Social Justice – Musings of a Disciple

The Immigrant

“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” – Exodus 22:21 (KJV)

I’m hearing this verse (or a variant that also occurs in other places) a LOT these days, primarily (it seems) to excoriate the current POTUS for his actions and policies to deport illegal immigrants, of whom there are now millions, a great many of whom entered the United States during the four years of the previous Presidential administration. And I was asked by a good friend (who happens to be a POC) why (in light of this Bible text) my first reaction to “illegal immigrant” is to conjure up thoughts of rapists, murderers, drug dealers, or other such unsavory and potentially deadly insinuations. After all (the argument goes) all the ones I know are perfectly decent people, just wanting to have a better life, and besides God wants us to be kind to strangers, and so …

So, let me, without being a Republican (or “Trumpian”) apologist, attempt to unpack the situation, and the theology, in order to get to what I hope is God’s viewpoint in the current melee.

First of all, since we’re being told that this verse from Exodus should guide our current political stance, let us unpack the context of ancient Israel and how and why God demanded this as part of His plan for His people. Secondly, I want to try to trace the lineage from ancient Israel to the 21st Century U.S. of A. to see if and how and why this principle applies. Thirdly, I hope to come to a hopefully correct interpretation and application of God’s Word to the immigrant situation, and thus to an understanding of our Christian responsibilities. And along the way I want to show what I believe is the correct relationship of God’s church with American politics. Whew!

Topic number 1: the context of Exodus 22:21 in the time of Moses and Joshua. Notice that the direct comparison is made between the time of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt after the death of Jacob and then his son, Joseph with the situation some 400 years later when the nation of Israel is being led into their own land, and how the government / society should be structured there. The verse parallels the “Golden Rule”, namely to treat others as you would like to be treated. Israel had fortunate treatment in Egypt for many years, not least of which was because the second-in-command of that nation “happened” to be of Abrahamic descent, and thus it behooves the new nation to treat other “strangers” as they themselves were treated (at least to begin with). Nice! No arguments there.

But there are a number of other verses surrounding this one that further explain the way these strangers were to act all during the time they dwelt in the land of Israel. One is Exodus 23:12 which extends the duty of resting on the Sabbath to the stranger as well as the native-born Israelite. So, in modern terms, we could say that the foreigners were to obey the same regulations (laws) as the natives. No special treatment, nor exemptions, just because they were strangers. Another is Leviticus 17:10 promising punishment for either Israelite or stranger who breaks the law against eating blood. Again, making the foreigner equal with the native. Or how about Leviticus 20:2, which mandates the death penalty for anyone, foreign or native, who sacrifices their children to Molech. In modern American terms, being a stranger doesn’t exempt you from the laws against child abuse, murder, etc.

Now, here’s a REALLY interesting commandment, and one I think that speaks to part of the problem we currently have with immigration. Leviticus 25:35 commands the nation to help a native-born citizen who becomes poor, or unable to sustain themselves, in the same way as the immigrant or stranger. In other words, if you’re going to bend over backwards to help the immigrant, you better be sure you’re treating your own citizens just as well. And that’s where I see the U.S. failing big time. How many poor, disabled veterans, orphan children citizens have been neglected here while the immigrants are getting phones, houses, hotel stays, jobs, etc.? Don’t mistreat the foreigner, but also don’t mistreat your own while at the same time showering strangers with help and support. So, how come our legislators are making sure the immigrant detention centers are safe, clean, etc. while prisons for our own citizens are overcrowded, drug-infested, and violent? How many of our veterans are suffering, or homeless, or sick / disabled and unable to get help or housing, while illegal immigrants are being given jobs, houses, phones, cash, free health care, and so on? How many teens have to die of fentanyl overdose from the drug dealers we freely admit to the U.S.? How many mothers have to suffer at the death of their children at the hands of violent criminal gang members from South America? How many legislators are going to grandstand, demanding “due process” for illegal immigrants, while injustices toward their own constituents are left unaddressed?

So, I’m hoping you see my first point: much of the sympathy toward the immigrant right now seems to me to be misplaced and hypocritical: they are just a bit more equal than citizens. Sure, let’s make sure we obey Exodus 22:21, but we can’t at the same time neglect Leviticus 25:35.

