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The Gift of Prayer: The Power of the Powerless

Published: 10 June 2025
Written by Dean Davis
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Categories: Devotional

Note: The post first appeared in the June, 2025 newsletter of our local pro-life group, Sonoma County Pro-Life.

As pro-life activists well know, our life on earth is a spiritual war. Ever since the fall of man, the world is a vast battle-ground on which the sovereign God bids His people to fight—in love and joy—for the good, the true, and the beautiful. In short, to fight for life.

Happily, we know that both within history and at its end, life will triumph over death. But we also know that for God’s people to win their fights, they must pray. As it is written, God will not give His glory to another (Is. 42:8). Therefore, in order to preserve it, He wisely places the treasure of His divine life in jars of clay, so that the surpassing power to do and achieve may belong to Him, and not to us (2 Cor. 4:7). In other words, God is pleased to make us weak so that we may be made strong in Him (2 Cor. 12:10). And so—acutely feeling our powerlessness in the face of all the egregious evils currently threatening human life—we pray.

As I near my 78th birthday, these truths comfort me greatly. I find I am running out of steam. Health issues, old age, and the urgency of my few remaining tasks press me into the mighty God. If I, the powerless one, am to accomplish anything further, I must lean on Him and pray.

Along these lines, let me share a personal testimony. Years ago—decades, actually—the Lord graciously opened to me a door of prayer, inviting me to call on Him daily for the advance of the cause of the sanctity of human life at home and abroad.

Here is the text He used to issue the invitation:

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me—the One whom they have pierced—and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” – Zechariah 12:10

While at its heart this text is a prophecy of the conversion of God’s people in the days of His Messiah, I sensed at the time that God wanted me to pray it with special reference to the success of the pro-life movement. And so, on most any given morning you will find me praying something like this:

“Lord, this day and every day, please pour out your Spirit of grace and supplication upon many ones: the unborn, their moms, their dads, and their significant others, that they might look on those whom they have pierced—or think to pierce—turn from their wicked way, and trust in Your Son for forgiveness, peace, and newness of life in love.”

If you are abreast of the every-increasing momentum of the post-Dobbs pro-life movement, then you know how abundantly He has been answering that prayer, and multitudes like them.

Is the pro-life movement about actions? Of course. But in my autumn years, when I am increasingly beset by weakness, I now see quite clearly that before it was ever about actions, it was always about prayer. God-given, Spirit-led prayer is the invisible fountain-head of all spiritual advance in this or any other movement dear to the heart of heaven: of all calling, wisdom, power, deeds, perseverance, and of every victory that ever was or will be won.

Therefore, please pray for me, as I for you, that none of us who are called to the defense of the sanctity of human life will ever take our hands from the plow; that even in great weakness—yes, even upon our death beds—we who are powerless may be found leaning on the Lord, joining with Him in praying that He might cause His Spirit of grace and supplication to fall upon many ones, so that they, in every possible sense, might choose life.

Dean Davis
June, 2025

January, 2025: Pro-life Hedgehog Month

Published: 5 February 2025
Written by Dean Davis
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Categories: Pro-Life

January, 2025: What a month for pro-lifers!

The President signs 9 executive orders, with the result that pro-life advocates are pardoned, pro-abortion NGO’s are defunded, and the personhood of the unborn—from the moment of conception—is affirmed. Massive rallies (panned by the MSM) are held around the country; and in Washington D.C. the President, Vice President, Speaker Johnson, Senate leader Thune, and Governor Dauntless (Ron DeSantis) all declare their commitment to the sanctity and protection of human life. Key candidates for the new cabinet affirm the same, a new poll shows that Americans want major restrictions on abortion, and a new report from Texas shows that pro-life laws in the red states are working as intended. Echoing their President, pro-lifers exclaim, “So much winning!” And they rejoice.

But they are not surprised. That’s because their faith leads them to expect just such things. Please permit a retired pastor and long-time pro-life activist to shed some light on that faith, which many pro-lifers believe is the driving force behind all true spiritual progress in our nation, the West, and the world.

The Fox and the Hedgehog

Famously—if rather cryptically—the Greek poet Archilocus wrote, “The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” He meant, I think, that the proud and clever fox knows many little ways to take the hedgehog’s life, whereas the humble hedgehog knows only one big way to save it: He must hide himself in his home.

And so it is with pro-lifers. Yes, cunning anti-life forces know many little ways to impose their regime of for-profit death and destruction upon the ignorant, fearful, selfish, and unsuspecting (as, for example, when they recently enticed voters in seven bluish states to approve extreme abortion ballot initiatives).  But pro-lifers, most of whom are Christians, eschew all such tactics, knowing that there is only one big way to prevail: They must hide themselves in their spiritual home: the living God.

When they do, they come to know three other big things, all contained in the one, and all tending to their wisdom, resilience, effectiveness, and joy.

First, pro-lifers know that God is the Author of universal history, which is therefore best understood as a cosmic play, drama, or epic story: His Story.

