The Election is Over: May God Help Us Bind Up the Wounds of our Nation

In his second inaugural address in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln encouraged the U.S. people with these words: “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

Lincoln’s troops were on the verge of winning and ending the war. He knew that both sides thought they were morally right and believed that God was on their side. Nevertheless, Lincoln knew enough about God’s justice and he understood that both the North and the South had committed atrocities before and during the war (ex. massive killings, the horrors of slavery, Sherman’s devastating and decimating march to the sea, etc.). A righteous God had judged both sides and found them to be morally deficient. A multitude of women on both sides had become widows.  Thousands and thousands of young men would never come home. Orphans abounded and starvation was rampant. For those who had eyes to see, the nation’s wounds were all too apparent. A few weeks after he delivered his speech, an assassin’s bullet cut the president’s life short.  Lincoln was denied the opportunity to heal our country’s wounds.

Lincoln’s remarks are very relevant for us today in the wake of our divisive presidential election. Trump won a clear victory, taking all of the seven battleground states. Nevertheless, we are a deeply divided country with roughly 50% on both sides. As in Lincoln’s day, we should strive to bind up the nation’s wounds. To heal a wound, you must first understand it and clean it out. During the passion and heat of the campaign, I didn’t see much willingness on either side to listen to and feel the various painful wounds on the other side. If we are sufficiently mature and with “malice toward none”, we might be able to have courageous conversations and begin to understand each other… an essential first step towards bind up the wounds.

We might not agree that all the painful wounds are equally justifiable, but we should be able to walk in the shoes of those we disagree with and strive to feel their pain. What were our political rivals fighting for and what were they fighting against? I encourage my readers to strive first to understand the pain before you automatically respond.

  1. Millions of our fellow citizens feel they have been economically falling further and further behind.
  2. Our neighbors have seen food and other prices dramatically rise (eggs by over 200%) due to inflation and not fall back.
  3. Many believe that undocumented immigrants are taking away their jobs and/or depressing their wages.
  4. After five decades of living under Roe, millions of women have seen their right to an abortion taken away.
  5. During the same period, millions of tiny lives in the womb have been destroyed not to save the life of their mother, but for the sake of convenience.
  6. Many of our citizens feel that the other side is lying (a lot!) and distorting the truth.
  7. Many feel that people on the other side are arrogant and talking down to voters.
  8. Most people believe that big money has corrupted our political process.

Trump has won the election and will occupy the White House as of January 20. I do not believe in the validity of the maxim “to the victor belong the spoils” as if the winners can do anything they want. God (and “we the people”) demands that those in authority be responsible public servants (Romans 13:4a,6) and to act justly. Therefore, I urge Trump, his supporters, and government officials generally, to seek justice and bind up our nation’s wounds. The following are some of the painful wounds that I see (mostly wounds of those who cannot speak up for themselves, or for society at large). They are principally based upon my belief that all people are created in God’s image and, therefore, deserve to be treated with respect.