Okay, but what about my second question: how do we trace the history of the laws of ancient Israel down to the present day? Well, there’s no space here to trace the history of Israel down to the First Century, the advent of Christ, the founding and rise of His church, and the history of Christendom for the last 2,000 years or so. But starting at least from the time of Constantine in the year 350 A.D. or so, much of Western jurisprudence has been dominated by Christian values, many of which were derived from the Mosaic Law (cf. Exodus, Leviticus, etc.). But I think a fundamentally flawed movement began back in the 1980s (roughly), and that is the idea of Christian Manifest Destiny. The book, “The Light and the Glory” and its sequel, traced the history of Christianity in the nascent United States, but then made the assertion that America is the new incarnation of ancient Israel, that is, a nation completely under God. The implication is that not only the blessings promised to Israel, but also the moral principles, the laws, and the governance structure of America was based on the Bible, and increasingly should be completely conformed. Well, except for the burnt offerings, probably. The hue and cry about Project 2025 was largely a reaction to this idea, that of the U.S. becoming a Christian dictatorship.

Well, I reject that principle on so many levels. First, it is VERY clear that the spiritual successor of Israel of the Old Covenant is the Church of the New Covenant, not the U.S. of A. In fact, I could believe (and I’m not the only one) that the U.S. might in fact be the Whore of Babylon, spoken of in the book of Revelation, and not the New Jerusalem. Having said that, what requirement do we have to structure the laws of our country to the Biblical laws of Exodus? Well, we can rightly contend that God’s laws are good, and we would do well to obey them as much as possible. But, then, do we have the option to pick and choose which portions of God’s Word we want to canonize into U.S. Code and which we don’t? I don’t recall any commands from the Lord Jesus Christ on the order of “make sure that every country you go to, make sure that country has My Word as it’s law”. Close, but no cigar. He commanded us to make disciples OUT of every nation, not “of every nation“. See the difference?! Some of the strongest Christians I know of are from countries where their laws are diametrically opposed to the Word of God (cf. ancient Rome, China, and many more). What makes us think that our primary purpose as American Christians is to make sure that our country’s laws conform to the Bible? I mean, I’m as pro-life as you can find, but as I’ve posted before, I don’t think we primarily ought to be making sure that abortion is outlawed everywhere. Would be nice, but … primary? No. I need to be making disciples.

So, the third question: how does this apply to the present crisis? Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I don’t for one second believe that every “immigrant” (illegal or not) has the purest of motive in coming here, to just make a better life for themselves. Some? Sure; I know many. Most? Maybe. All? Not a chance. But another point that I think many of my friends are missing is that there is a distinction between “immigrant” and “illegal immigrant”. Yes, this country was built by “immigrants”. Yes, a lot of our food is harvested by “immigrants” (well, not actually, but by card-holding “seasonal workers”). Are U.S. citizens hiring and paying “illegal immigrants” to work for them? Of course. I know many. But, I think the point is that God was mandating fair and equal treatment for the “stranger” and “foreigner”, but in exchange He was asking that these immigrants conform themselves to their new host country; obey its laws, adopt its culture, and yes, its religion. Be good neighbors. Just like His people were to be good neighbors to the strangers.

And therein lies the rub: a good portion, how many I don’t know, and that’s kinda beside the point, of the current crop of “immigrants” and NOT doing what God required in response to the kindness they are being shown. Many are refusing to assimilate (as in, learn the English language, abide by our laws, adopt the American “ethos”). How many come in to purely take advantage of the freedom we enjoy, to make money by selling drugs to our children, or to “make a living” from welfare benefits, and free healthcare, or to oppress and imprison others in sex-trafficking or slavery? Are all “illegals” doing this? Of course not. How many? I have no idea and neither do you. Which is kind of the problem: we don’t know. There is no accountability. Citizens are bound by the laws; illegal immigrants in a sense are already outside the law, so why would they be bound by any other law, if their very presence in our country is “lawless”?

But, back to one of the original questions: why does my mind leap to “immigrant = dangerous”, “immigrant = drug dealer, etc.” especially when much of our experience is that “immigrant = foundation of our country”? That’s a good question. I can only say that one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel. And I suspect, without any direct knowledge of this: some countries have been deliberately sending us their criminals, rather than deal with them themselves. After all, why would violent gang members hang around Venezuela, when they could just sneak over the border into the U.S. where there are many more rich to steal from, weapons are much more accessible, and there are many more neighborhoods to hide in? Wouldn’t you? And wouldn’t Venezuela just be happy to have their worst of the worst gone to America to cause trouble here instead? And since the border has effectively been completely open for four years (which NEVER occurred in the previous 250 years), there was very little reason NOT to flee to the richest, and freest place on earth; with a literal cornucopia of abundance to feast from.