The set for His Story is the universe: the heavens, the earth, the seas, and all that is in them. The characters are the triune God, the holy angels, the evil angels, and beloved mankind, the sole creature fashioned in His own image and likeness. The four-fold plot of His Story is the creation, probation, fall, and progressive redemption of man and nature, the latter being accomplished through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The drama in His Story is found in this: Due to the fall of man, the world is now the scene of a great spiritual war between the Kingdom of God and the Domain of Darkness; between good and evil, truth and lies, beauty and ugliness, and life and death (John 10:10). As in Eden, so throughout His Story: God is testing each human character. In love, He invites—indeed, commands—all to believe His Word, obey His voice, and fight on the side of goodness, truth, beauty, and life. As they mull the test, He is looking on, to see how each one will decide. Happily, millions of pro-lifers have decided to fight for life on the side of God.

Secondly, pro-lifers know that His Story unfolds according to this spiritual principle: Where sin abounds, grace will abound much more (Romans 5:20).

They observe this pattern everywhere.

They see it first in the Bible. For decades, apostate Israel is enslaved by tyrannical Egypt; suddenly, God intervenes, a penitent family is delivered, and a new nation is born. Later, in the days of the kings, idolatry, sexual immorality, and child sacrifice abound; suddenly, God intervenes, a righteous ruler appears, idols are smashed, children are spared, and a humbled nation rejoices. Later still, a foolish, selfish, and easily manipulated populace cries out for the death of their Messiah. Never in world history does sin so egregiously abound. Yet never in world history does grace so marvelously super-abound, as when his heavenly Father suddenly intervenes to raise Him from the dead.

They also see this principle operating in secular history. For example, they see it in the triumphs of the British and American Abolitionist Movements, the American Civil Rights Movement, the Polish Solidarity Movement, and, most recently, the MAGA Movement. Accordingly, they know to brace themselves for the long haul. They understand that with respect to the battles, they will win some and lose some, at times even unto loud lamentation (Matthew 2:1-18). But they also understand that along the way, many will be succored, rescued, convicted, converted, and won to the cause of life. Very importantly, they also know that with respect to the war itself, they (or rather, He) will surely win.

Finally, pro-lifers know that they cannot win this war unless they use the weapons approved and supplied by the divine Author himself. 

Here again they take their cues from Bible history. Moses and Aaron stand alone before the tyrant Pharaoh, his priestly sycophants, and his mighty army; yet armed with just a single staff, they defeat them all. The giant Goliath, wielding a spear the size of a weaver’s beam, falls face down, stricken to death by a single smooth stone from young David’s sling. And fulfilling the mystical meaning of all such happenings, the Lord Jesus Christ—suspended all solitary upon a Roman cross—propitiates God’s wrath, satisfies His justice, and eternally defeats the world, the flesh, and the devil in behalf of all who look in faith to Him.

The Weapons of Their Warfare

Therefore, in our own day of testing and battle, pro-lifers take up these three God-ordained weapons of spiritual warfare.

First, they pray. They well recall the words of Christ, who said of the salvation of the wise, the powerful, and the rich, “With man it is impossible. But not with God. With God, all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). Therefore, above all else, they petition Him for what is humanly impossible: that blind eyes may see, and hardened hearts may be softened. Happily, it appears that He is hearing their prayers, and that He has been all along.

Secondly, they speak the truth in love. Knowing that the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to bring change, they repeatedly proclaim—in public—the same fundamental truths: There is a God, and we are not Him. He fashions all human beings in His own image and likeness, for which reason they are inexpressibly valuable. They come into being at the moment of conception, as did the child Jesus, when, by the Spirit, the eternal Son was united with a human spirit and body. From conception on, they have a God-given right to life, a right which civil government has a mandate to protect. We must not commit murder. Those who do stand in danger of God’s judgment, though at the same time under His loving command to repent of sin, trust in Christ, receive forgiveness, and rejoice in the free gift of eternal life.

Where in these United States can I now go to purchase a slave? Nowhere, and it would be to my social ruin if I even tried. Why? Because the abolitionists kept speaking the truth in love until slavery became unthinkable. Pro-lifers will do the same until it becomes unthinkable to destroy a child in the womb, poison or mutilate an adolescent body, or euthanize the aged, the infirm, or the depressed.

Finally, they also do the truth in love. Observing that Christ not only spoke of love, but also showed it in all He did and endured, pro-lifers are determined to imitate Him. Therefore, with little or no government funding, they now man over 3,000 pregnancy resource centers, serve over 2 million clients annually, offer hundreds of millions of dollars of free goods and services to women facing crisis pregnancies, and provide God’s truth, love, forgiveness, healing, and hope to all who will receive them. Like his grace, such examples abound.

Prayer, truth, sacrificial service. These spiritual weapons, despised by the world, are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. One day soon—whether within His Story or at its end—they will win the war for the sanctity of human life (2 Corinthians 10:1-6).