  1. Bullying is wrong. To demean others by making fun of their handicaps, deliberately mispronouncing their names, or dismissing them with offensive nicknames (“little Marco” or “your wife is ugly”) instead of reasonably debating the issues, is not acceptable. Everyone should acknowledge that Trump is a bully. I urge him to turn from his bullying ways and set a more positive example for the younger generations.
  2. All women are created in God’s image. Therefore, treating them as having less value than men is wrong. Trump has been found legally liable of sexual assault. The Access Hollywood tape where Trump boasted of grabbing women by their genitalia should be denounced by all people as morally abhorrent. Trump’s unrepentant womanizing is a painful wound.
  3. It pains me to see immigrants vilified for attempting to provide a better life for their families. Of course, undocumented immigrants who have committed felonies should be in prison or deported back to their home countries. The overwhelming majority of immigrants are hardworking contributors to our society.
  4. Trump’s plan to deport 8-15 million immigrants is painful and anti-family, because many of them have children born in the U.S. who are American citizens. As a result, families would be separated. In addition, because undocumented immigrants work hard jobs for low wages, employers will have to pay higher wages to attract new workers. If Trump follows through on his deportation plan, inflation will skyrocket…another painful wound.
  5. Thousands of innocent Gazan civilians have died in the Israel-Hamas war. If Trump gives unconditional support to Israel, many more civilians in Gaza will pay the price with their lives. This is an open, festering wound.
  6. Trump has affirmed that he will “solve” Russia’s war against Ukraine even before he takes office. This probably means forcing Ukraine to give up some of their territory to appease Russia. This will not stop Russia’s imperialistic goals of taking control of other neighbors. This is not an acceptable “cleaning” of the wound.,
  7. Our national founders put “checks and balances” into our Constitution to protect our country from one branch of government amassing too much power over the other branches. The Supreme Court, including the three justices previously appointed by Trump, have given presidents “immunity” for all their presidential actions. Not having any guardrails is a dangerous wound.
  8. Republicans used to be the “law and order” party, and they proudly proclaimed that “nobody is above the law”. That is no longer true. Trump is a convicted felon. The federal court cases against him for insurrection and mishandling of secret documents will just “disappear”. A society that permits the powerful to be above the law has a cancerous wound that needs cleaning.
  9. The planet itself is agonizing with ever more destructive “natural” disasters like massive floods, “once in a century” hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires. Many of these are related to global warming. “Drill, baby drill” for more oil is not an acceptable cure for our planet’s illness.

The list could go on and on. I urge people of all political persuasions to acknowledge the wounds that exist, to empathize and identify with the wounded, and bind up their wounds.

Trump’s Plan to Eliminate the Federal Income Tax: Why would any Sane Person Support It?

Former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has recently floated the idea of eliminating the federal income tax. At first glance, this could be seen as a popular plan. I don’t know anyone who enjoys paying income taxes. Nevertheless, sensible people know that we have to pay our bills, as families and as a nation. The federal government annually receives $2.4 trillion dollars from the collection of personal income taxes, about half of the government’s budget. Common sense reminds us that if you cut your income in half, you must increase your money intake in some other way. Trump claims the funding shortfall could be made up with tariffs on imported goods (see below). Government leaders, including prominent Republicans, have repudiated Trump’s plan while others have suggested that Trump was just “kidding”. Trump responded in his recent interview with Joe Rogan on Friday that he was quite serious about his plan.

It is important for us to remember that during Trump’s presidency (2017-2021), the national debt increased by $7.8 trillion dollars, the largest increase in our country’s history! His idea of raising money by 10-20% tariffs on foreign goods is also quite flawed. Foreign companies and countries would not pay a penny to the U.S. government.  The tariffs would be a “sales tax” paid for by U.S. importers who would pass on the higher costs to U.S. consumers! In addition, other countries might retaliate and impose their own tariffs on U.S. products, and thereby hurting companies in our nation.

His plan to implement massive deportation of immigrants is inhumane at a moral level. It is also economical lunacy. Many immigrants work for lower than a minimal wage. If they are deported, labor costs would dramatically increase, especially in the fields of construction, agriculture, and food services. Inflation would skyrocket.

23 winners of the Nobel prize for economics recently wrote a letter to the U.S. public in which they stated, “While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we believe that, overall, Harris’ economic agenda will improve our nation’s health, investment, sustainability, resilience, employment opportunities, and fairness and be vastly superior to the counterproductive economic agenda of Donald Trump.”

We must also remember that many of his businesses (like Trump University) have failed. He has declared bankruptcy multiple times. He has also been found guilty of cheating on his payment of state and federal taxes.

