Sacred Reality
I often hear the ideology within the Bible Belt that those with faith must be, as it is commonly coined, “pro-life.” Unfortunately, this phrase has become a way to express to the public that a person simply disagrees with abortion. Though I do find myself of the anti-abortion persuasion, my declaration of being “pro-life” spans far past the sanctity of infants, and instead reaches a far deeper piece of my heart; it reaches the piece of my heart that embraces the sanctity, the holiness and sacred nature (as is known through the latin root word sanctus) of life as it has been bestowed by God.
Entering into a congregation, the message of pro-life as being against abortion is quite common, rolling off the proverbial tongue of Christian subculture. It is rare, I find, to hear a sermon calling attention to our nation’s health care crisis, the starvation occurring across the world, and the sadly lawful institution of capital punishment, among other issues. Dare I say it, but maybe we are beginning to find more truth in our media than within our community of believers.
The National Coalition on Health Care reports nearly 47 million Americans, or 16 percent of the population, were without health insurance in 2005, with the number of uninsured rising 1.3 million between 2004 and 2005 and increasing by almost 7 million people since 2000. Studies do not show that this trend will cease anytime soon, under current legislation. With our health care crisis becoming more and more apparent, and certainly relevant, it shames me to say that political affiliations have even latched to this crisis much more seriously than a body of people, the Body if you will, seeking compassion for the fellow man, God’s creation.
The American Civil Liberties Union reports that social science research shows no deterrence of crime brought forth because of the death penalty, while also noting that states that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws. States that have abolished capital punishment do not even show significant changes in either crime or murder rates. It is possible that we are not administering justice or giving a fair trial. Our society may reap no benefit, while prisoners still pay the ultimate price. Call me radical, but I believe our society has come to believe, and validate, death as a form of justice.
Speaking at Wheaton College, Tony Campolo once had great opposition to his words (which have been quoted various times, various ways, with the meaning still valid), “I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.” Not only do I find truth in his words, but also in the reaction. Crowds were shocked, just as he knew they would be. And, though I can speak for no one’s heart, I believe that those people were far more concerned with a four letter word uttered in church than 30,000 deaths. To make things a bit more real, 17 million children, just children, die from malnutrition and starvation each year, and I do believe that we as a society cannot bring ourselves to show enough compassion for these children and, as Campolo noted frankly - give a shit.
N.T. Wright expresses in his lecture “The Bible and Christian Imagination” that our world wrestles between the beauty of God’s creation and the atrocities that our world finds so common. Wright speaks of the trademark of our fallen world: the world created for paradise, yet existing otherwise. It is because of this war between viewpoints that it becomes so imperative that society, regardless of religious affiliation, embraces a desire to preserve that which is unquestioningly sacred. As a bridegroom should view his bride, so must society view life: precious, beautiful, and worthy. Society must embrace life, whether infantile or grown, whether child or lover, innocent or convicted, so as to begin to bring to an end that which is in the world that disgusts, and increase that which is in the world that pleases.
I encourage not only a sense of sanctity of life, but also, sanctity of reality. I encourage knowledge of the societal plagues that have befallen us. Rather than an attitude that singles out one form of death as far more worthy of mourning than the other, I yearn for a single reaction to death. I hope for a universal reaction: that of heartbreak, regardless. Donald Miller includes in Searching for God Knows What, a quote from a man he knows: “Reality is like a fine wine; it doesn’t appeal to children.” Christian society often finds itself in a profoundly infantile mindset regarding some of the issues that are very real, and very influential to the way we, as people, live. I encourage the Christian society to see what occurs worldwide, but not just in the sense of being knowledgeable about something, by keeping up with current events. Instead, to see in such a way that births a passion for meeting the needs of people; a passion that mimics Christ’s view of - and reaction to - the fallen world.
I realize that in writing I express a personal view that is pro-life, and within that, still anti-abortion. With that said, I do not write to condemn anyone who is pro-choice, but instead to widen the horizons of how a society views life, regardless of faith issues. We live in a sacred reality; a here-and-now that is treasured by its Creator. In much the same way we should respect this reality with a mature attitude, a shedding of the childlike affinity we have for avoiding the uncomfortable. I desire to reveal a deeper more uncomfortable story, a story that goes far beyond terminology and judgment: a story of a society that has lost love for its fellow man, a society that has begun to believe that the most important thing is to say to themselves: “I AM.”
