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Pastors don't preach against abortion for the same reason people
procure abortions: fear, shame, and a lack of
faith.
Just a few days ago, a fairly well known pastor in a
conservative, Presbyterian denomination found himself in hot water when he
confessed that he didn't think the pulpit was an appropriate place to preach
politics. Well, I happen to agree with him it's not an appropriate place to
preach politics. Unfortunately, what we mean by that is something terribly
different. I've been asked a number of times by a number of people in great
frustration, people who are passionate about the issue, "why won't my pastor preach against
abortion?"
Well, I've got three reasons that I actually hear from pastors
rather regularly, and three that I suspect are actually closer to the truth.
From that list of what I hear most frequently.
The first thing I hear is that they think
this issue is a political issue, and we're not supposed to preach political
sermons. They think it necessary to avoid political issues. And some would argue
that they avoid political issues because they are divisive, others because the
government forbids it. Well, they are right on the first count, wrong on the
second. Of course every truth divides ultimately. Every
truth.
If you preach "puppies are cute" you can rest assured that the
kitten crowd will get upset. Preach that "the sky is blue" and the gloomy
brigade will demand to know what it is you have against grey. Jesus
Himself told us, in Matthew 10:21, that he came to divide families. We should
expect no less from faithful under-shepherds. As for the government, first there
is no law against preaching on abortion and second, so what if there were? The
government doesn't decide what will be preached, rather the Lord of Lords
does.
Second, pastors have told me that it is just too
upsetting to their congregants. These pastors are thankfully aware of what too
many miss, that their pews are filled with women who have murdered their own
babies, and the husbands/boyfriends/fathers who have helped them. They rightly
recognize the crushing burden of guilt that these people can feel. And they
wrongfully refuse to address it. Preaching against the evil of abortion, like
preaching against every other sin, must include preaching Christ crucified.
And rest assured, all of our sins do need to be preached
against.
Third, I have heard pastors proudly insist
that they only preach the Bible, and abortion is not mentioned in the Bible.
Poppycock. There is nothing new under the sun. How could one preach through
James' definition of true religion, that it is visiting widows and orphans in
their trouble, and not preach on those widows who have no man to protect them
from the worship of Molech, and without preaching on how we sacrifice our
children to the bloodthirsty gods of convenience and
reputation?
The three real reasons I suspect pastors won't preach on abortion are
these. First, going back to that previous faux issue, I think there are many
pastors who think it doesn't apply to them. That their congregation is already
persuaded on the issue, that their congregation is already safe on the issue,
they look at abortion as something "out there." Something wicked the heathen do.
While statistics show that in the United States, one out of every
six abortions is procured by a self identified, self professed, evangelical
"Christian" person.
One out of
every six.
What that means, friends, is that every
year two-hundred-thousand evangelical women are murdering their own children.
This is not a side issue in any congregation.
The second real reason, I suspect, is that so often
pastors don't know what to do. Not that they don't know how to preach a sermon,
but that they don't know how to encourage the saints to respond to this great
evil. It's rather anti-climactic to thunder against the wickedness of abortion
and when you get to the application say, "so write a check to your local crisis
pregnancy center." Pastors don't know what to do, though they of all people
ought to know. What we need to do is repent and believe the Gospel. That's the
solution to every problem. Of course we should write checks to the local
crisis pregnancy center, out of repentance. Of course we should vote for fully,
truly, pro-life statesmen, out of repentance. Of course stand with 40 Days for
Life, in repentance. Take a busload to the annual March for Life at the capital,
not to demonstrate political might, but out of repentance. Go to your local
mill, preach and pray repentance.
Which
brings us to the third real reason pastors won't preach against abortion
because of their own guilt. They may have procured an abortion somewhere along
the way. They may have counseled others to procure an abortion somewhere along
the way. Or they may simply feel the guilt that they haven't preached on this
before. So what's the solution? Again,
the solution is to repent and believe the
Gospel.
Abortion is THE great evil
of our
day.
The
preaching of the Word of God is THE great power of any day. Until shepherds
preach like lives and eternity are at stake, which they are, then lambs will
continue to be devoured by wolves while hirelings look on.
Against abortion preach repentance.
R.C.
Sproul Jr. | January 21, 2015
at 6:30 am | Tags: Abortion | Categories: Podcast | URL: http://wp.me/p2DvKs-16G
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