Given this massive quantity of evidence, why would anyone of sound mind trust Trump with our nation’s economy? There might be some reasons for voting for Trump (although his lying, womanizing, felonies, racism, bullying, etc., disqualify him according to my conscience), his economic strategy is horrible,

Last Night’s Debate: Vance Won on Style, Lost on Truth

Last Night’s Debate: Vance Won on Style, Lost on Truth

Last night’s debate between the vice-presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz was generally respectful, almost downright friendly. Vance came across as polished and spoke a lot of content. He partly improved his unfavorable reputation on the campaign trail where, in addition to many other absurd comments, he has falsely accused Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio of eating cats and dogs. Nevertheless, he lost the debate on credibility because he told numerous lies and refused to answer several tough questions. Here are some of the most important:

  1.  When he was asked about what the Trump/Vance administration would do about Obamacare (ACA- Affordable Care Act), Vance falsely affirmed that during his presidency Trump had “saved” Obamacare from crashing under its own weight. That is a lie. Trump tried to kill the ACA, but Senator John McCain blocked Trump in the Senate. In fact, Obamacare has increased in popularity over the years and more citizens are covered by Obamacare than ever before.
  2. Given the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, Vance was asked whether global warming/climate change was a “hoax” as Trump has frequently claimed. Vance would not answer the question directly, although he said climate change was “weird science”. He brazenly lied about the United States being one of the cleanest economies in the world. In fact, the U.S.A. is the third dirtiest economy, after China and India.
  3. Vance continued Trump’s claims that immigrants were the major cause for our increasing crime rates. This is a lie on two counts. First, major crime (murder, robbery, violence) rates have gone down over the last two years. Secondly, study after study have repeatedly shown that immigrants in the United States have lower crime rates that nationals. Scapegoating immigrants without credible evidence to back it up has been a shameful practice in our history… and continues to our times.
  4. Vance argued that our economy during Trump’s presidency was the best in the world. He conveniently omitted that Trump increased our national debt by more than any previous four-year administration. When pressed on the issue, Vance refused to answer the question.
  5. The most important moment in the debate occurred near the end. Walz asked Vance if he acknowledges that, in fact, Trump lost the 2020 election. Vance refused to answer the question. He responded, “I want to concentrate on the future.”

Both candidates (and all humans, for that matter) have their flaws. Both have told lies, big and small. But lies seem to roll off the lips of Vance quite easily. Truth still matters and can still set us free.

Pope Francis Weighs in on the U.S. Presidential Election: One Principle, Several Issues

A week ago, Pope Francis wrapped up an eleven-day pastoral visit to Southeast Asia and Oceania. On the plane trip home to the Vatican, he held a press conference for the reporters who accompanied him on the plane. One reporter asked the Pontiff for his opinion on the presidential election in the United States. Although he did not mention Donald Trump or Kamala Harris by name, it was obvious who he was referring to.   “Sending migrants away, not allowing them to grow, not letting them have life is something wrong; it is cruelty. Sending a child away from the womb of the mother is murder because there is life. And we must speak clearly about things.”

After denouncing the sinful policies of both Trump and Harris, he stilled affirmed that it is a Christian’s responsibility to vote. He was asked whether it would be morally admissible to vote for someone who favored the right to abortion, he responded: “One must vote. And one must choose the lesser evil. Which is the lesser evil? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know. Each person must think and decide according to his or her own conscience.”

Although I strive to follow Christ, I am not a Roman Catholic. I do not agree with Pope Francis on every issue, but I acknowledge him as a fellow traveler who advocates for the most vulnerable in our society (according to the Bible, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger). His ethical principle  is fairly simple and echoes the teaching of Jesus. All of our actions, including voting and other political acts, should seek to enhance the lives of our neighbors, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. He urges us to apply this Golden Rule to all aspects of human life, what Catholic ethicists call the “Seamless Garment”. Therefore, all government policies should be evaluated according to how they enhance humanity’s wellbeing: policies regarding marriage and family, healthcare, education, employment, care of creation, abortion, immigration and other issues.  He does not think that people should evaluate political candidates by only one issue. People are fallen creatures and political policies exemplify their flaws. That should not lead us to political apathy. We should evaluate these options and vote for the “lesser of the evils”, that is, those that achieve the greatest good in the world.

This papal advice might affect the U.S. election in unexpected ways. Not all people of faith agree with the Pope that human life should be legally protected from the moment of conception. Many place that point at the moment of the viability of the fetus outside the womb, while others believe it should begin at birth. Many of these people will vote for Harris. Even those pro-lifers who agree with the Pope’s position on abortion might vote for Harris, because Trump’s immigration policy is equally evil.

