Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Loving compassionate pro-life vs. Angry anti-abortion

The title of this commentary should seem like a no-brainer for Christians. It is so clear from scripture that we must love our enemies and have compassion on others. While we must take a stand against evil and share the truth, it has to be done in love.

Unfortunately, many times that is not the case when we are talking about ministry for issues like pro-life, homosexuality and other hot button topics. I have seen so much anger, self righteous attitudes and outright hatred in these areas.

Over the last year I have had an abundance of experiences where I saw angry anti-abortion behavior chosen over loving compassionate pro-life action. I have gone to abortion mills to pray and reach out to the women only to find them being screamed at, ridiculed, insulted and
mocked by anti-abortion activists.

At a pro-life conference I listened to a keynote speaker tell the audience that we need to torture the feminists and pro-aborts. Never once did I here anything about loving them or sharing the truth about our only Hope, Jesus Christ.

In a recent brochure I read about an anti-abortion event. It talked about our duty to make life a living hell for the other side. Since when is it our job to convict people? The last time I checked that was the job of the Holy Spirit.

We as Christians are called to spread the Gospel of Christ and to be a voice for the innocent children who are being killed 4,000 times a day from surgical abortion.

Mark 16:15 "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.'"

Proverbs 24:10-12 "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Surely we did not know this,' Does not He who weighs the heart consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?"

While we must be a voice for the children, that voice must be a voice of Love. While we want those who are taking part in the killing of children to be convicted of their sin, we must share the truth to them in Love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth...." (You should really read the whole chapter.)

Before I found the Hope of Christ and His Salvation, I was an evil, sinful person who lived a life of total debauchery. I was often preached at and told how evil I was and how I was going to burn in hell. I was ridiculed and looked down upon by so many religious zealots that only told me of my sin and never shared the Hope and Grace of Christ.

In 1987, that all changed when I overdosed and ended up in a hospital close to death. A doctor in that hospital took me outside and shared with me the Love of Christ and His Grace and Mercy. He told me that there was hope for me and that even though I lived this life in total disregard of anything other than my own selfish pleasure, Christ would wipe all of that clean and give me a new life.

One week later God lifted me out of that horrible pit of sin and debauchery I was living in and set my feet upon the Rock, Jesus Christ. He gave me a new life, and forgave me of all my sins.

Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth? Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

Stand True is committed to spreading the Gospel of Christ and restoring personhood to every single person from fertilization to natural death.

We are committed to seeing an end to the killing of innocent baby boys and girls every day.

We want the abortion mills to be closed and the evil practice of abortion to be stopped.

We are also committed to achieving these goals in Love.

We will still go to the abortion mills to be a voice for those who are dying horrible deaths there. But we will treat the abortion mill like a mission field rather than a protest zone. Not only do we want to see babies lives saved, we want to see hearts changed and souls saved.

For Christ I stand,

Bryan Kemper

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