A Christian Response To Roe V Wade Being Overturned

It was an historic day today! We will all remember where we were on the morning of Friday, June 24th, 2022, a few minutes past 10:00am EST since that's when our PRAYERS SPANNING DECADES WERE ANSWERED and HISTORY WAS MADE as the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade!

A couple Lutheran Pastors weighed in on the ruling...

"When people talk about abortion but won't actually say what it is, this is a very strong sign that they're trying to hide from God behind euphemisms and obfuscation. This is not the day to repeat empty phrases about women's rights or bodily autonomy or to make vague appeals to a 'choice' you won't actually identify. This is a good day to come home to Jesus. There is forgiveness for abortion. There is peace for those who are haunted by it. But you won't find that peace by calling what is evil good. You'll only find it at the foot of the cross. Turn to Christ. Run to the Church. There you will find an endless supply of mercy and healing." 

-- Rev. Hans Fiene

 

"What makes life valuable? Does a cultural norm, a legal decision, a mother's choice, or good DNA make life valuable? Tragically, if humanity is in charge of discerning the value of life, well...history has shown us that humanity has failed consistently (i.e., genocide, abortion, euthanasia, etc). Alas, life is not valuable because of the created's opinions and schemes. Instead, life is valuable because the Creator says so. Indeed, life from the womb to the deathbed is valuable, precious, and treasurable to the Lord because every life -- no matter how big or small -- is one He considered worthwhile to bleed and die for. And so, we rejoice in the overturning of Roe v. Wade (not to score political points) but because today's decision aligns itself with the Creator's view of life. When the created mar the Creator -- we repent. When the created mirror the Creator -- we rejoice." 

-- Pastor Matt Richard

Don't you just love both of those quotes?

There's so much that could be said right now, but I'd rather move out of the way and let God's Word speak for itself.

One Pastor attempted to do just that and he wrote an excellent piece directed at both sides of this hotly contested debate...

Roe vs Wade: Now What? 

Today, in one of the most historic rulings of the last fifty years, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade. This is a giant step toward protecting life, particularly the life of the unborn. It is a giant step toward honoring the fact that God knows and has a purpose for each and every human being – a purpose formed before the creation of the world. 

However, to be clear, the overturning of Roe vs Wade does not make abortion illegal. It simply puts the authority to ban, regulate, or promote abortion into the hands of each state. This will both change and charge the political landscape of the United States. Our deeply divided nation will now be more divided than at any point in recent history. 

So, what does this mean for us as Christian members of our society? What do we do and how are we supposed to act in light of this ruling? First, we need to humble ourselves and pray.

Please read the rest of that commentary, because it's such a solid Biblical response to today's ruling. It's incredibly humbling too, because who doesn't wanna spike the football on a day like today?

Still, what are we to do then? I mean, while today is a very big deal for us pro-life advocates, it's hardly the finish line or time for a victory lap, so what are we to do? What are some Biblical, practical, and pragmatic responses in light of this news?

Statement From LCMS Life Ministry On The 'Dobbs v. Jackson' Ruling 

EXCERPT: Laws to curb evil can only do so much. While we rejoice in this latest move away from federal abortion rights, the law does not outlaw the killing of the unborn, but leaves the choice to each state. The effort to encourage our government (now at the state level) to govern according to reason and natural law must continue. States that have already decided to protect the unborn should be encouraged by their citizens to stand firm. People who live in states where the killing of the unborn is advocated as a right need to be vigilant and steadfast in expressing the fact that the government is to protect the innocent and punish the evil. The protection of the unborn is one of the most important roles of the government. Children’s lives are not a matter of choice or individual rights. 

No court decision or government mandate establishes individual morality. Laws cannot change people’s hearts and minds. Instead, each person must learn from God’s Word the true importance of life in His creation. Sadly, most people in our world care neither for God nor the truth of His Word. No government action or decision will change that. 

Killing children is wrong. This basic and fundamental truth should not require a law or a statement from the government. Laws exist to guide society to protect the innocent and punish the wrongdoer. Laws against killing should not be necessary. The abortion debates and contentions in our country have revealed the depravity of a people who explicitly chose their own rights over the lives of their children. Adults must care for children, not kill them. It is time to repent of the evils of abortion and for our sins of self-centered godless living. 

The people of God must continue to believe and confess the truth of Holy Scripture, reflecting God’s gift of life and His priorities to protect and engender life. We are to not kill, but instead to support life. Though many may argue that everyone has the basic right to decide for themselves concerning their own body, this selfish and shallow view of humanity fails to take seriously our basic role in caring for others.

"This is most certainly true." 

What can we do right now? Pray. Pray. Pray some more! It's what helped make today possible and it's what will make tomorrow possible as well.

So, in that spirit, here are some specific prayers for us to pray...

Finally, please take a minute to read the joint letter the LCMS, ELS, and WELS sent to the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General concerning the violence surrounding this Supreme Court decision.

In a Lutheran layman's terms, it's true that "while today is an historic day, the real work for the Church is just beginning."



NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself. With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!