Churches Can No Longer Ignore

Yet, I am not sure that I can answer this question for my current church, nor do I feel I could answer it about the church in which I grew up.

This is a problem. If I don’t know the answer, then the young woman facing a pregnancy decision in my church probably doesn’t either.

Sure, I have heard plenty of pastors preach about the importance of electing a pro-life and pro-marriage candidate in the presidential election. I have seen several fundraising baby bottle campaigns for local pregnancy centers. I even remember a number of revival services where the pastor preached about the national sin of abortion and God’s impending judgment. However, I can’t point to anything that would indicate a conscious and concerted effort to create a culture of life within the sanctuary. Abortion, if it came up, seemed to be discussed around November or, in more active congregations, the March For Life in January.

Why is that? Is it enough for church leaders to say, “Life begins at conception,” and “We must elect a pro-life candidate this November,” or do the women and men of our congregations need more?

As church leaders, we have heard the world’s message that pastors need to stay out of issues of sexuality. No doubt, pastors often wrestle with the fear of bringing up controversial issues like contraception or unwed motherhood and decide to choose a more socially acceptable topic. However, the question of life is not in a vacuum. If churches do not actively teach on this issue, congregations will turn elsewhere. All too often, the voices they encounter will point them towards a life-denying decision.