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Archive for the ‘Life issues’ Category

Mother’s Day & Abortion

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Faith & Practice, Life issues, Relationships, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 9, 2011| 1 Comment »

Yesterday was not a day of celebration for those wounded by abortion.  Mother’s Day is a difficult day for the women who have an abortion in their past, for men unable to save a child from abortion, and for grandparents.  Mother’s Day, for many people, is a reminder of lost lives and denied relationships.

Abortion continues to be a heated debate in this country, but for millions of American women and for the men, grandparents, siblings, and friends in the lives of those women, abortion is  not a debate — it is a loss.  It is the loss of a son, a daughter, a grandchild.  That’s because motherhood and fatherhood — yes, grandparenthood, too — begin at conception.

Many of us know someone who has lost a child through miscarriage.  We grieve with them, offer the peace of Christ, and entrust their precious little one to God.  But abortion is a secret pain.  It is a dagger of guilt.  It is a loss that is carried deep inside and alone.

The great loss of life should pierce the heart of every one of us.  The numbers are staggering.  More than 3,000 women have an abortion every day.  These women are in our families, congregations, and circles of friends.  They are Christians who worship with us and go to Bible study with us.  I know some of these women.  At least 25 of my friends, relatives, or acquaintances have had abortions.  Seventeen of them are Lutheran.  Three are the wives of Lutheran pastors.  At least three have had more than one abortion.

Abortion has created a new mission field for the church.  There is a need to enter this mission field — but first, we must understand that we will almost certainly encounter denial, anger, self-hatred, distrust, grief, remorse, and the nature, but perhaps deeply buried, desire for reconciliation with the Giver of Life.

For those in denial, I pray my message can gently convict.  For those already convicted, I pray my message will offer hope and my behavior be welcoming.  I pray my arms remain open with the merciful love of Jesus who reconciles us all with God.

When I became a grandmother for the first time, I realized that holding my grandson was surprisingly different from holding my own two sons.  Each gaze upon the child of my child is a generational moment.  The room of my heart excitedly received my first grandchild.  The room of my life rearranged itself.

Often, when holding my first… then second, third, and fourth grandsons, I think of the thousands of other women of my generation whose arms will never hold a grandchild.  Their arms will never hold the child of their child.  That’s because when finding themselves “with child,” these women believed the lie: “make this one sacrifice and choose a better time to be a mother.”  Although the room of their hearts may have whispered a word of welcome, the room of their lives did not.

Because these women either did not hear or did not trust God’s promise, the world captured their every thought and desire.  Tossed in a tumultuous sea, these women reached toward “salvation” in the guise of a “quick and painless” abortion.

But the degrading act goes against all that is maternal and natural.  Sent away from the abortion clinic, women are abandoned to burdens of guilt, grief, and anger that threaten to pull them into cold and lonely darkness, away from the Giver of Life.

So, how do you and I respond?  Please read on to my next post . . .

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Think You Know Your Parental Rights?

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, Relationships, Vocation on May 3, 2011| 3 Comments »

Think you know your parental rights?  THINK AGAIN!

God entrusted children to the care and nurture of their parents.  The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) thinks differently.

I encourage you to visit Parental Rights.  Take the quiz and see why we need the Parental Rights Amendment to oppose the U.N.’s involvement in the raising of our children.

Here are a few things we need to know about the structure of the CRC:

  1. It is a treaty which creates binding rules of law.  It is no mere statement of altruism.
  2. Its effect would be binding on American families, courts, and policy-makers.
  3. The CRC would automatically override almost all American laws on children and families because of the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause in Article VI.
  4. A committee of 18 experts from other countries, sitting in Geneva, has the authority to issue official interpretations of the treaty which are entitled to binding weight in American courts and legislatures.  This effectively transfer ultimate authority for all policies in this area to this foreign committee.
  5. Under international law, this treaty overrides even our Constitution.

Here are a few things we need to know about the substance of the CRC:

  1. Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
  2. The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent’s decision.
  3. A child’s “right to be heard” would allow him or her to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.
  4. Christian schools that refuse to teach “alternative worldviews” and teach that Christianity is the only true religion “fly in the face of article 29” of the treaty.
  5. Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
  6. Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.

More about the structure and substance along with notes and sources of information may be found by visiting Parental Rights.   The Parental Rights organization has proposed the following amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  Won’t you consider supporting it?

SECTION 1: The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.

SECTION 2: Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.

SECTION 3: No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.