This is why you will always find joy in the burrows of pro-life hedgehogs. View the highlights of the 2025 March for Life and see for yourself. To borrow a (empty) boast from their opponents, pro-lifers know that they are on the right side of His Story. Accordingly, they eagerly wait for V-Day, trusting that they will indeed hear these blessed words from the living God himself: “Well done, good and faithful hedgehogs. You were faithful in the One Big Thing, therefore you have prevailed in many. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

 

Election 2024: Grace Super-abounding

Published: 19 November 2024
Written by Dean Davis
10 Comments
Categories: current events

Note: This article first appeared on the American Thinker website, November 14, 2024. (See here)

 

Following the electoral miracle of 2024, many conservatives have swiftly moved on to a contemplation of the persons, procedures, and policies that will best advance an American renaissance. Kindly allow a retired pastor and bush league theologian to explain why they should not—not, at least, until they have paused to reflect seriously on the purposes of the One who granted it.

Consider, then, this short narrative recorded in the New Testament by Dr. Luke (Luke 17:11-17). The Lord Jesus has just healed ten lepers and ordered them to report the miracle to the priests. Demonstrating that a spiritual test lay hidden in his command, one of the former lepers, a Samaritan, came back to Jesus, fell to the ground, and poured out his heart in thanksgiving to Christ and God. The Lord’s response is well worth pondering: “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to the man, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

We do well to listen hard to this text. For decades the spiritual leprosy of atheistic Neo-Marxism has been spreading through our body politic, bringing massive sickness, corruption, and death in its train. But suddenly, in a patently miraculous turn of events, it was arrested and (one fervently hopes) permanently put to flight—not by President Trump, not by the MAGA movement, and not even by the voters, though all three were indeed heaven’s instrumentalities. Rather, it was put to flight by the sovereign God, in whose hands lie the hearts, minds, and votes of all men (Proverbs 21:1). He is the One, said the prophet, who changes times and seasons; who removes kings and raises them up (Daniel 2:21; 4:1-37). But if that is so, should we not be imitating the grateful Samaritan; should we not be falling on our faces before Christ and God, pouring out our hearts in thanksgiving to them? And should we not be asking God what he means by this stupendous miracle of providence, and what he would have us do? If we truly desire lasting wellness, surely we must.

I have just suggested two reasons for the miracle of 2024: God wants us to see that he himself is the One who performed it, and that, for our own spiritual health, he desires us turn back and thank him for it.

But what else does he want us to learn and do as we press on into a better future? I offer five brief replies.

First, he would have us understand how he works in history. The apostle Paul sums it up this way: “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” This principle—so dramatically manifested in Christ’s death and resurrection—governs the flow of all world events. For a season, by God’s wise decree, sin will abound. During such times, he is testing our discernment, integrity, courage, perseverance, and aptitude for self-sacrifice. Then, when it appears that evil is about triumph, he suddenly intervenes, grace super-abounds, goodness wins out, and the nations behold his sovereignty, wisdom, holiness, justice, mercy, and grace. We observe this principle in Scripture (Daniel 2, Revelation 13). We see it in the succession of world empires. We have seen it in recent history; in the rise and fall of Communist and socialist regimes. We see it in myth and great literature (think of Frodo and the triumph on Mount Doom). And (one fervently hopes) we are seeing it today in a fresh revival of the American Experiment. It began on November 5, 2024, a day when God’s grace did indeed super-abound.

Secondly, he would have us repent of all known sin. For surely the blessing of 2024 was not granted because of our righteousness (though there is some), but in spite of our manifold sins. Therefore, it was altogether of God’s goodness, mercy, and grace. And, as the apostle wrote, the goodness of God is meant to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). So too are his providential chastisements, so painfully abundant over the last few decades (Hebrews 12:6).

Why, then, do we boast about making America great again? Would it not be far better—and far safer—to humble ourselves (presidents and parties included), repent of our sin, and purpose in our hearts to make America good again? In Scripture, the Great City (of proud, deluded, and fallen mankind) is slated for destruction (Revelation 18), whereas the Holy City (of penitent and redeemed mankind) is slated for eternal life and glory (Revelation 21). Do we want America to enjoy true greatness? Then let us swiftly agree to repent of all atheism, idolatry, lawlessness, abortion-murder, sexual immorality, military adventurism, greed, (class) hatred (a species of murder according to Christ), lying, slander, and tyranny of every kind. The message of 2024 is clear: Sin no more, lest something worse than the previous decade befall you (John 5:14).

Thirdly, God would have us come (back) to him through his one and only channel of redemption and blessing: the Lord Jesus Christ. In the noxious spiritual atmosphere now enveloping the West, a vague, generic spirituality will no longer suffice. To survive the new warfare, we must unite with the true victor. Lavishly, palpably, God has shown us that the victor is Jesus Christ. His righteous life, profound wisdom, mighty miracles, atoning death, public resurrection, and exaltation to the right hand of God—all in fulfillment of hundreds of ancient prophecies—plainly mark him out as a man set apart; nay, as the God-Man, as God in human flesh.

