HOW THE CHURCH UNWITTINGLY BLESSES ABORTION
By: Rolley Haggard
BreakPoint
It is generally held by both Protestant and Catholic scholars that those dying in infancy—including those whose lives are ended by abortion—are graciously, if mysteriously, covered by the blood of Christ and received into heaven.
But what is often construed as the corollary to this noble belief—even by pastors, according to Randy Alcorn—is something profoundly disturbing: namely, that since aborted children go straight to heaven, abortion isn't such a bad thing. After all, the reasoning goes, those who are born sometimes grow up to reject Christ and perish. Abortion ensures their salvation.
One might assume such bizarre thinking is rare. But evidence suggests it is far more prevalent than commonly acknowledged.
The Power of Subliminal Thought
You're probably not going to hear a fellow Christian come right out and say the things Randy Alcorn addressed in his video. But the fact is. most of us believe more than we are consciously aware of. Someone has said, “I write in order to know what I think.” King David asked the Lord to “search me . . . and know my thoughts . . . and see if there be any wicked way in me.” He knew there could be wrongheaded ideas in his subconsciousness influencing his actions. The point is, we often aren't aware of all we really believe until our ideas are directly challenged.
So while few may be saying, literally, “Let us permit abortion that salvation may come” (a sentiment strikingly similar to “Let us do evil that good may come,” an idea that Paul roundly condemned), it’s possible the notion plays a significant role in the church's reluctance to address with concerted decisiveness the evil of our age. Indeed, the church's longstanding practical indifference to abortion argues that we have unwittingly taken the short step from celebrating the triumph of God's grace over evil, to minimizing the evil over which grace triumphs.
It is generally held by both Protestant and Catholic scholars that those dying in infancy—including those whose lives are ended by abortion—are graciously, if mysteriously, covered by the blood of Christ and received into heaven.
But what is often construed as the corollary to this noble belief—even by pastors, according to Randy Alcorn—is something profoundly disturbing: namely, that since aborted children go straight to heaven, abortion isn't such a bad thing. After all, the reasoning goes, those who are born sometimes grow up to reject Christ and perish. Abortion ensures their salvation.
One might assume such bizarre thinking is rare. But evidence suggests it is far more prevalent than commonly acknowledged.
The Power of Subliminal Thought
You're probably not going to hear a fellow Christian come right out and say the things Randy Alcorn addressed in his video. But the fact is. most of us believe more than we are consciously aware of. Someone has said, “I write in order to know what I think.” King David asked the Lord to “search me . . . and know my thoughts . . . and see if there be any wicked way in me.” He knew there could be wrongheaded ideas in his subconsciousness influencing his actions. The point is, we often aren't aware of all we really believe until our ideas are directly challenged.
So while few may be saying, literally, “Let us permit abortion that salvation may come” (a sentiment strikingly similar to “Let us do evil that good may come,” an idea that Paul roundly condemned), it’s possible the notion plays a significant role in the church's reluctance to address with concerted decisiveness the evil of our age. Indeed, the church's longstanding practical indifference to abortion argues that we have unwittingly taken the short step from celebrating the triumph of God's grace over evil, to minimizing the evil over which grace triumphs.
Rolley Haggard is a feature writer for BreakPoint.
Image courtesy of "hin255" at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
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