In recent days I have been disappointed to hear familiar pro-abortion arguments coming out of the mouths of professedly pro-life Christians. I won’t address each one, but one that is especially disturbing is the accusation of hypocrisy, that we only care about this one issue and don’t really care about preventing abortion, or the life of a person after they are born. These usually start with the words, “If conservative Christians really cared about life/ending abortion/people . . . In other words, we are hypocrites who don’t really care about life. We use one issue (abortion) as a political wedge, but do nothing for the rest of “life.”
This is a spurious accusation which I expect from pro-abortion advocates, but not from fellow Christians. I’m sure there are some who are hypocritical (intentionally or not) in their support of life. They don’t care about people, only about scoring political points.
But those are the exceptions. And it is injurious to accuse the Church of ignoring other matters. The pro-life advocates I know are actively engaged in valuing whole-life – life from conception to the grave. They care for single mothers, promote education, foster and adopt children, and care for the marginalized in society. They promote stable families and work to promote policies and legislation that will encourage healthy homes and stabilize society.
The average Christians I know are committed to giving and serving, not merely in pro-life causes, but food pantries, rescue missions, homeless shelters, and organizations that care for the entire person – in America as well as around the world. They care for the hungry child far away, the needy family down the street, and the lonely widow next door. Sometimes through organized ministries, sometimes through personal effort, and always without any thought or desire for recognition.
Like any other there is certainly room for growth and improvement in this area, but to claim that the church is silent or disengaged is to slander the Body. It is to bring a false witness against brothers and sisters in Christ.