May people in the U.S. seek the truth, evaluate the options and vote as their conscience leads them.

What to Watch for in the Great Debate: Trump and Harris on the Economy

The great debate takes place tonight. What should we look for? Among the many important issues, I suggest we pay close attention to the economy.

Trump, of course, has a record to run on. How successful was our economy during his four-year administration as president (2017-2021)? Although he claims it was the “greatest the world has ever seen”, the facts tell a different story. During his presidency, the national debt increased by $7.8 trillion dollars (U.S. Treasury Department). This was the largest debt increase in a four-year presidential term in our country’s history! (Caveat: The debt rose $9.1 trillion under Obama, but that occurred over his eight years as president, in contrast with Trump’s four years.) Trump’s large deficit was mostly due to his huge tax cuts for the benefit of the wealthy citizens in our midst. He claimed that tax revenue would show an amazing growth due to a boom in the economy. Of course, he was wrong. The debt increase was similar to indulgent parents who buy their children expensive gifts…and buy them with a credit card. Sooner or later, someone has to pay. In this case, it is the U.S. taxpayer.

If this truth is acknowledged, it is difficult to understand why sane voters would trust Trump on the economy. Let’s look at tariffs. Trump has promised, “We will become a tariff nation”. Tariffs are usually applied on products from foreign nations in order to financially punish those countries, by raising prices and, therefore, reducing sales of those products. Trump has claimed that these tariffs will not increase inflation for U.S. consumers. This is illogical! If retail companies in the United States import products that have higher prices due to tariffs, they will pass on that increase to consumers. Even the editorial board of the conservative Wall Street Journal acknowledges this truth: Higher tariffs, by definition, lead to higher inflation.

Where does Vice-President Harris stand on the economy? Usually sitting vice-presidents are not held accountable for the successes and/or failures of the president. A question arises. Tonight will she “own” the Biden-Harris economy? On the one hand, coming out of the Covid pandemic, the U.S. economy is the “envy” of all the major capitalist nations when evaluated on criteria of jobs, inflation, GDP, etc. On the other hand, many middle-class people don’t “feel” good about their family finances. Housing costs are up. Gasoline prices are up. Grocery prices are up around 22% over the last couple of years. Harris needs to enact policies that will offer relief for the middle class. She has promised that first-time home buyers will be able to obtain up to a $25,000 tax credit for that purchase. This is a very popular policy, especially with undecided younger voters. But how will she pay for this policy? Will she, like Trump, increase the national debt? She says that she will pay for her policies, by increasing taxes on the wealthy. Most middle-class people won’t pay even a penny more in income taxes. I would like to see some clear figures tonight to back up her promises.

In a previous presidential race, the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” became popular. Economic issues determine elections. Who do I trust with our economy? It is not Trump.

Dear Donald and Kamala, You can Run (for President), but You cannot Hide (from Our Questions)

Dear Donald and Kamala,

The conventions are over and you are your respective party’s nominee for president. Nevertheless,  many important questions remain unanswered. I am not a member of the “press”, but I will press each of you with a significant question that my fellow citizens and I want answered.

Donald, what are your positions regarding the issues raised in Project 2025? (Project 2025 is a 922 page strategy document published by the Heritage Foundation and includes many conservative authors who served in your previous administration.) On the one hand, I believe you when you admit that you have not read such a lengthy volume. On the other hand, you are familiar enough with its contents to acknowledge that you think some of its positions are too “extreme” and that you do not agree with them. It would help voters to know your positions on the following recommendations:

  1. Project 2025 recommends cutting Medicare and Medicaid. Do you agree?
  2. It suggests eliminating the Department of Education. If elected, would you eliminate this Department?
  3. It supports enforcing the Comstock Act which prosecutes those who send or receive contraception products. Are you in favor of the Comstock Act?

