David French, along with other conservatives, has raised some significant questions regarding the reversal of Roe v. Wade last week. Now that a 50 year old ruling has reverted abortion laws to the states, how will conservative evangelicals align their pro-life values in support of their accomplishment? For example,
- Will the funds that have been used to lobby for pro-life causes now be redirected toward providing assistance and support for full term pregnancies and support of the child if needed?
- Will evangelicals support inclusive health care coverage for mother and child to make possible what they have deemed to be the right moral behavior?
- Will evangelicals advocate for public schools to be adequately funded to provide educational support for children who may be born with disabilities due to maternal drug and alcohol addiction?
- Will churches and denominations provide crisis pregnancy and adoption services for children who are unwanted after birth? Will they encourage members to consider becoming foster parents?
- Will churches and denominations provide mentoring, education, counseling and tangible support for young mothers who do not have parental skills from either experience or example? Will they provide child care that will allow mothers to work? And if they do work, will they encourage their representatives to increase the minimum wage?
- Will the Catholic church reverse its position on contraception?
- Will Christians move past “thoughts and prayers” and actually commit to “pure religion in the sight of God the Father which means caring for orphans and widows in their distress?” (James 1:27)
Dr. Tony Evans released a four paragraph statement yesterday via Twitter that I found interesting. In the first two paragraphs he expressed his gratitude and agreement for the SCOTUS decision. He then spent the next two paragraph’s calling on evangelicals to step up to the decision, stating that to be pro-life should be “from womb to tomb.” In other words, those evangelicals who supported the reversal now need to answer the call to fill in the gaps and voids that the SCOTUS decision will create. To not step up at this moment in time is not being pro-life. It simply means you were pro-birth.
My prayer is that evangelicals in America will see the SCOTUS decision as more than a political box that has been checked. I pray that evangelicals across our nation will underscore their Bible believing faith and seize the opportunity to roll up their sleeves, open their wallets, and be the incarnational presence of Christ to those impacted most by the ruling.