It is this Man—now seated at the right hand of God the Father, with all authority in heaven and earth—who just spared our country, having largely done so through concerned pastors, lay thought leaders, biblically motivated voters, and the residuum of Christian values still operating in the broader culture. But if all this is so, then surely God’s message in our recent election includes this most loving command: “Now therefore, be wise, O kings; and be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all who put their trust in Him!” (Psalm 2). Do we desire the blessing of 2024 to continue? Let us kiss the Son and put our trust in him.

Fourthly, God is calling us to recommit ourselves to the American Experiment. I opine that he is quite friendly to it. True, the founding fathers declined to make America a Christian theocracy. But they did make it a theistic republic, a republic in which the enjoyment of personal liberty is ever sustained by obedience to natural law and the Judeo-Christian traditions. Accordingly, our experiment involves a frank recognition of the depravity of man, of his perennial lust for power, and therefore of our need for institutional safeguards (i.e., democracy, separation of powers, limited government), all of which are enshrined in our majestic Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. This rich inheritance places great responsibility upon the citizenry: to honor God, educate oneself, cultivate strong families (the spiritual womb of the next generation), and remain ever vigilant against the manifold encroachments of tyranny. To receive God’s message in 2024 is to appreciate afresh the dangers of life in a fallen world, but also to celebrate the blessings of life in the last best hope of the earth. It is to rededicate oneself to understanding and living out the American Experiment.

Finally, through the election of 2024 God would prepare us for the dramatic closing scenes of universal history. Mercifully and graciously, he has revealed them to us in the Bible. There we learn that under the influence of invisible satanic forces a Babylonian Principle is ever at work in human history, according to which powerful (and powerfully deceptive) men are ever seeking to establish a global empire for the glory of man, rather than a global kingdom for the glory of God. Hitherto, the one true God has frustrated all such efforts. However, as we near the end of the present evil age, he will permit that effort one last time, and for a brief moment it will succeed. In that day, evil will abound as never before. But at the return of Christ, which will swiftly ensue, mercy and grace will again super-abound. And this time—in an eternal City set upon a hill—they will super-abound forever.

Is the New Pro-Choice GOP Committing Political Suicide?

Published: 6 September 2024
Written by Dean Davis
5 Comments
Categories: Christian Activism, current events

Note: I recently submitted this article in a slightly different form to a number of media outlets and pro-life organizations. I post it here, not only to make the case that the GOP is endangering its very existence, but also to encourage Christian citizens to enter the public square and bring much-needed biblical perspective to the burning issues of the day. The Church is the pillar and support of the truth in the earth. God grant her the wisdom, ability, and courage to boldly fulfill that high calling (see here).

___________

Before I reply to the question above, a little history is in order.

In the mid-19th century most American abolitionists had found a home in the Whig Party. But in 1852 the party leadership included a pro-slavery plank in its platform. The abolitionists bolted, and just four years later the Whig party exited American history, stage left. It was replaced by a Republican Party dedicated to this fundamental principle: self-evidently, it is wrong—at all times and in every place—for one person to kidnap, sell, buy, or enslave another.

It is just this stubborn adherence to principle that has drawn millions of pro-life Americans into the GOP for the last 50 years which, until now, has held firmly to a similar principle: self-evidently, it is wrong—at all times and in every place—for anyone to murder a preborn human being by abortion.

Imagine, then, our shock and dismay, as we who are pro-life Americans watched President Trump and much of the GOP reject the historic GOP position on abortion and the sanctity of human life.

The litany of the President’s statements to this effect is depressingly familiar. He has told us that the SCOTUS got it right: abortion is a 10th Amendment issue properly left to the states and the (diverse and ever-shifting) will of the voters.1 Though he personally opposes late term abortions, he is fine with letting blue states permit them, even up to birth. He thinks current abortion law in Florida (and therefore some 15 other states) is too restrictive (i.e., illegal 6 weeks after conception, when the baby’s heart is now beating). He has pledged not to sign any federal law restricting abortion. He states that his administration will be “great for reproductive rights.” Professing love for wanted babies, he is keen on in vitro fertilization, an enterprise fraught with moral hazard and inevitable manslaughter; as for unwanted babies, they are on their own. Perhaps most disturbingly, he and his surrogates surreptitiously marginalized pro-life members of the GOP Platform Committee in order to eviscerate the party’s deeply principled, highly detailed, and longstanding pro-life plank. Alas, all too many Republicans, fearing election loss, have fallen in line.

But might this much-lamented pivot to a pro-choice stance on abortion lead—Whig-like—to the death of the GOP? For the following four reasons, I would answer yes.