Kamala, you have made economic promises that would benefit the middle class. For example, you want to make home ownership more affordable, which is a lofty goal. To achieve this, you propose offering a credit of up to $25,000 for first-time home buyers. You also promise to increase the child tax credit (which enjoys broad bipartisan support). Nevertheless, these economic benefits must be paid for. You claim that you can raise enough revenue to pay for these programs by raising taxes on the very rich, those who have an annual income of over $400,000. The wealthy citizens in our country are infamous for being able to avoid paying their tax obligations. They hire expert lawyers who find numerous “loopholes” in our tax system. In fact, they pay a lower percentage of their income than the majority of middle-class citizens. So, Kamala, what would you do, if tax revenues do not meet expectations? Would you renege on your economic promises, or would you increase the national debt? (Trump increased the national debt more in his four-year presidency than any previous four-year administration). Why should we believe that you would not increase the debt?

Donald and Kamala, earn our votes by answering these questions.

Trump’s Recent Comments are Confusing: Is He Following in Biden’s Footsteps?

Those who know me acknowledge that I call them as I see them. I strive to apply the same ethical principles across the board. If we are going to be fair, we need to apply the same standards to the political candidates that we prefer as well as to the candidates we don’t like. Two months ago, I suggested that Biden would not be mentally “fit” to be re-elected. Today I explore Trump’s mental/emotional “fitness” to be elected.

Trump’s feud with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

Georgia is now a swing state that Trump must win if he wants to return to the White House. Earlier this month, Trump campaigned there to appeal to voters in the Peach state. When he stayed on script, he was somewhat coherent. But then he strayed from his teleprompter. He blasted Georgia’s popular conservative Republic governor, Brian Kemp. “He is a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor.” Then he described him with an adjective that he has used against other rivals: “Little Brian Kemp”. Feuding with a popular Republican does not help Trump at all. It is not that Trump has a poor memory. It is that he emotionally just can’t let go of the past.

Trump’s Claim that Replacing Biden with Harris is “Unconstitutional”

               For the last four years, Trump has prepared to run against Joe Biden. Up until a month ago, the polls showed Trump with a lead against the current president. But then, Biden stepped aside, and Harris appeared at the top of the Democrat ticket. This knocked Trump off his plan. He hasn’t seemed to know how to attack Harris. Therefore, he has claimed that this change of candidates is “unconstitutional”. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Constitution does not indicate how political parties should select their candidates. Trump is lobbing complaints against the wall to see if any might stick.

Trump’s Claim that More than 100% of New Created Jobs have gone to Immigrants

               Last Thursday, Trump held a “press event” in New Jersey. He tried to bring together two of his favorite criticisms of the Biden administration: the economy and immigration. He affirmed, “Virtually 100% of the net job creation in the last year has gone to migrants. You know that? Most of the job creation has gone to migrants. In fact, I’ve heard that substantially more than — beyond, actually beyond that number 100%. It’s a much higher number than that, but the government has not caught up with that yet.” Although Trump claims to have been a good businessman, he is not good with numbers. His job creation statement is a mathematical impossibility! You can’t have more jobs going to immigrants than the total jobs created! It is ridiculously impossible.

Two months ago, I wrote that Biden did not have the “mental acuity” to serve four more years as president. Today I write that Trump does not have the “emotional stability” to return to the presidency. As we approach the election in November, in addition to their policies, we need to evaluate the emotional and mental “fitness” of the candidates.

The Evangelical Pro-Life Movement: Its early history, its Biblical basis?, and its role in the upcoming election (Part 3)

The Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision back in 1973 essentially legalized abortions across the country, especially during the first two trimesters of a woman’s pregnancy. In the 1960s and 1970s, there was not much difference on abortion in the Republican and Democrat parties. There were many pro-choice and pro-life advocates in both parties. That changed in the 1980s beginning with the Reagan presidency. Republican presidential candidates promised, that if elected, they would appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe. Pro-lifers, especially evangelicals, became a major constituency of the Republican Party. In contrast, the Democrats became staunchly pro-choice. For over four decades abortion has been one of the most important political issues. Many people are “single-issue” voters and are, therefore, a “safe, solid voting block” for their respective parties. These “single-issue” voters seldom criticize their own party on other issues, even when criticism is warranted. In my opinion, these voters are naively allowing failed policies and character flaws to go unchecked.

