12 Apr 2013

Seeing Ourselves in the Face of Kermit Gosnell

by | posted in: ethics, World Events | 2

Yesterday, my husband, son, and I had the pleasure of seeing our next child on a television screen (an ultrasound machine).  Waving arms, moving head, kicking feet, beating heart.  These things told us this little baby was alive and well.  But, we also know that this little baby is a gift of God and life is precious.  There is no way that we would ever intentionally hurt this baby.

The reports of Gosnell, the abortion doctor in Pennsylvania, doesn’t seem to have the same regard for the human life.  I’ll spare you on the details, but they are gruesome and horrendous.  If you haven’t read any of the reports, trust me on that one.  I’ve read half an article and my husband stopped me this morning, “why are you reading this” – tears flowed as I started talking about it, wondering how anyone could do this to helpless babies or women.

But, I’m not here to point fingers at Gosnell.  He has done wrong.  He will either trust the Gospel on this earth or face the judgment and wrath of God in the next life.  That is for certain.  The wrath of God goes out to those who aren’t under the salvation of Jesus Christ.

However, we are in the same boat.  So many times we can cry over the sin of Gosnell or point fingers or call him a sinner, but how often do we look at ourselves and say the same thing.  The sin that we have committed and will commit is also under the need of the blood of Christ.  Just this week let me tell you the sins that I’ve committed: anger, pride, contempt, argumentativeness, the “silent treatment”, impatience, idolatry, gluttony, and probably many more.  Why aren’t I weeping over my sing –  more often then not I justify it?  Do I really think that those sins are also in need of repentance and the gospel?

So before we go pointing fingers at the hideous, inhumane actions of Gosnell, let us also remember the truth of Romans when Paul says:

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

And let us also remember our Hope:

“And are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24)

10 May 2010

McCulley on Sanger

by | posted in: Uncategorized | 0

I am currently reading Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley.  In the chapter entitled “The Mommy Wars”, Carolyn points out some of Sanger’s bold statements in regards to planned parenthood and birth control and other “motherhood” topics.

Here is one paragraph that I read to a friend today:

“But right observation do not always lead to right interpretation.  Sanger saw poor healthy, poverty, sin, anger, abuse, and numerous other challenges and her interpretation was that the “unwanted” children were the root problem – or even that some poeple shouldn’t reproduce at all.  Thus, she was able to make the ourageous statement that “the most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”  That is the furthest thing from mercy!  But her thinking has influence our culture.  Therefore, contraception is not the true issue of contention.  (Abortificients, however, are.  We need to clearly distinguisth between prevention and abortion.)  Understanding Sanger helps us to understand why children are now disposable – seen as anything ranging from inconveniences to parasites – instead of being received as gifts from God. (p 132ff)

on this Monday post-Mother’s Day – thankful to all you mothers out there who have seen, even in the hard years or terrible twos or the rough days – that children are indeed blessings from God.