1. It forfeits the blessing of God and courts his judgment. Christians believe that righteousness exalts a nation, but that sin is a shame to any people (Proverbs 14:34). They believe that God will honor those who honor him, especially if they do so by defending the helpless victims of oppression and violence (1 Samuel 2:30; Proverbs 24:11-12). They believe that the primary purpose of government is to promulgate and administer God’s law (Romans 13), and that his law includes, as an especially high priority, solemn sanctions against murder (Genesis 9:5-7; Exodus 20:13). They also believe that abortion is a form of murder, that deep down everyone knows it, and that when any citizen, candidate, judge, party, legislature, or nation suppresses such knowledge in unrighteousness and willfully murders the innocent, it is courting the judgment of God (Romans 1).

But one needn’t be a Christian to see all this. Thomas Jefferson, a deist who committed the new nation to the self-evident “laws of nature and nature’s God,” solemnly warned Americans that God is just, and that his justice will not sleep forever. Surely events have proven him right. Observe the (post-Roe) decay of our national character, culture, unity, institutions, public policy, economy, military readiness, and standing in the world. Is this not the hand of Almighty God, withdrawing his favor? But in view of 60 million deaths by abortion, one is compelled to ask: What has kept God’s hand from destroying us altogether? Could it be, in good part, a pro-life movement and a pro-life GOP that stood strong? If so, what might happen if they cave?

2. It betrays long-standing principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the 2020 GOP platform. The latter stated:

The Constitution’s guarantee that no one can “be deprived of life, liberty or property” deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation that “all” are “endowed by their Creator” with the inalienable right to life.  Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.

A party should be defined by noble principles such as these; its platform—above all else—should declare, defend, and preserve its principles. Policies may change, but principles—being anchored in God—must not change, for they cannot change. Since the 1980’s millions of Americans have joined the GOP because of the pro-life principles embedded in its platform. Now President Trump has not only abandoned them, but also used his considerable influence to strike them from the party platform, as if one man’s political judgments or preferences should ever be allowed to commandeer and modify a longstanding platform. Yet a majority in the GOP seems content to follow his lead. Naturally enough, pro-lifers feel betrayed. What will they do? Where will they go?

3. It creates a dangerous leadership vacuum in the American public square. Great principles generate great goals, great leaders, and great movements. The modern civil rights movement had all three and triumphed. The pro-life movement is a great movement with a great goal. But for the moment it has no leader. President Trump and the GOP elite, with some noble exceptions, have vacated the public square and surrendered the field of battle on this issue to the Democrat death cult. Unless God grants us a new leader, a renewed GOP, or a new pro-life party, their hordes will continue to swiftly overspread the land.

4. It creates a crisis of conscience in pro-lifers, forcing many not to vote at all, or to vote for a more principled candidate, or to find or start a more principled party. Some conservative pundits bemoan such single-issue absolutism. We wish they understood. Just as you cannot have a little slavery, so you cannot have a little abortion. And for this reason, you cannot compromise with either. Unavoidably, abortion is an act of murder entailing infant suffering and death, irreparable harm to women, the debasement of the culture, and God’s judgment upon the land. Inevitably, conscientious pro-life citizens will hesitate to mark their ballots for a candidate who declares his commitment to “reproductive rights,” lest they themselves should be found responsible for the evils that their candidate unleashes upon the nation. The party that recognizes such compunctions and honors such convictions will enjoy the enthusiastic votes and participation of millions of pro-lifers. The party that doesn’t, won’t. And it may in fact be signing its own death warrant.

How then shall we prevent the suicide of the GOP?

My reply is simple. We must pray for President Trump and the GOP leadership. We must love them enough to challenge them, but always with gentleness, respect, and hope. We must urge them to repent of this lethal dalliance with institutionalized murder, seek God’s forgiveness, re-embrace his will, and re-enjoy his favor.

Concretely, this means that we must stay true to the fundamental principles of the American Experiment. We must constantly proclaim the sanctity of human life and its corollaries in ethics and law. We must urge the SCOTUS to apply the 14th Amendment and restore the God-given right to life to all preborn Americans. Failing that, we must advocate for a Personhood or Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, thereby compelling the SCOTUS to do its duty.

Along the way, we must work to restrict abortion as much as possible at the federal, state, and local levels. And much is possible. Currently 7 in 10 Americans favor laws that proscribe abortion after the baby is able to feel pain (8-12 weeks after conception). Out of 50 nations in Europe, 47 have enacted just such laws. With tears, we can and should do the same, all the while keeping the supreme goal before our eyes and the eyes of the people: a legally guaranteed right to life for all Americans, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

In passing, let me offer my best reply to a question that presses on many of us: Is it ever right for a person of conscience to vote for a pro-choice candidate?

The issue is complex, so the answers may not be identical.

To begin with, all who honor the Bible as God’s Word know that they must pray over this (kind of) decision, seeking the relevant teaching of Scripture and the mind of the Holy Spirit. Then, when they are fully persuaded of God’s will on the matter, they may vote—or not vote—with a clear conscience before God (Acts 24:16; Romans 14).

