey people with a variety of views on what our public policy should be on abortion. We have people that would call themselves pro-choice. We have people that don’t like it when I preach on this subject. They are good people that love God, but disagree on this. Most of the disagreement revolves around public policy & how or if we should legislate this. Although I think our legislation should reflect God’s value of life, I understand that there are those who disagree.
It seems to me that as a culture we are at an impasse in the discussion / debate. But there is a hopeful development on the horizon. There is emerging, a new way to talk about this, a new perspective on the issue.
I read an article by feminist pro-choice writer Naomi Wolf that Michalene gave to me a couple of years ago that was quite remarkable. Originally published in The New Republic in 1995, Our Bodies, Our Souls (you can google it & find it easily) was like nothing I’d read before. It looked at the issue from the perspective of the impact on the soul of the woman.
The movie JUNO, along with the book CHANGED, helps us face the fact that ANY CHOICE one makes in the case of an unwanted pregnancy will CHANGE US. Abortion is not the option that enables life to go on as if the whole thing never happened. I’ve seen this in my own ministry. It’s replayed over & over in the real life stories in the book & on the stories submitted to the abortion changes you web site. the woman.
Most women who get abortions feel that it is their only option. They are often pressured by boy friends (often older than them) or feel economically pressured. Many are not informed as to the physical realities of abortion and fewer still are told of the emotional consequences. Many women AND MEN (husbands, boyfriends, parents, brothers, other siblings) have nowhere to find healing, to be honest, to experience grace. As one guy in the book explains:
“I can’t talk to my liberal friends – because abortion is supposed to be no big deal. The people on the right… well they scare me.”
To that end I’m thrilled about the change that is in the air, about Michalene’s book, about the wonderful website, about our recognition that we all need grace from God. I’m thrilled to that the vision for both the book & the website is one of healing & finding healing pathways.
Take a minute & visit the website [http://abortionchangesyou.com/home]. Order the book & read it – it’s a quick read. Give it to friends. Even if this isn’t a personal struggle for you, you will be equipped with a whole new paradigm to talk about this. You will also take another step to being the person of grace that God desires you to be.