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Christian Medical Association Requests HELP

Posted in Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, tagged , , , , , , , on May 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The U.S. House of Representatives will debate the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act” (H.R. 3) on Wednesday, May 4.  This bill provides desperately needed conscience protections for life-affirming healthcare professionals and the patients they serve.

I encourage everyone to visit the Freedom2Care legislative action center.  Use the easy form to urge your Representative to vote YES on this bill and to oppose any weakening amendments.

Then, please familiarize yourself with the 16,000 member Christian Medical Association.

My personal e-mail to President Obama, my two senators, and representative reads:

With all due respect,

I am a citizen of this country who conscience cannot allow me to condone taxpayer-funded abortions or the force of medical personnel to perform them.  Legalized abortion has already removed 50+ million people who would have boosted the economy of this country in magnificent ways and brought new creativity and hope.  Instead, we have 76 million of my generation (babyboomers) with only 17 million of my sons’ generation.  What were we thinking?

Please listen to your conscience and vote “YES” on HR 3.  Please oppose weakening the amendment in any way.

Future generations of Americans thank you.  Health care providers who do not believe in taking a life — but rather saving lives — thank you.

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How Does the World Turn?

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Relationships, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

How does the world turn?  By chance, proclaims the secular naturalist.

By the hand of God, proclaims the Biblical Christian.

During a Titus 2 Retreat, the answers to a number of simple questions are followed to their natural conclusion.

  1. Who am I and why am I here?
  2. From where did I come?
  3. Why do things go bad?
  4. Is there hope?
  5. Where will I go when I die?

If I evolved by chance from primordial soup; if my only purpose in life is self-fulfillment; if I’m not responsible for my own messes; if I rely on myself or science to perfect the world; and when I die, well, that’s all there is… how do you think I will live my life?  What will the consequences be?

On the other hand, if I was created by God to be a woman quite different from man, and certainly not an animal; if my purpose is to be in a relationship with God and glorify Him with my behavior; if the world and every person in it is sinful because Adam and Eve disobeyed God; if I am responsible for my own messes; if I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose victorious over evil; and when I die, I will not stay dead but be raised to stand before God… how do you think I will try to live my life?  What will the consequences be?

It all seems reasonable and quite simple.  Follow secular naturalism to it’s logical conclusion and we find devaluation of human life by abortion, “mercy killing,” and school shootings; broken relationships; abuse; tyranny and terrorism; racism and hopeless, human misery.

But, follow Biblical Christianity to it’s logical conclusion and we find value in every human life; restored relationships; kindness and mercy; forgiveness; and hope for the human family.

That’s how my world turns.

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Abortion: “Safe, legal & rare”

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 2, 2011| 1 Comment »

Not many people I know like abortion.  Those who support it as a “choice” or “right” claim they want to make abortion “safe, legal, and rare.”  Seems to me they’ve failed with two of their three goals.

They’ve failed to make abortion “safe.”  Planned Parenthood, Dr. Leroy Carhart and other abortion providers have certainly not made abortion any safer than it was when so-called “back-alley” abortions were performed.   Abortion is, after all, either a surgery or chemical.   The littlest person involved is always sacrificed by way of death.  I fear women are sacrificed as well, some dying and many others placed at risk emotionally and/or spiritually.

They’ve failed to make abortion “rare.”  Planned Parenthood and other so-called “health clinics” that promote sexual intimacy among teens are certainly not making abortion rare.  Doubt me?  Visit TeenWire, Planned Parenthood’s site for teens, and come to your own conclusion.  Do you think the message of “do whatever feels right” would decrease or increase not only abortion but sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and AIDS?  Set young people up for a fall?  Create a self-perpetuating business… for certain federally-funded “women’s health clinics”?

Ahhh… but Planned Parenthood and their associates in business have certainly been successful in making abortion legal.  But, who stands to gain?  Who loses?

I don’t subscribe to the belief that women need abortion to bring some “control” to their lives.  The highest percentage of women who become pregnant choose to engage in the procreational act of sex.  Nor do I subscribe to the mantra that “teens are going to do ‘it’ anyway, so let’s make it safe.”  This is foolishness!  What school principal would inform students how to steal without getting caught?  Binge eat and purge?  Drink, do drugs, or smoke responsibly?