During his presidency, Trump appointed three judges to the Supreme Court (Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett). In their Senate hearings, they affirmed that they would accept Roe as settled legal precedent and, as a result, hardly anyone across the political landscape thought Roe would be overturned. Nevertheless, these judges broke their promises, and joined the other conservative justices in overturning Roe through the Dobbs decision in 2022. This action returned the abortion issue to every state. Since then, seven states have put abortion on the ballot. In each of these states, the pro-choice position has won, including in conservative “red” states like Kansas and Ohio. (Democrats affirm that their pro-choice position turned the expected Republican “red wave” into a “trickle” in the 2022 midterm elections.) In other places, state legislatures enacted laws regarding abortion access and/or restrictions (for example, no abortions after six weeks, or exceptions like rape, incest, or the life of the mother).

These actions have spurred political activism by Democrats and Republicans.  Some politicians, from both sides, have made campaign promises that they would bring federal legislation to Congress (either abortion access or abortion restriction, respectively). There are so many hoops to go through, that a nationwide access or restriction bill is quite unlikely to be implemented. For example, it would need 60 votes in the Senate, and there are neither 60 pro-choice nor 60 pro-life senators.

Abortion will be voted on at the state level. In the upcoming elections in November, at least five states (including Nevada and Florida) have constitutional amendment proposals on the ballot. If passed, they would enshrine abortion rights into their state constitutions. In at least five additional states, including Arizona, similar proposals are in the pipeline and will probably make the ballot. It is likely that the pro-choice position will win in most of these states. Nevertheless, it is an open question to what extent this will help the Democrat presidential, senate, and congressional candidates in their particular races. This depends on the number of Republicans who are, in fact, pro-choice voters.

I encourage all my readers to be alert during this election season. Lies will be flying all around. Let’s use our best discerning skills. Vote well…vote wisely.

The Evangelical Pro-life Movement: Its early history, Its Biblical basis?, and its role in the upcoming election (Part 2)

Evangelicals claim that their main convictions on all issues are (and should be) shaped by the Bible. It is appropriate, therefore, to explore the most relevant Biblical passages regarding the value of humanity and in particular, abortion. These texts come from the Hebrew Scriptures which are shared by the three largest monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).

Jews, Christians, and Muslims agree that “Every human being is created in the image of God, and therefore, has immense value” (Genesis 1:26-27). Being created in God’s image is precisely the reason why people’s lives are to be protected from the threat of murder (Genesis 9:6). This foundational truth is repeated and emphasized in the Ten Commandments: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) and in numerous additional passages in the Hebrew, Christian, and Islamic Scriptures. Nevertheless, they are not limited to their religious communities. They have influenced contemporary legislation prohibiting murder in every country in the world.

Today, there is an almost universal consensus regarding basic human rights and against murder. There is no such agreement regarding abortion. When does a fetus acquire the basic legal right to life? Theologians and ethicists generally land at three possible moments: at conception, at viability (about the beginning of the third trimester), or at birth. Sadly, the Bible does not directly address the topic of the human rights of a fetus. Nevertheless, here are two Biblical texts that provide some insights: Psalm 139:13-15 and Exodus 21:22-23.

Psalm 139:13-15

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. (NIV=New International Version of the Bible)

This passage is the most cited by the Christian pro-life movement. The entire psalm emphasizes that God knows us very well. God is all knowing and omnipresent. God knew the psalmist (and us, by implication) when we were in our mother’s womb (verse 13). Pro-lifers conclude that the fetus, who is known by God, must have full legal rights. It is not quite so simple. Every verse needs to be interpreted in its context. This passage utilizes Hebrew parallelism, where a second phrase repeats and clarifies a first phrase. In the passage before us, “in the depths of the earth” (verse 15) clarifies that God knows us not merely when we were fetuses, but God also knows us from the creation of the world. This cannot mean that my individual human rights began at creation. The psalmist’s purpose was not to address the legal status of the fetus, but he wrote to emphasize the foreknowledge of God. We should respect his purpose and not force his words to mean something the psalmist did not intend.