So, I want to examine one other Bible passage related to immigration (well, tangentially, but still applicable), which is Jeremiah 29:7

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

In context, the people of Israel were being conquered, and forcibly deported to Babylon, home of a cruel and tyrannical government, and yet God was requiring them to be good and do good there. So, in the spirit of “doing unto others”, shouldn’t the foreigners and strangers coming into Israel do the same? And if we here in 2025 America are binding ourselves to God’s Law to welcome the strangers, shouldn’t we ask the same of those strangers we are welcoming? Why should we welcome the lawbreakers, the murderers, gang members, rapists, drug dealers, sex traffickers, or violent offenders and give them free reign?

I suppose the argument could be made that we don’t require citizens to pass morality tests to live here, so why should we require that of the immigrants? Well, we in essence do require it. “No one is above the law” as we say. Citizenship, however obtained, is a reciprocal covenant: you can enjoy the freedoms and benefits of this country, in exchange for obeying the laws and contributing to the society of which you’re a part. And I believe that’s a big part of what God was saying in Exodus and Leviticus as I cited above: foreigners and strangers are to be welcomed into the nation of Israel, on the same terms as native-born. Both sides of the covenant: enjoy the blessings, obey the laws.

And to be completely fair, AFAIK there were fewer fixed borders in the time of Israel. So, there is not a completely parallel situation to the U.S. currently. I don’t see many “immigration regulations” in the Bible. But, consider this: the kings of Israel didn’t take kindly to foreign armies (read Philistines, Amorites, etc.) invading the nation. An invasion with hostile intent was NOT treated with kindness in return. Invasion ≠ immigration. (For the non-mathematically-inclined, that’s a “NOT EQUAL” symbol). And yet, I fear that to many “good Christians” these days, the distinction between these two is fuzzy at best.

So, there’s my position. And just so you know, I have close friends, whom I even call family, that are illegal immigrants. Wonderful, lovely people. People I am proud to welcome to this country, and to protect and provide for. Am I conflicted? Massively.

But, I think my main point is this: it is massively hypocritical on the one hand to demand that our current President treat the “immigrant” (most of whom are “illegal”) with kindness, and shower them with blessings, and require nothing in return, based on a few verses in the Bible, and yet ignore the many verses in that same Bible that require the “immigrant” to behave themselves in accordance with the kindness they are being shown. Oh, and wait, what about Romans 13:1-2?

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Let’s commit to following the WHOLE counsel of God.

Post-Roe

I’m profoundly saddened today.

I’m sad because SO MANY people that should be celebrating that 50 years of the federally-sanctioned slaughter of innocents is over, are instead … angry, and sad, and many are gnashing their teeth and screaming violence.

I think this is a defining moment for this country. The leaders who should be protecting the innocent and defenseless are instead demanding their demise. The political divide in this country, deepened over the last 50 years, has reached almost “Grand Canyon” proportions. I don’t remember the reference, but God says that sometimes judgment is delayed until the sin reaches up to heaven and He can wait no longer. I think we’re just about there.

I’m also saddened that just when the war should be over, and the enemy defeated, we now have even more battles to fight. No doubt the pro-abortion states will now double down and increase abortion activity, even like Oregon, actually allocating taxpayer funds to transport people here for their free abortions. Even as other states ban abortions at earlier and earlier stages of pregnancy. And who even knows the depths the abortion fanatics will go: they are already attacking pro-life pregnancy centers, almost 1 in 6 around the country, and churches. The culture of death, at work in the abortion industry and its supporters for over 50 years, has now spilled out into the country at large. And if the unborn, the most vulnerable, are not safe, how much less their living defenders….

But I’m also sad at my own heart. I’m supposed to be a Christ-follower. One who loves his enemies and prays for his persecutors. And yet, and yet … I hear myself (and certainly my wife hears me) calling down curses on them, hoping for their death, crying “How long, O Lord?” I mean, really?!

And yet somehow I also know that there is an angel moving through the land, and marking those who weep and mourn over sin. And it won’t be long.

May we, may I, be found weeping over my own sin. May I, may my family, be found waging war with spiritual weapons. May we be found not weary in well-doing, not lacking in prayer, or zeal, or devotion. Jesus is at the door!

