JUL 2013

 

Word for the Day

Nuance – a subtle distinction or variation, ability to express delicate shadings of expression. [1]

Quote for the Day

Where all think alike, no one thinks very much. Walter Lippman [2]

Website for the Day
http://chrischappotin.wordpress.com/

Thought for the Day

Across the nation, and especially here in Texas, the debate rages on between the Pro-Choice and the Right To Life groups. I propose a third option. It may sound a bit odd, but coming from me, one should not be surprised. I prefer to consider it a finely nuanced position.

I am both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. Every month we financially support our local Burleson Pregnancy Aid Center (Pro-Life). Many people in our extended family were brought in through adoption or permanent foster care. Pam and I became certified foster parents back in 1990 and helped with about 20 children over a ten year span. Some had happy endings and were adopted by good families, some were returned to families with new hope, but sadly, some returned to the same awful conditions from which they came. We wish more single moms would consider adoption as an option.

Now consider the flip side of this issue. Pam had two miscarriages during the early years of our marriage. Did you know that the medical term for miscarriage is spontaneous abortion? When someone asks how many kids we have, we always reply “two,” not “four.” We had no funerals; we do not expect to see them on that final great day. Now, I realize that some families do have funerals and do have that ultimate expectation; I certainly honor that belief. But, in many cases, our stated beliefs are often incongruent with our actions and lifestyle.

For me, the argument is not when does life begin but when does that life have a soul. I contend that occurs when that first “breath of life” is drawn. When did Adam become a human being with a soul? God breathed life into him. [GEN 2.7] When does the soul depart from the body? Isn’t it when there is no more breath of life? On a related, albeit tangential note, I no longer believe we already possess an immortal soul. Jesus warned us to beware of the one who could destroy both body and soul in gehenna. [MAT 10.28] The gift of immortality – everlasting life – is granted on the final great day. [1TIM 6.16]

I know that some will say, “what about the verse that says…?” For instance, Paul says that he was “set me apart from my mother’s womb.” [GAL 1.15] Also, Isaiah says “The Lord called me before I was born; while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.” [ISA 49.1] My reply is that these verses reflect understandings of the culture of their day and cannot be harmonized with our belief that each person is a free-will agent. One could also make the case that these statements are poetic in nature, or even hyperbolic.

In America we are blessed to be able to support and elect leaders congruent with our beliefs. But remember, the government is neither our friend nor our savior. Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world.” [JOH 18.36] If you are strongly opposed to abortion, then let your actions speak the truth. Consider adoption, foster care, taking in a single mom with no hope, or whatever way you can to touch that one person within your sphere of influence. Expecting the government to take care of “these people” is no different than expecting the corporate church to do the same. The responsibility is incumbent on each of us. Rather than corporate support for an “orphans home,” why not corporate encouragement and support for individual members to take in orphans? The church could offer various support systems, including financial, for those who are both willing and gifted to embark on such a ministry. One of the markers of the early church was their willingness to provide for the stranger and the sick. Even the pagan skeptic Julian confessed, “The godless Galileans feed not only their poor but ours as well.” [3]

What do today’s pagans say about us?

May God Bless

Mike Toole
Linda Wise, ed.

Editor does not necessarily agree or disagree with the content of the Clothesline.

1. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuance

2.   http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/74615.Walter_Lippmann

3.  http://cityonahillcommunity.blogspot.com/2010/04/caring-for-poor-early-church-vs-todays.html  The “godless” must be understood from Julian’s perspective; they did not accept the Greek/Roman gods. He is referring to Christians.