Do you believe?

I often remind my two sons of a popular phrase: “Your attitude determines your altitude.” Those who value all of human life need to stop thinking about fighting the abortion battle and start thinking about winning the abortion war.

Why I Believe

My belief that abortion will be made unthinkable and unavailable in our lifetime is not some flippant, altruistic platitude. It’s based on conviction and fact. Consider these points:

1. Abortion arguments are completely untruthful. The entire abortion infrastructure is built on lies, but we know that truth sets us free. Winning the abortion war is based on our ability to compassionately and winsomely share truth. Abortion kills a human being. That’s a medical fact. Abortion harms women. That’s a fact. Abortion destroys families. Fact. Abortion is a negative influence on the economy. Fact. Abortion is the leading cause of death in America and breaks the heart of God. Fact. Every life, regardless of the circumstances of their conception, is priceless in value and unlimited in potential. Fact.

Therefore, the abortion epidemic in America exists because we, as a society, either believe these lies or passively ignore them. The more effective we are at spreading truth, the faster abortion will disappear.

2. Slavery was a 5,000-year-old institution when William Wilberforce came on the scene in the late 1700s. Over the course of four decades, Wilberforce successfully mobilized a nation that, when he started, accepted slavery as normal and then, when he finished, found slavery reprehensible. Abortion has been legal for 42 years in America, and our culture has never been settled with it. Culturally speaking, it should be easier to overturn abortion now than it was for Wilberforce to overturn slavery. We have historical precedent to guide us.

3. We are learning how to effectively help rescue children and their families from abortion. It used to cost Human Coalition over $1,100 to reach an abortion-determined woman who would then choose life. Today, that cost is $265. We are testing; innovating; and learning how to overcome obstacles, meet needs, link arms with hurting people, and help save more babies. The pace of our ability to help rescue children is accelerating.

Human Coalition works with 30 life-affirming pregnancy centers across the country, and we continue to see innovation, imagination, and increased results. The two pregnancy centers we own and operate in Pittsburgh and Dallas–Fort Worth are helping to rescue four to five times the number of children from abortion compared to just one year ago.

Do You Believe It?

In light of this tremendous progress, why do compassionate pro-life people still have a pessimistic or neutral attitude about ending legalized abortion? This is by no means a scientific study, but I believe there are three primary reasons:

1. We don’t hear enough good news. I’m often asked if Human Coalition, being one of the largest pro-life nonprofit organizations in America, is targeted and abused by the mainstream media. The answer is no, it’s worse. We are ignored. This has been the media’s strategy for years—they simply act like we don’t exist.
So it’s difficult for many people to hear about the amazing progress that is being made by the pro-life movement in political, activist, and community efforts. Lives are being touched, babies are being saved, hearts are being changed. It’s quiet, grassroots, and largely ignored by the powers that be, but it’s happening.

2. “Things are supposed to get bad.” There are many Christians who believe we are living in the “last days.” This theological perspective maintains we are making our way to a time of terrible tribulation, and things are going to get worse before Christ comes to rescue the Church at the second coming. Therefore, legalized abortion may merely be a sign of the times, and we should expect it to continue.

In my travels across the country and in discussions with church leaders and laypeople, I often run across a resigned acceptance of the permanence of abortion, primarily because of this theological view.

I don’t know when Jesus is coming back, and there are numerous theological views regarding the end of time and history. I do know what God has tasked us to do while we are on this planet. Proverbs 24:11 says, “Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, oh hold them back” (NASB). God has given us both dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28). We have plenty of good work to do while we are here, and that work was ordained before we were even born.

Christians who believe we are living in the end times may very well be right. But they also need to be careful because that view may lead to a conscious—or even subconscious—fatalistic view of the ability of the Church to influence and redeem our culture. Our worldview and our theology govern our behaviors. The temptation may be to sit on the cultural sidelines and wait for Christ to come back to rescue us. Instead, let’s try to save as many souls as we can as this Titanic sinks.

We should be the most optimistic, joyful people in our communities, working passionately to redeem and reconcile all things. Christ’s work on the cross was complete and sufficient. The gates of hell will not prevail against His Church. Christ already won on our behalf.

We are to be both salt (preserving the Gospel in the culture) and light (proclaiming the Good News of Christ).

I’m not arguing for one eschatological (end times) interpretation of Scripture over another. My point is our commitment to rescuing those being taken away to death, restoring our culture to one that values all human life, and obeying the clear command of Scripture to be both “salt” and “light” should be passionate and relentless regardless of our view of the end times. We cannot sit by and allow the suffering, pain, death, and destruction to continue—even if we believe the abortion holocaust may be prophetic. That passivity is in clear contradiction to an abundance of Scripture that commands us to seek justice, preserve the lives of innocent human beings, and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Remember, Proverbs 24:11-12 starts with a command but ends with a warning: “If you say, ‘See we did not know this,’ does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?”

We can and we should end abortion regardless of when we believe Christ will return.

3. “We don’t have the political or financial strength to win.” If we look to the government to end this holocaust, we are going to be severely disappointed—forever. It isn’t up to Washington, D.C., or state legislatures to end abortion. It’s up to us.

Laws follow culture. The tremendous pro-life legislative gains that are being made in various state houses and senates are happening because thousands of committed pro-life people are changing the culture and putting pressure on politicians to follow suit. People ask me all the time, “Do you think Roe v. Wade will be overturned?” The answer is, of course, as soon as enough of the culture finds it reprehensible.

Planned Parenthood has a $1+ billion annual budget. But did you know that an estimated $500 to $750 million is donated to the pro-life movement each and every year? Americans care very deeply about the unborn and their families, and they put their money where their mouth is. The financial fight to end abortion may be a lot closer than you think.

Be encouraged. Despite what you hear on the news, on the Internet, or from political know-it-alls, the movement to end abortion is growing more effective than ever, and it’s on the way to ending the abortion holocaust.

So that’s my “why.” Every life is precious and deserves our protection. And I believe we can make abortion unthinkable and unavailable in America in our lifetime.

Do you believe it too? If so, what can we do together to speed up abortion’s demise?