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The Alan Guttmacher Institute tells us that 43% of aborting women identify themselves as Protestant, while 27% identify themselves as Catholic. If these numbers are accurate, that leaves us with the shocking conclusion that 70% of all abortions in the U.S. are performed on women who claim the name of Jesus Christ. This is almost beyond comprehension. While it is true that the Alan Guttmacher Institute supports abortion, while it's true that it's in their interest to demonstrate high numbers of "religious" women aborting, and while it's true that surveys are easily manipulated to get the outcome you want, it is also true that abortion is happening with great frequency in the church. Some people will look at this as evidence that there is nothing "un-Christian" about abortion, but this is a very wrong conclusion to make. The Bible in no way supports abortion. What the Guttmacher numbers do tell us is that:
- There are a lot of people in this nation who claim some allegiance to Christ but do not live as Christians. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord...And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" Matthew 7:21-23
- There are a lot of churches out there who are not sufficiently exposing the evil of abortion. Some of these are apostate churches who reject the sufficiency and deity of Christ and publicly endorse abortion. Some of these churches say nothing about abortion from the pulpit for fear of offending those in the congregation who have had abortions. And some of these churches simply don't preach on "topical" or "social" issues, and rationalize that abortion isn't happening in their congregation.
- The secret sin of abortion is a very convenient way to cover up the public sin of out-of-wedlock pregnancy. King David himself, a man out after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), shed innocent blood so as to conceal an out-of-wedlock pregnancy (2 Samuel 11:15). David's example has been followed many times over by those who are adamantly pro-life until an unexpected pregnancy threatens to expose their own adultery or fornication. Eighty-two percent of all abortions in the U.S. are performed on unmarried women. This means that at least 82% of all abortions are a direct result of sexual sin (we don't know how many abortions are performed on married women who were impregnated by someone besides their husband). Where sexual sin ceases, abortion will cease, both in the church and in the population at large.
Many have rightly stated that it is foolish to think that abortion can be eliminated from America before abortion is eliminated from the church. They are right. What is the solution? For many in the church, the solution is simply the gospel. They need to be saved for the first time and bring their lives into submission to Christ. For those who are saved but choose abortion anyway, they need a bigger view of God, a smaller view of man, and a greater understanding of what abortion is. These men and women are choosing abortion, which compounds their guilt before the sovereign Judge, so as to conceal their guilt before other people. This is an absurdity. It is not wisdom to fear men more than God. It is not wisdom to fear those who can only kill the body instead of the One who can destroy both body and soul for all eternity (Matthew 10:28).
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