Exodus 21:22-23

22 When men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no harm follows, the one who hurt her shallbe fined, according as the woman’s husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life. (RSV=Revised Standard Version of the Bible)

There are some diverse meanings of these two verses. The more accepted scenario is that there is fight between a couple of men. A bystanding pregnant woman is accidentally hurt. The result is that she miscarriages and her fetus dies, but there is no additional harm caused to her. The punishment is a fine to be determined by judges in discussion with the husband. If the woman were to die (verse 23), then capital punishment could be considered. In this scenario, the woman has full human legal rights, but the fetus does not.

A second scenario describes a situation where the woman gives birth prematurely, but the baby and the mother are both ok. Punishment would be a monetary fine. If there were additional harm to the woman (or to her baby), the penalty could be greater (a life for a life).

I wish there wasn’t so much ambiguity on this passage. The first scenario suggests that a fetus does not have the same legal status as a born person. In the second scenario, the fetus does not die, so little light is shed on the abortion debate. Where Scripture is not dogmatic, we should not be dogmatic. A bit of humility would be most welcome for this vital debate. I hope that pro-lifers would be more compassionate and that pro-choice advocates would be less flippant about abortions. We need respectful discussion on such a serious topic.

The Evangelical Pro-Life Movement: Its early history, its Biblical basis?, and its role in the upcoming election (Part 1)

In my posts this week, I will address the Evangelical Pro-Life Movement. Today I will look at its early history. In Part 2, I will analyze some pertinent Biblical passages and in Part 3 I will explore the role abortion politics might play in the upcoming election.

History – We all know that the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision took place in 1973 and essentially legalized abortions during the first two trimesters all across the country. Prior to that, states had their own policies. In my state of Ohio which prohibited abortions, those women who wanted an abortion would usually go to New York. Although most evangelicals are today in the pro-life camp, that was not the situation in the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1968 the evangelical flagship magazine Christianity Today (CT) co-sponsored a conference with the Christian Medical Society to analyze the ethical aspects regarding abortion. The final resolution illustrates a lack of consensus. “Whether the performance of an induced abortion is sinful we are not agreed, but about the necessity of it and permissibility for it under certain circumstances we are in accord.”

Carl Henry, the founder and first editor of Christianity Today (and one of my professors at Trinity) stated, “a woman’s body is not the domain and property of others”. The second editor of CT was Harold Lindsell. He also took a somewhat pro-choice position. He affirmed, “if there are compelling psychiatric reasons from a Christian point of view, mercy and prudence may favor a therapeutic abortion.”

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is not only the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, it is also one of the most conservative. Therefore, a look at the history of its stance on abortion reveals some surprises. At their 1971 Convention, the SBC delegates passed a resolution calling for the national legalization of abortion. They reaffirmed this pro-choice position in their 1974 and 1976 conventions.

               W.A. Criswell was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas (the largest SBC congregation). Shortly after the Roe decision was announced, Criswell issued the following statement. “I have always felt that it was only after a child was born and had a life separate from its mother that it became an individual person, and it has always, therefore, seemed to me that what is best for the mother and for the future should be allowed.”

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family who later became a staunch anti-abortionist, admitted in 1973 that the Holy Scriptures did not address the issue of abortion and therefore it was acceptable for a sincere evangelical Christian to believe that “a developing embryo or fetus was not regarded as a full human being.”

Francis Schaeffer and other leaders of the Religious Right, tried to enlist Billy Graham in their antiabortion crusade in the late 1970s, but Graham, the most famous evangelical of the last century, turned them down. Graham affirmed, “I’m for morality, but morality goes beyond sex to human freedom and social justice…. Evangelists cannot be closely identified with any particular party or person. We have to stand in the middle to preach to all people, right and left.” (I believe that his son, Franklin Graham, should have listened to his father’s words of wisdom).

The quotes mentioned above should not be interpreted as necessarily justifying either a pro-choice or a pro-life position. Here they illustrate that followers of Jesus can and do disagree on important issues, including abortion. In Part 2, we will explore the most pertinent Biblical passages.