Abortion Part 1

I’ve been surprised lately by the tremendous amount of time and effort we have put into launching Frontline Arlington. The effort has certainly bore fruit but a few of my weekly obligations have suffered as a result. For those who read my blogs regularly you know that my blogging falls in this category. But, I’m back on track and ready to tackle our next topic from a biblical perspective.

I sincerely appreciated the lively dialogue that our last topic – suicide – created among my readers. Several of you thought a great deal about the issue from a biblical perspective and several others shared their own experiences with the topic. I’m hoping for a similar response to our next subject…abortion.

Before I dive into our new subject though, I want to share my understanding of the Bible and its ability to provide truth for all cultures, all individuals, and all circumstances for all time. I believe the Bible contains God’s Truth rather than the opinion of men. The Bible doesn’t need to be modernized or sanitized. It doesn’t need to be watered down, propped up, or apologized for. It cannot be improved upon. The Bible has been the rock of truth for millions of people for thousands of years. I find comfort knowing that I have the Bible as my guide in dealing with yet another difficult subject. Having the Bible as my guide means I don’t have to come up with my own opinion based on experience, education or what someone told me. Instead we can rely on the Truth of God’s Word.

A short historical perspective is also needed here as a primer to our discussion. The date – March 6, 1857. Just before the Civil War in a pronouncement that would become known as the “dread Scott Decision,” an American court declared that black people were not legal persons. A quote form the courts records states “A slave is the property therefore of his or her owner. A slave can be bought and sold, used and even killed at the owner’s discretion. After all they are his property.” Remember those words.

Eleven years later after the Civil War, in 1868, the people of the United States voted to correct that terribly wicked law by adopting the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. From that point on, legal protection is afforded all living beings. Therefore, the problem of legal protection for all living beings has been guaranteed for all time. Right? Wrong.

A century later on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court rules in Roe vs. Wade that unborn human beings are not legal persons. Therefore the unborn baby is the property of its human owner and thus can be killed at the owner request. Sound familiar?

To some of you this may sound a bit melodramatic. I could add that in the last 34 years since the court’s decision over 40 million babies have been aborted (that we know of) …1.5 million annually…4100 a day…180 an hour…12 since you started reading this blog.

Yet, none of these statistics mean anything if the court ruled correctly back in 1973 from a biblical perspective. If God’s Word agrees with the court’s perspective on unborn babies then anyone who calls himself or herself a follower of Christ must adjust his or her thinking and actions in life to be in line with biblical Truth. If, however, the Truth of the Bible stands in opposition to the law of the land then we are to submit to God’s Truth regardless of man’s perspective, governmental or personal.

So, here’s the question – regardless of what position you take on the issue of abortion, what Biblical defense do you have for your position? Remember – and this is essential – as a Christ-follower our sole guide for word and deed in the Bible. Our opinions, perspectives, likes and dislikes ultimately bow to the eternal Truth of Scripture. So, regardless of what we would choose if we were God, we must alter and mold our words and actions to the truth of God’s Word, not alter God’s Word to fit our opinions.

So, the stage is yours. I’ll be back in a few days to continue my series on this emotionally charged topic. Until then…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to

Frontline and the Media

All I have to say is…Wow! (That’s not all I have to say…but, well…you know what I mean. Below is the other stuff I have to say.)

I haven’t had ANY time to blog over the past week because we just launched Frontline Arlington, a new campus of Frontline that meets every Monday night in Arlington. You can read about it at the following link – www.frontlinearlington.com.

Most of you know that we just finished a three part blog series on the topic of suicide. Many of you got involved in the discussion and provided some very valuable insight! I hope you will all consider engaging in our next blog series on abortion. I know this topic will be even more challenging for many than the topic of suicide. I’ll begin that blog series Wednesday of this week (2/7).

Today though, I want to make sure every one of you is able to read several articles that have come out in several local papers!

The first article came out on the FRONTPAGE of the Washington Times last Monday, January 29th, 2007! You can read the article by clicking on the following link – Washington Times Article.

The second article came out this morning (2/4) on the FRONTPAGE of the Washington Times. The article is available at the following link – Washington Post Article.

Both articles are relatively even-handed and, most importantly, expose us to more and more young adults in the D.C. area.

I have a suggestion: Send this blog to a few of your friends who you have invited to Frontline in the past and also to others who you’ve been thinking about inviting. This is a great way to get them more information about Frontline Arlington via the link at top. Through the articles they can also get some idea of what we are trying to accomplish in Washington, especially with young adults.

I say it all the time, but I’ll say it again – I’m honored and humbled to be serving along side each one of you in our mission to impact our generation in secular Washington with the message of Jesus!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
www.frotnlinearlington.com