I believe each person is of great value in God’s sight; therefore, deserving of my protection and honest words of warning.  Contrary to what Margaret Sanger and Alfred Kinsey believed, human beings are capable of self-restraint.  We don’t have to be ruled by emotions and desires.  We aren’t, after all, made in the image of animals.  We are capable of thinking.  Reasoning.  Dreaming.  Building relationships.  Serving others.  Bearing burdens.  Preparing for the future.  Being patient.  And making choices that lead away from despair and, instead, toward hope.

I choose life over death.  Therefore, I choose not to send boys and girls out into the street to play or herd them toward the edge of a cliff, but instead, stand in their way saying “No!”  “Stop!”  “Turn around!”  I choose not to help them find holes in protective fences, but instead, repair the broken gate.

I choose not to squelch the natural rebelliousness of youth, but to use it to resist everything that is wrong in this world.  Including Planned Parenthood.

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Hope… and Change

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Relationships, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Much dialogue followed the front page story and photo in my hometown newspaper.  What would one expect after reading the headline: “Mr. & Mr.”?  Discussions have been sane and civil.  No voices raised.  No anger.  Some disagreement, yes.  Concern, yes.  Disappointment, yes.  But,  no hateful words.

Then arrived in my mail a simple but hand-written note from Exodus International.  Exodus is a ministry for those leaving the homosexual lifestyle.  When others ask, “Is there hope?  Is change possible?,” Exodus follows the example of Christ by walking the journey with struggling people.  Exodus doesn’t just speak God’s Word.  It makes use of it.   Over a period of years, I have kept my eye on this organization, watching to see how they treat people.  How they respond to attacks from their opposition.  Who funds them.  Why they continue to exist.  I donate to this ministry, recommend them to others, and offer their resources.  Exodus takes prayer requests from those on their mailing list.  Following the “marriage” of the two young men in my community, I asked the Exodus staff to include these two men in their prayers.

A few days later, I received a hand-written note.  “Dear Linda,” it read, “Thank you so much for your support.  Today in our prayer time, we prayed for the two young men you mentioned in your community.  We will continue to lift you and your family up as well.  God bless!”  It was signed,  “In Christ’s name, Janine.”

Exodus took my prayer request seriously.  They “heard” and responded with a promise to rely not on themselves, but on God.  This personal note was evidence that Exodus takes the struggle of homosexuality seriously.  When this ministry speaks of “hope” and “change,” it speaks not in human terms, but Godly.  Exodus is bold in Jesus’ name because they have evidenced the hope that comes with changed behavior.  Exodus does not shame those they serve, but treats them with a compassion not unlike Jesus who reached out to include those who didn’t seem to fit this or that mold.

Too many people don’t want to believe that change in behavior is possible.  The ministry of Exodus is opposed by gay and lesbian advocacy groups.  But, the stories of men and women who have found hope in changed behavior witness to me of what happens when we stop resisting the Word of Christ and trust Him with our lives.

The media doesn’t sing the praises of Exodus and other ex-gay ministries.  But, if one is really interested in the souls of their neighbors, they might want to visit Exodus.

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Who Is My Neighbor?

Posted in Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Life issues, Relationships, Vocation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A man once asked Jesus, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  This man, who spent his days studying the Law, was testing Jesus.  Jesus answered, “What is written in the Law?  How do you read it?”  The man responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  Jesus said, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live” (Luke 10:25-29).

But, then the man asked another question.  “Who is my neighbor?”  Was the man implying that some people might not be his neighbor?  Do we think that some people might not be our neighbors?

The Greek root of the word neighbor means “nearby, close.”  It means “whoever happens to be nearby or close at hand” (The Lutheran Study Bible, commentary on Luke 10:29).  But, do we too often fail to see a stranger as our neighbor because we are prejudiced?  Threatened?  Inconvenienced?  Selfish?  Lacking compassion?

To help the man recognize his neighbor, Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  A priest and a Levite passed by a fallen, injured man.  Only the Samaritan risked his own life and showed mercy to his fallen “neighbor.”  It is one thing to speak of doing the right thing.  It is another to actually do the right thing.  As Christians, we are challenged to put right thinking into right practice.

Who is my neighbor?  Is it someone in prison?  Is it someone of a different culture or color?  Is it a pregnant teen?  Is it an unborn child?  Is it someone with AIDS?  Is it someone who enters my life at an inconvenient time?  Is it someone whose worldview differs from mine?  What difference would be made in my community if I saw — if we all saw — everyone as “my neighbor”?  If I — we — served everyone as “my neighbor”?