Speaking personally, I  judge that at times it may be necessary for me to vote for a better pro-choice candidate in order to avoid the election of a worse one, and the dire consequences that would ensue if the latter were to take office. With reference to the 2024 election, pro-life stalwart Steven Mosher also takes this position, arguing that only a Trump victory—which is unlikely without the support of pro-lifers—gives any hope of preserving pro-life gains at the federal level and of influencing President Trump down the line (see here). I agree with his logic. If, however, I were to cast such a vote, I would feel compelled to contact the pro-choice candidate, explain that I am voting for him in spite of his position on abortion, and urge him to reconsider it, seeing that it is dangerously wrong, both for him and the nation.

But again, my decision may be different from my neighbor’s. The GOP apostasy on this issue is fraught with moral hazard on many fronts, requiring each citizen to examine the matter closely, consult his conscience, and pray personally to the Ruler and Judge of all men and nations (Romans 14:12). Inevitably, some will vote one way, others another. If only the GOP had not foolishly laid this burden upon us.

Permit me therefore to close with an illustration based on my Christian faith. Most people would agree that Jesus Christ is the single most influential leader the world has ever known, and that his party—though not without grievous blemishes—is the largest and most enduring in human history. Observe from the New Testament how this man encountered fierce opposition and suffered widespread rejection, even to the loss of his life. But he never compromised. He always stood firm, speaking God’s words, doing God’s will, and letting the chips fall where they may. And so, on Resurrection Sunday his heavenly Father honored and vindicated him once and for all, setting him on a course of eternal victory.

Beloved fellow-Republicans, shall we not emulate Christ, stand firm, and so enjoy  true and lasting victory?

Dean Davis is a retired pastor, pro-life advocate, and director of Come Let Us Reason, a Bible teaching ministry specializing in Apologetics and Worldview Studies.  www.clr4u.org.

 

Notes

1. On this point, the President is in error. In the Dobbs decision the SCOTUS did indeed repeal Roe; but it declined to make a judgment on the constitutionality of abortion, limiting itself instead to denying that the constitution contains a right to an abortion. Justice Alito, writing for the majority, said, “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely—the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be deeply rooted in this nation’s history and tradition and implicit in the concept of ordered liberty” (here). Now, as a matter of historical fact, the right to life of pre-born Americans is indeed deeply rooted in our nation’s history and tradition, seeing that in promulgating earlier laws protecting the unborn, the states typically appealed to the 14th Amendment. Moreover, even after Roe, the federal government passed any number of laws regulating abortion, laws that the SCOTUS has not stricken down as unconstitutional. Apparently the justices really do believe that the federal government has a constitutionally mandated right/duty to protect human life in the womb. Therefore, it remains only for the SCOTUS to acknowledge the obvious: the 14th Amendment, just like the Declaration of Independence, guarantees the right to life of all pre-born Americans. But alas, the current justices seem content to punt the issue back to the states. The ensuing chaos and conflict—resulting from the rejection of profoundly important principles anchored in God, conscience, and our founding documents—is evident for all to see (here).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offense: A Response to President Trump’s New Pro-Choice, State’s Rights Position on Abortion

Published: 11 April 2024
Written by Dean Davis
5 Comments
Categories: Pro-Life

I am deeply concerned. As a retired pastor and pro-life activist for over 40 years, I feel compelled to respond to President Trump’s new position on abortion and related life issues. In what follows I will largely address my brothers and sisters in Christ, but also all Americans who cherish our great experiment—that we should live together as one nation under the laws of nature and nature’s God.

What exactly did President Trump say? In essence, it was this: “In the Dobbs decision, the SCOTUS got it right. The justices saw that the Constitution says nothing about abortion. Therefore, in accordance with the 10th Amendment, they sent this matter back to the states. And I myself believe that’s where we should leave it.”

Here are some of the President’s exact words: “We have abortion where everyone wanted it . . . The states will determine [their position] by vote or legislation, or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land: in this case, the law of the state. Many states will be different. Many will [permit abortions after] a different number of weeks . . . At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.”

In so speaking, a historically pro-life President, who previously accomplished great things for the unborn and their moms, has effectively become pro-choice. He is personally opposed to abortion; but if elected as President, he will not seek to restrict it by means of federal legislation, Supreme Court decision, or constitutional amendment.

In the face of rising criticism from pro-life leaders who expected more, the President seems unmoved. When asked if he would sign any kind of national ban on abortions, he simply said, “No.” Also, he expects—and apparently welcomes—electoral and legislative challenges to the kind of restrictive abortion laws we see in Arizona and Florida. He said, “So Florida’s probably going to change. Arizona is going to definitely change, everybody wants that to happen. And you’re getting the will of the people. It’s been pretty incredible when you think about it” (here).

Yes, it truly is pretty incredible.