“What is truth?”

Jesus famously was asked this question at His trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate:

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?
John 18:37-38a (KJV)

I was fascinated by this question as a young man. I even wrote a paper in college in an Honors Philosophy class on the subject. Interestingly, before I knew The Truth (the person of Jesus Christ), and the more I researched this subject, the more confused I became. I think we all have a somewhat intuitive notion of what is “true” and what is a “lie”, but trying to define “truth” is a troublesome pursuit!

So, in one sense, Pilate’s question is not his alone, but a struggle for all of humanity. But, of course, for those who know His Word, we know that Jesus Christ HIMSELF is the definition of TRUTH (and even more!) (John 14:6). This is at once quite satisfying, in that knowing Him, we know THE TRUTH. But, on another level, this might be even more troubling to the questioning mind, since Jesus is a person, while truth is a concept (or so we’ve been taught).

But my personal struggle with all this has only intensified in recent years (about 5 to be exact) as the political rhetoric around “disinformation”, “misinformation”, censorship, free speech, and now a government “Disinformation Governance Board” (a part of the Department of Homeland Security) has blossomed. About 3 years ago I re-read the (prophetic) novel “1984” by George Orwell, and was in a state of shock for several weeks, as the realization set in that we are now actually LIVING IN such times. And the formation of our own “Ministry of Truth” here in the free speech capital of the world has only exacerbated (if that were possible) the reality that truth has pretty much vanished from the public sphere; to be replaced by … well, I’m not sure exactly what we’re being fed these days…

And to make matters worse, it seems like much of the modern (American) church has been polarized into political camps, such that we are at war with each other on such (seemingly, at least to my mind) clear-cut issues as abortion, the role of government, freedom of speech and religion, and many others. I fear we have conflated our religion and our country (or at least our politics) into an unholy alliance of the sacred and the profane, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.

So, what is truth?

Or even, “what is true?”

Can I believe my conservative talk-show hosts? Can you believe your liberal talking heads? (not to put it too personally 😉 …) Can I believe my pastor? How about your spouse, or mother-in-law? DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON????

yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;
Romans 3:4 (KJV)

Seems like this is MY only hope.

I have caught myself (recently, not so much earlier) refraining from shooting off my mouth in discussions with others (of a different political persuasion) with talking points that I haven’t researched myself. Or at least prefacing my remarks with “Apparently” or “I have heard” … instead of blindly claiming for truth what may be (at best) politically slanted, or at worst flat-out propaganda.

And yet, I still find myself WANTING to agree with my favorite people, just because they’re on MY side, rather than trying to find out if even they are really being truthful. And perhaps, therein lies the rub: our desires to fit in, to be part of something, to be in community, to be accepted, very often trump even our desire for THE TRUTH. And maybe it’s part laziness, or just plain busy-ness. It’s (most of the time) a whole lot easier to turn on the TV and “consume” our viewpoints, predigested by our favorite pundits, than to research, think, ponder, and pray. Or, God forbid, to change our viewpoint if we perchance find ourselves at odds with the actual truth…

One of my favorite speakers (although I’ve only heard him once) impressed me most because he seemed genuinely interested in talking with and HEARING other people’s points of view, because he wanted to ponder, and reason about his own viewpoint, so that he could arrive, more and more closely, at the TRUTH. He was speaking about abortion, which is, as you know, one of my hot button interests. Which, incidentally, I have changed and refined my view on over the years. In 1973, the year of Roe v. Wade, I was not even out of high school. I don’t even recall noticing the announcement of the ruling, much less caring one way or the other. Even when Operation Rescue came to my church in around 1988 (maybe, I can’t remember the date) I initially felt that the whole issue was too political, and so not something I needed to worry about (much less protest about) as a Christian. Being married to someone who have previously had three abortions, who subsequently came to a deep understanding of what she had done, obtaining forgiveness, and peace with God about it, and becoming (I would say) a warrior in the Pro-Life movement, did a LOT for my understanding. And yet, in the years since she died, as I have further involved myself in Right to Life, our local Hope Pregnancy Clinic, our Safe Haven Maternity Home, blogging, reading, and thinking, I find myself even deepening my understanding of the issues, the politics, but most importantly the plight of young women (and men; don’t forget the men) caught in the grist mill of unwanted pregnancy (from WANTED sexual activity), parental and peer pressures, political maneuvering, big money abortion providers, and so on.

