A Pastoral Word on Abortion From Justin Taylor to the Reformed-Evangelical Community

Some great words from Justin Taylor regarding abortion and this election:

“Now with all of that said, you may be surprised to hear me say that I really do resonate with Piper’s underlying point. Politics can easily become a source of idolatry. We are dual citizens with a higher allegiance to the City of God. If our candidate loses, we should not grieve as the world grieves. And yes, there will be something enormously significant, historic, and amazing if we elect our first black president.

But . . .

But I want to plead with fellow evangelicals to recognize that this is a watershed election with regard to abortion. Barack Obama has promised to make signing the Freedom of Choice Act his first order of business in the White House–and with a Democratic Congress, he will be able to make this happen.

The Knights of Columbus recently catalogued the many small successes achieved in the pro-life political process since 1973:

• The Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortions;
• The federal law banning partial birth abortions, which was finally upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in April 2007;
• The “Mexico City Policy,” which has barred the use of federal taxpayers’ money to pay for abortions in other countries;
• Laws in 44 states that preserve a parental role when children under 18 seek abortions;
• Laws in 40 states that restrict late-term abortions;
• Laws in 46 states that protect the right of conscience for individual health care providers;
• Laws in 27 states that protect the right of conscience for institutions;
• Laws in 38 states that ban partial birth abortions;
• Laws in 33 states that require counseling before having an abortion;
• And laws in 16 states that provide for ultrasounds before an abortion.

With a stroke of the pen, all of these would be gone.

I am under no illusions that electing John McCain will necessarily lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. But I do believe that McCain would be a good pro-life president, I know that McCain would veto the radical FOCA, and I know that Obama is the most extreme pro-abortion candidate to ever run for president.

I believe evangelicals should care deeply–though not idolatrously–about this election, and that they should do what they can to stop, or at least slow, the slaughter of the innocent. Voting is one of the things you can do. I encourage you to do it, and to do so with a view toward the weakest and most defenseless members of the human race–3,700 of whom are being killed every single day in the United States.”

I have little to add to this. I’m afraid that many evangelicals are not hewing to thinking like this, and that grieves me, but then my hope is not in evangelicalism, but in Christ.

With that said, I grieve for a society that seems poised to slowly knife itself through the weakening of traditional marriage, the expansion of government power and spending, and the repealing of laws that have, however thinly, protected the lives of the defenseless unborn.