A Stone of Stumbling, a Rock of Offense

I reckon this new states’ rights approach to abortion law to be an exceedingly dangerous error. Among other things, it places a spiritual and moral stumbling block before all Americans. It tempts us to accept the new status quo; to give up the fight for universal legal protection for unborn human beings; and to settle for a politically popular but spiritually lethal compromise, a compromise that will leave multitudes of unborn babies and their moms exposed to painful injury and death, and America exposed to the wrath and judgment of  a holy God.

Already, many have succumbed to the siren song. Kari Lake, a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Arizona, has publicly declared her agreement with President Trump. Accordingly, she has voiced her intention to oppose a recent Arizona State Supreme Court decision proscribing all abortions, except to save the life of the mother (here). Many other GOP hopefuls are falling in line with the President’s new stance (here). To judge from articles and comments appearing on conservative websites, multitudes of conservative Americans are doing the same (here). Doubtless many of my fellow Christians are in agreement. Even the leaders of longstanding pro-life ministries seem uncertain about how to proceed (here, here, and here). The Bible teaches that we are to be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1). President Trump now tempts us to become imitators of man.

Why So?

Why is the states’ rights approach to the life issues (abortion, in vitro fertilization, euthanasia, etc.) such a dangerous stumbling block? Here, to my mind, are a few of the most important reasons.

First and foremost, it ignores the will of God. Or rather, it actually seeks to replace the will of God with the will of man. God says, “You shall not commit murder” (Ex. 20:13). But President Trump and his followers say, “Well, personally we don’t agree with committing murder, but legally and constitutionally we must leave it to the people in the states to decide. Some will allow murder after 6 weeks, others after 15, others later still. At the end of the day, it’s all about the will of the people.” But this, as Roman Catholic leaders recently reminded us in Dignitas Infinitas, is simply another concession to the age-old temptation that fallen man should become his own god (here).

Secondly, this approach misunderstands the proper role of government. Biblically, government does not exist to implement the will of the people; it exists to implement the will of God. This is the thrust of Romans 13. Rulers are servants of God. They are given to us by God for our good. Their job is to commend those who do what is right, and to bring God’s wrath and retribution upon those who practice evil. In short, the purpose of government is to administer God’s holy law, not the wishes of fallen man, which are often sinful and unlawful. When God first instituted human government in the earth, he gave but one command: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God he made man” (Gen. 9:6). Similarly, on the second table of the Ten Commandments, the very first “Thou shalt not” is: Thou shalt not commit murder. Let every human ruler understand and tremble.

Thirdly, this approach misreads the nature and purpose of America’s founding documents. Like the Ten Commandments, these writings laid down the fundamental principles by which the nation as a whole covenants to live together. According to the Declaration, all Americans enjoy a God-given right to life, bestowed upon them by their Creator. That is the principle. The 14th Amendment gives us the principle put into practice: No state may deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall it deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

I am all too aware of those who try to argue that the unborn are not (yet) persons. For biblical Christians, this position is completely untenable, for Scripture everywhere depicts the unborn child as fully human, as a spiritual soul (person) united with a physical body. (Gen. 2:7; Ex. 21:22-25; Psalm 139; Luke 1:41-44; James 2:26). And even if there were doubts about the matter, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was surely correct when he observed that since God himself is the One who is developing a new human being in his/her mother’s womb, we dare not strike at his handiwork (here).

But quite apart from biblical teaching on the matter, we have the testimony of John Bingham, the primary author of the 14th amendment. Summing up its purpose, he wrote, “No state in the Union should deny to any human being . . . the equal protection of the laws.” And subsequent to the passage of this amendment, the states acted accordingly. Nearly every one of them adopted laws prohibiting abortion, and most were classified as “offenses against the person.” Person, according to the original intent of the 14th amendment, means human being. Are unborn babies human beings? If so, the 14th Amendment protects their God-given right to life (here).

Here, then, is the all-important conclusion of the matter. Like slavery, abortion is a national (federal) issue. The Declaration declares that all American human beings have the right to life. The 14th Amendment guarantees that right, securing it under national law. And the 10th Amendment itself concurs. The Constitution does indeed delegate to the U.S. the power to protect the right to life, and so prohibits the several states from violating it (here). Just like slavery, abortion is an objective evil that is wholly inconsistent with the fundamental principles and documents of our nation. By its very nature, it is not a states’ rights issue, but a human rights, national, and federal issue.

In the Dobbs decision, the SCOTUS refused to acknowledge this self-evident truth. Rightly, the justices ruled that Roe. vs. Wade was unconstitutional. Wrongly, they refused to hear the pleas and reasoning of various legal briefs, arguing that legalized abortion violates the natural and original sense of the 14th Amendment (here). Rejecting these pleas, and hiding behind a fallacious view of the 10th Amendment, the justices remanded the matter to the states. Thus did they unleash the spiritual, moral, and political chaos that is now upon us. For the moment, the President and his followers have been bewitched by this legal fiction, and are now furthering the chaos. Until we return to our founding national principles, the chaos, death, and divine judgment will continue.