And even so, the level of LIES, of deliberate misdirections, of hypocritical punditry, misinformation, and on and on, even more so today, ASTOUNDS me. How can people so blatantly spew the stuff they do?? How can well-meaning, religious, kind-hearted people believe, speak, act on such obvious (to me) untruths?

Of course, I only have to look at my own life to see a progression: starting from complete indifference and ignorance, to a growing zealousness, compassion, and hatred of evil. And how much more are others in their own progression? At what stage in such a journey are they? What pressures are they facing, and what influences do they have impinging on them?

Patience.

“God is not slow, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wanting that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth.” (somewhat paraphrased from 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:4).

God IS going to sort out all this. My job is to be OF the truth, so I can hear HIS voice, and be led onward to Glory. And to proclaim, persuade (perhaps), and nurture others towards that same TRUTH, so we can be together forever…

So, thanks for reading, and soldier on for the truth in a world full of lies and deception!!

After Roe v. Wade, Now What?

If you’ve read any of my other posts you will know that I am passionately pro-life. And not just politically conservative, or Republican, but PRO-LIFE. And I am trying to “put my money where my mouth is” by volunteering with our local pregnancy clinic, the local maternity home, our local Right-to-Life chapter, and so on (and, of course, helping financially). Not to mention having been married to a post-abortion survivor (she had three abortions) for 20 years, and holding her through many times of agony and tears and regrets.

So, a couple of weeks ago I read a question on Quora.com (where I also sometimes write answers) asking basically this: “Are any ‘pro-life’ people actually willing to pay medical costs, etc. for a woman to deliver the baby they are forcing her to keep?” At first I was alternately offended, defensive, responding back (in my head) with righteous indignation, disgusted with the hypocrisy (and bitterness) inherent in such a question, and formulating fiery responses in my head. But the next day I believe God my Father told me simply to “Think about it”….

So, I did. and several things came up in rather rapid succession:

I can say I am completely willing, as are all the pro-life people I work with, to do whatever it takes to support a woman in choosing to give birth to her child. But I have to admit it would be hard (financially, emotionally, etc.) to do when the time came. I mean, I am a grandfather: how easy would it be to go back to essentially my twenties and stay up nights with a crying baby, not to mention the almost astronomical costs of childbirth in a hospital these days. And on and on. And I have to admit I hadn’t really thought through these things in terms of, “what am I asking a woman to go through, in not aborting her child?” I’m sure most of you HAVE thought through this, but, for me, it was a bit of an eye-opener.
Without knowing the questioner’s moral stance, livelihood, or basically anything about him/her, I can still say for almost certain that anyone forcing a woman into abortion is NOT very willing to pay the almost certain costs to her in terms of emotional, psychological, often medical damage and hurt, not to mention the possibility of death, infertility, risk of miscarriage, depression, grief, and more, all of which are documented side-effects of abortion. Why can I say this? For one: abortion is all about avoiding the costs and responsibilities of raising a child in the first place, so why would anyone wanting to avoid these basic costs want to incur any other costs/risks/responsibilities if they could avoid them? So, on a secondary level I was disgusted at the blatant hypocrisy of the question.
But, much further down the train of thinking came the thought: if I want and believe in the end of legalized abortion in this country, then what? What do things look like after that? Do we just return to the “good-old days” of back-alley abortions, of stigma and trauma and shame? What is the compassionate position we should be taking as truly “pro-life” people for the inevitable result of 1000s (millions?) of women and men who still do not want the responsibility of raising the child they created, and yet are unable to now have an abortion to “take care of” the “problem”? Are we willing, able, and prepared to actually support these women and men through the DIFFICULT scenario they face? Are we able and prepared to do the education and counseling, and make the societal changes necessary to ensure that we don’t have a backlash that would potentially bring back Roe v. Wade in perhaps an even more horrible version (such as we have seen this last year in New York and other places, actually legalizing what amounts to euthanasia (or legalized murder, in my view) of a child even after delivery if the mother “doesn’t want it”)? We only have to look back not even 100 years to see what happened to the carefully crafted and long-fought-for Prohibition, and the backlash that led to its eventual repeal, to the state we are now in where not only alcohol, but marijuana, even potentially more lethal and dangerous drugs have been/are being legalized…. If history is any teacher, I’m pretty certain that we could face the same kind of backlash after Roe v. Wade is overturned in 10-20 years, if not sooner.