Jesus told the man to be like the Good Samaritan, but this reminded the man of how far he was from being what God wanted him to be.  The same is true for me.  For all of us.  For this reason, I turn to the Cross on Good Friday to remember what Jesus did for me — for the whole world.  Jesus saw my desperate situation — how far I am from being what God wants me to be — and became the Good Samaritan.  He laid down His life for me.  For the world.

He laid down His life for me.  He paid the only sacrifice needed.  Now He asks that I have mercy on my neighbor… all of them.

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Foolish Women

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Relationships, Vocation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing . . . she takes a seat on the highest places of the town” (Proverbs 9:13-14).

“The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down” (Proverbs 14:1).

These verses, inspired so long ago, describe the feminist movement of today.  As a  young wife and mom, I know some of my thinking was shaped by twisted feminism.  But, my eyes were opened by a variety of experiences: my own and those of other women who had taken me into their confidence.  Today, my eyes more easily see the vivid contrasts between the woman God created me to be and the woman deceived feminists think I should be.

My library contains the work of many women who’ve left the feminist movement because it was foolish.  I’ve listed a few recommendations below.   Be prepared not only for a courageous read, but to have some of  your own illusions shattered.

All of my reading tells me that the early suffragettes would find little in common with today’s feminists.  Women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were pro-family (not anti-male) and were strongly opposed to abortion.  Compare them with the National Organization of Women (NOW), or the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), or Planned Parenthood (PP) whose women consider abortion their cornerstone.

Betty Friedan, author of The Feminist Mystique, never found joy: not as a girl, a daughter, a woman, a wife, or a mother.  Certainly she had choices, as we all do, but she chose to speak ill of everything womanly.  Rather than leave dysfunction behind and seek healthy mentors, she blamed society for woman’s woes.   She was “loud,” “seductive,” and “knew nothing” about the created beauty and purpose of women.  Knowing nothing, she “took a seat in the highest place of town” and led women of my mother’s and my generations into foolishness.  “It was easier for me,” Friedan wrote in her book, “to start the women’s movement than to change my own personal life.”

Folly — the woman captivated by modern feminism — has not built a house, but “with her own hands tears it down.”

Did the women who followed Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem find contentment?  Did they help women adjust attitudes away from “me” toward others?  Did they raise — or lower — the standard for women?  For men?  For children?   Did they help younger women find joy in their beautiful design or turn them against their created nature?  Did they soften or harden hearts?  Did their demand for an “equal playing field” produce victory — or defeat — for family and society?

All that I see (and that’s no exaggeration) tells me that the foolish women of the modern feminist movement opened the door to promiscuity and “friends with benefits,” girls less protected by boys and men, depression, increased vulnerability to STDs (how cruel not to tell young women that their very anatomy makes them more susceptible to sexual diseases), mothers turning hearts against their own children, an explosion of weary and lonely single moms, and no-fault divorce.

Had it with Folly?  Then, turn to Wisdom.  Wisdom is Jesus Christ.  Look up all the verses in Scripture that describe Wisdom.  The wisdom of Jesus Christ is life-changing.  Problem-solving.  Creative.  Hopeful.  Pregnant with promise.

Was feminism a mystique or a mistake?  (Read Diane Passno’s book Feminism: Mystique or Mistake?)

Who distorted what the early suffragettes believed?  (Read Christina Hoff Sommer’s book Who Stole Feminism?)

Did our own mothers forget — or refuse — to tell us something?  (Read Danielle Crittenden’s book What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us)

Is modern feminism built on a lie?  (Read Suzanne Venker and Phyllis Schlafly’s new book The Flipside of Feminism)

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What Does “Controlling Our Own Bodies” Mean?

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Faith & Practice, Life issues, Relationships, tagged , , , , , on April 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“Ohhhh… he made me feel so good.  One thing led to another.  I couldn’t control myself.   It happened…

(Pregnant pause)

… now, I must take control of my body by having an abortion.”

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Not the Same God

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Commentaries of others, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A woman named Melissa responded to “Planned Parenthood on 9/11,” my post of April 13.  Three times she commented.  Four times I attempted responses of my own.  Back and forth we went… until it became clear that Melissa and I don’t share a belief in the same God.

“Melissa’s” are in our neighborhoods, families, and even congregations.  Perhaps, if you have a spare moment or two, you might skim her commentaries.  Does she think like anyone you know?   What happens when worldviews seemingly share no common ground?  What does God ask us to do?

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