Along these lines, I would also point out, with Lila Rose of Live Action, that any Republican who adopts a states’ rights position is abandoning his own party platform. It reads as follows:

The Constitution’s guarantee that no one can “be deprived of life, liberty or property” deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation that “all” are “endowed by their Creator” with the inalienable right to life. Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth. 

President Trump and his followers are new political creatures under the sun. If they love the truth, they will either change the party platform or stop calling themselves Republicans (here).

Though he seeks to wear the mantle of a pro-life leader, the President has done great harm to the pro-life movement. For any movement to be successful, it must have a clear goal, a united membership, and (ideally) a champion: a statesman, a true leader who will stand on principle and forward the cause. Our goal has never changed: the restoration of the (biblically-based) sanctity of human life ethic in society at large, and the legal protection of all Americans, from conception to the moment of natural death. For the moment, it appears that President Trump does not embrace that goal, and has therefore declined to be our champion. Indeed, he now undermines our goal, tempting pro-lifers in red states to turn a blind eye to the ghastly whirlpools of suffering and death that are swallowing up human lives in neighboring blue states. That approach did not work in the days of slavery; it will not work in ours. Almighty God will see to that.

The Way Forward

What is the way for forward for pastors, church members, and all traditional Americans?

My reply is fairly simple. We all must be well-informed, active citizens. We must remind ourselves of the founding principles of our nation, and embrace them afresh. We must proclaim to all the sanctity of human life. We must advocate for its full protection under law. More concretely, we must urge the SCOTUS to do its duty: to implement the 14th Amendment and protect the right to life of all Americans, including the unborn, the handicapped, and the aged. Failing that, we must advocate for a Personhood or Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, thereby compelling the SCOTUS to do its duty.

Along the way, we must diligently work to restrict abortion as much as possible, at the federal, state, and local level (here). And much is possible. Currently 7 in 10 Americans favor laws that limit abortion after the unborn are able to feel pain (12-14 weeks after conception). Out of 50 nations in Europe, 47 have enacted just such laws. We can and should try to do the same, all the while keeping the supreme goal before us and before the nation (here). We dare not abandon pain-capable unborn babies in the blue states to the tender mercies of the Whitmers, Hochuls, Newsoms, and Pritzgers of this present evil age. (here)

A Concluding Plea 

I will close as I began, by stating that I am deeply concerned. The wrath of God is much upon our land. We see this in the accelerating corruption of our national character, institutions, public policies, economy, military readiness, and standing in the world. As members of the Body of Christ we can rejoice in the corresponding growth of the Church. But as grateful citizens of the United States, we must lament the condition of our beloved homeland, and, for the honor of Christ, do all we can to strengthen the things that remain.

Why exactly are we in this condition? Romans 1 tells us plainly. We have turned away from God, with the result that God, in wrath, has turned away from us, handing us over to the idolatry, depravity, and corruption that we see all around us, and through which he mercifully warns us to turn back to him.

But second only to America’s spiritual apostasy and idolatry is her monstrous national assault on the most helpless and innocent of his image-bearers: unborn human beings. I know of no more fundamental crime or injustice. We may judge God’s heart in this matter by hearing afresh the words of his Law: “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless (Ex. 22:22-24).

Though they are not without guilt, multitudes of troubled women, spiritually widowed by absentee husbands and boyfriends, have been deceived and led to the slaughter by Big Abortion. And the blood of their murdered children—nearly 65 million of them—cries out to God for vengeance from the hidden graveyards where their pitiful remains are found. Yes, there is great wrath upon this nation, it leaders, and its institutions, for many have not yet repented of their murderous assault on the apple of God’s eye, his unborn human children. 

And now, as if to make matters worse, the SCOTUS, President Trump, and their Republican fellow-travelers have placed a stone of stumbling before us all, tempting Christians, pro-lifers, and all traditional Americans to abandon the founding principles of our national life, and to embrace a species of libertinism that will bring God’s wrath even more heavily upon our land.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, under our Lord Jesus Christ we ourselves are the light of the world. We are the pillar and the support of the truth in this present darkness (1 Tim. 3:15). If we do not take action in this matter, no one will.

Let us therefore keep praying for spiritual renewal in America. Let us pray for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-2). As opportunities arise, let us speak truth to the SCOTUS, the President, our representatives, governors, party leaders, neighbors, and fellow-voters. Let us urge them to turn back to their Creator and Redeemer, and to do all they can to restore the right to life to all God’s children.

And let us especially pray for candidate Donald Trump. I feel a genuine affection for the man. He accomplished much good in his years in office. He has bravely endured outrageous attacks and injustices from nearly every quarter. He has shown supernatural perseverance in the pursuit of his goals. I believe he sincerely desires to make America great again. But he must understand what De Tocqueville understood: America cannot be great again until she is good again. His present policy on human life does nothing to advance that noble and indispensable end.

Therefore, while there is still time, may he—and all Christians and all Americans—hear the word of the Lord:

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deut. 30:19). 

 

 

leave it.” (here)