The Anti Pro-Life Act asks pro-life pregnancy centers to declare their religious affiliations… why don’t the secularists in the NY Legislature lead the way, and openly declare theirs?
Secularism and Christianity fundamentally reject the presuppositions of the other. Yet, Christianity can peacefully coexist with Secularism or any other belief system. Secularism, on the other hand, cannot peacefully coexist with Christianity, because Christians submit to an Authority higher than the Secular State. Secularism can tolerate no higher authority. In order for secularism to rule, it must de-Christianize society.
Through this act of legislative bullying, the state seems to be attempting to do just that—to further ghettoize Christians, eliminating their intolerable beliefs from the public square.
What is Justice? We know what justice is only because we know who God is. The standard for “good” behavior is found in the nature of the One whom we are to image: God Himself. God’s self-revelation shows us both the brutal reality of sin and the sovereign mercy required to redeem mankind from it. Justice and mercy are equally displayed in the moment of the cross of Christ.
As Christians, we are required to see the world for the way it is, and like Christ, act in a sacrifical manner to remedy it.
The greatest injustices are systemic. A systemic injustice occurs when when a system of power (government, business, culture, etc.) uses that power to promote, enshrine, or accomplish that which is morally evil or unjust.
The Trans-Atlantic slave trade displaced and enslaved over 12.5 million Africans. As many as 15 million were killed in the state-sponsored exterminations of the Nazi Holocaust. An estimated 40 million people are currently in slavery around the world. In a growing refugee crisis, over 68.5 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide. And yet…
The greatest systemic injustice the world has ever witnessed is abortion.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, “During 2010–2014, an estimated 56 million induced abortions occurred each year worldwide,” an increase of 6 million per year from the same study a decade earlier.
Close to 1 million abortions occur in the United States annually.
New York State is the nation’s abortion capital. Statistics from the U.S. Census and Guttmacher reveal that New York contains 6% of the nations population, but performs 13% of the nation’s abortions. More than 6 abortions are performed in New York State for every 1000 residents. That’s more than twice the nation as a whole.
State
Annual Abortions Per 1000 Residents
New York
6.04
New Jersey
4.92
Maryland
4.63
California
3.96
Connecticut
3.66
US Total
2.82
Christians have stood up and fought at the forefront of every historical battle against systemic injustice. Today Christians in New York are not content to stand by as abortion ravages our state.
Let us continue to follow the example of Christ, bearing up under injustice on behalf of the oppressed. God’s law is always higher than man’s.
When the lawyer asked Jesus how to “inherit eternal life” in Luke 10:25 it came down to two things: Loving God and loving our neighbor. “But wishing to justify himself, he [the lawyer] said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor’” (Luke 10: 29).
So Jesus tells him the story of the Good Samaritan who, unlike the powerful and popular passing by on the other side, sacrifices his time and treasure on behalf of the vulnerable. Then Jesus turns the lawyer’s question back on him, “Who proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell…?”
What He teaches us is that the opposite of love is not hate, but partiality – choosing which vulnerable humans qualify as recipients of our favor. Yet all people are equally valuable and deserving of protection. The lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?” implies a man-made hierarchy of human value. This is favoritism and it is wrong.
Any act or ruling that places one person or set of people below others, like preborn babies, is a fundamental rejection of the intrinsic dignity of each person. To see this partiality manifest itself in State government under the false pretense of equality and tolerance is cause for great alarm.
A God-given Choice
God in His mercy is giving believers a choice: Either we can continue to love our preborn neighbor, even when the political winds blow foul, or we can cave to culture.
The good Lord is giving us a great gift…an opportunity to exercise the faith He has given us through the riches of the cross of Christ. And should the political tide continue contrary to true justice, God may turn those tumultuous waters into a path upon which His people walk, the waves of progressive propaganda unwittingly raising God’s faithful to a platform where all can see human dignity and what it means to be truly free.
Pro-lifers Remain Faithful
Christians know that each of us is the man beaten and left for dead on the Jericho road of life and that Jesus is our Good Samaritan, exchanging His righteousness for our sin on the cross. To choose who qualifies as our neighbor when God has caused our path to intersect with the vulnerable is a denial of what Jesus has done for us.
This is why pro-lifers in New York remain faithful to God, regardless of government and public opinion, affirming the humanity of the oppressed which is denied by the powerful.
If we stay true to the first principles of loving God and loving our neighbor, without partiality, as Jesus taught in the parable of the Good Samaritan, then we, though few, will continue an unstoppable force, a faithful witness of God’s Gospel. For if we stare unflinchingly at the heavenly truth, we will watch God show up either in the miraculous courage of His faithful ones facing the fire or in His supernatural intervention to quench that fire.
Christians believe all human beings are made in the image of God and are therefore equally valuable. It’s no surprise then that Christians have always been on the front lines in fights against systemic injustice. Wherever there is injustice, there Christians will be.
The unequaled systemic injustice of our day is abortion. Preborn people are not considered human by the State, so they can be killed. It is the exploitation of isolated women and the destruction of voiceless children.
Most women in unplanned pregnancies don’t want to have abortions. They feel stuck, backed into a corner by their circumstances with no good way out. What do Christians do? In attempt to peacefully resolve the oppression, they reach out to at-risk women one at a time, dignifying them with support and resources so they are truly free… free to say no to abortion if they so choose.
NY Insists on Unchristian Behavior
With the Reproductive Health Act, the government of New York has elevated abortion to a human right. This immediately puts the “right of abortion” at odds with freedoms of religion and speech.
Freedom of religion means the ability to practice religious beliefs in the public square without hindrance or reprisal. A core Christian belief is that every human being is made in the image of God and therefore intrinsically valuable, irrespective of maturity.
In obedience to God’s law Christians must refuse to facilitate abortions. New York State law would make that simple act of refusal a human rights violation.
Should Christians be coerced by the state to facilitate the process of an abortion in violation of their deeply held religious beliefs?
Christians Refuse
When the dictates of the state and the revelation of the Almighty require different behaviors, is it better to obey the state, or obey God? Christians answer to a higher authority, which is precisely why a secular government cannot peacefully coexist with practical Christianity. Christians refuse to participate in the lies. They refuse to bear false witness and say of their preborn brother, “You are not my brother.”
And so the age-old story repeats itself: The Kingdom of God vs. the Kingdom of Man. What will believers in our age do?
Let us be inspired by Biblical Examples of Courage. Let us take this as God’s sovereign opportunity to communicate the truth in the face of injustice. When we are brought before rulers and judges, God will give us the words to say. The state can stand in judgment, but the Judge will have the final word.
So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.” So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. Exodus 1:18-21
And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. Joshua 2:3-6
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” I Samuel 17:32
David took these words to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath. So he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard. I Samuel 21:12-13
Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly; for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water. I Kings 18:3-4
Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.” I Kings 18:21-22
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3
“…and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” Nehemiah 6:10-11
All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage. Esther 3:2
Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish. Esther 4:16
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18
Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. Daniel 6:10
And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Matthew 2:12-15
And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed. Matthew 27:12-14
And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20
“We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus…” Acts 5:28-30
We must obey God rather than men.
Peter
When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” Acts 17:6-7
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-9
…for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Romans 14:8
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. I Corinthians 9:26-27
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9
for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. I Thessalonians 3:8
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Revelation 20:4