So, in short, I believe God was asking me to think about what I am, what we are asking for, and to be prepared to fight the even harder fight to make sure the change is permanent.

How can I, how can WE do that? What even do we need to be prepared for, realistically?

And what if the Abolitionists win (see my previous post on “Abolition“)? What if after Roe v. Wade is overturned, the law of the land becomes murder charges not only for the doctor, but the woman (maybe even the man) who is involved in a now illegal abortion? What do we imagine the backlash to that will be after almost 50 years (approaching two generations) of legalized, even free, abortion on demand?

Now let me say, NONE OF THIS is intended to even suggest that I want to keep abortion legal. That is unthinkable; to me the equivalent of legalizing murder. But, having God ask me to think about this to me means that there IS something to think about, to ponder deeply, to do something about. Nor should you infer that I have any doubt about the future of Roe v. Wade — the blood of 60+ million unborn children is crying out to God for justice. He is NOT going to leave their cry unheard!

But to me this became very personal as I pondered the question: What would I do if a young woman came to me and angrily demanded that I had a responsibility to help her deal with her unwanted pregnancy now that abortion was off the table because of MY vote, MY pro-life stance and MY work? Could I just answer that her stance is immoral, unjust, and her own fault, so she just “suck it up” and deal with it? Should I threaten her with murder charges, jail, the ruin of her life if she goes through with a back-alley abortion (and mind you, I don’t for one second imagine there won’t be such people, any less than there were no speakeasies or moonshine stills during Prohibition)? Should we distribute condoms to all middle-school children and teach them about “safe sex” so they won’t get pregnant? Should we have all “wayward” teens sterilized so they couldn’t possibly have “unwanted” pregnancies? Or, … or …? God forbid we should respond AT ALL like any of this!!!

Or, should we have now government-funded pregnancy clinics (a possibility most pro-life clinics have avoided like the plague, because of the specter of government control that goes along with funding), and mandatory referrals to them for any unwanted pregnancy?

Will we just sit back, pat ourselves on the back for having achieved our goal of Roe v. Wade being overturned and let America (and the rest of the world) “deal with it”? Is that what Jesus would do?

But I think the hardest thought for me was this: given the CERTAINTY that there will (always) be women who refuse any good counsel, or laws, and have sex, get pregnant, and then refuse to go through with the pregnancy, what should we do for/with this situation? Should there be (shudder) some legalized abortion route for the truly recalcitrant? Like we have a minimum drinking age (that virtually no one that I know obeys)? To “limit” abortions to the truly desperate? Should we legally enforce adoptions? What if that leads to an increase in the rate of adoption abuse, where people get into the business of “adopting” children of unwanted pregnancies simply for the opportunity of financial gain, or worse?? Any number of HORRIBLE scenarios come rushing to my mind, and I’m overwhelmed…

I could almost start to think that it might be better to simply leave things as they are, than to deal with such possible nightmare scenarios once Roe v. Wade is gone. I did say “almost”. I can’t go there. But I have a feeling that not only myself, but maybe many of us in the pro-life movement haven’t really thought about what’s next. Maybe some, even many, have been thinking and planning, but I personally have never once had such a conversation, or read such a book or such an article, or even heard the question asked. So, I’m asking it: After Roe v. Wade, Now What?

I don’t have the answers (obviously) yet. But if we don’t even ask the question, I’m certain we won’t have any answers when the time comes either.

But, actually, I do think we have some of the answers. Already. We do have 1000s of pro-life pregnancy clinics all over the country. We do have prayer chains everywhere, millions of prayers going up to our Heavenly Father, for justice, for mercy, for help. We do have maternity homes in many places, we have adoption agencies, and trained counselors, we have many, many women who have gone through unwanted pregnancies, who have survived rape, and incest, and kept their babies, and know what it takes to do that. We have men and women who survived abortions in the womb, and have found the grace to survive, to forgive, and to be tireless advocates for the unborn.

What I’m most uncertain about, however, since we are seeking for legal changes, for laws to be repealed, for societal “norms” now set in concrete for almost 50 years to be upended, is what the legal framework should be, what the societal changes must look like, what the educational and religious and moral underpinnings of our country must be or become so that all of our gains are not lost in an even greater atrocity.

Thanks for reading.