Posted on April 21, 2008 12:00 AM
Comments
Erin, Thank you for this piece! I often am saddened by how people react to me when I mention that I am more than just "anti-abortion" that I am actually Pro-Life. The words that people choose to say in response are destructive and I find myself rising to the challenge which is unhelpful.
Often I have considered writing such a piece as you have presented here. I am glad you did so first, I would not have written it nearly as well, thoughtful or clearly. Thank you for sharing your insights without pointing fingers.
Grace and Peace - diane
Posted by: diane nienhuis | April 21, 2008 4:57 AM
Beatiful
Posted by: mlstweet | April 21, 2008 7:28 AM
eWarde rocks my face. She's the junk.
Posted by: Joseph P. Mathews, OSL | April 21, 2008 8:14 AM
great article....thank you, and well done!
Posted by: Matt | April 21, 2008 12:46 PM
Well said! As the saying goes, "That'll preach!"
I'd also recommend Ron Sider's book, "Completely Pro Life" for more thought provoking banter. He's a colleague of Campolo's.
BTW, I use that Campolo quote a lot! One of my favorites! :)
Posted by: Fr. Scott Russell | April 21, 2008 2:24 PM
To say that "we are beginning to find more truth in our media than in our community of believers" is pretty hilarious. Not true, I'd say, but hilarious. It occured to me while reading this article that the honorable author was not only "pro-life" as she stated, but absolutely scared of death.
It's almost as if "Health" has become a god, and not just for televangelists anymore.
Statistics don't tell stories. They just tell numbers. I drove through a cemetary the other day(my two year old loves driving through it) and saw stones marking graves of people who died in their twenties and thirties and teens, little babies and old people. They all had died. All had a chance at the life God gave them on earth, and their bodies are buried like seeds waiting that glorious or tragic day, when they'll return to their bodies and be resurrected from the dead.
Now, We Christians must love life enough to not cling to it. It's a paradox. We live heartily and do not fear death. Pagans fear death and therefore cling to their own lives. No wonder that "healthcare" is such a crisis. Everybody is freakin' pagan! :) no, just kidding. Serious though, Christians can be so weak and scared of death.
I'm not anti-healthcare by any means, I'm just saying that healthcare is not necessary for everyone to really live. Life consists of one breath, followed by another, given by God himself to you and most everyone else(people who are still breathing). You may say, "well, ben, you're calloused and thoughtless and an idiot". But I've thought this through a lot. A friend of mine died in college of a brain tumor, all the healthcare in the world didn't keep her alive. She was an amazing girl too, loved God deeply. My sister had a kidney transplant. She Had two actually, the first one failed and she almost didn't make it out alive from the surgery. I've only learned that life isn't so much about avoiding death, as it is about trusting God regardless of what happens to you.
Let's move on to the death penalty, shall we? to say the death penalty is unjust is interesting. God instituted it himself and not even in the "Law", but way before it, right after the flood. He said it to Noah.
In rejecting the death penalty as unjust, I think we almost punish the victim. We dismiss the murder or gross sexual crime as not warranting death for the offender, yet the offended's life is not even considered . The value of a person's life, is measured by the price someone must pay for taking it away. God, in instituting the death penalty, was saying that each man's value was enormous, because each man was made in God's own image. Each man was of importance, because he was made in God's image. Even the one who did the murder was of importance. Hence such a "just" punishment. To those who say that murder and capital punishment amount to the same thing, I would ask if they think the love for a wife and lust of another woman are the same(they both get a girl into bed). But the "ends" don't alway's come about by the same "means".
Also, to reject Capital Punishment is to reject the massive amount of consensus among men all over the world for the past 4000 years. It goes against the grain of scripture and against thousands of years of the "governments" of many nations. It almost seems a sort of pride, that somehow, we "humane" people have finally got it right, by having capital punishment abolished.
Well, if anyone has read this far, I'm sorry.
Posted by: ben | April 21, 2008 10:01 PM
Erin,
This is a great article and I look forward to reading more of your work. There is so much truth to your story, yet so much is still left unsaid. I totally agree with you on the ideas of the sanctity of human life. It is a sacred gift given by God. For me to say that I disagree with you on your findings and opinions would be a lie, because what you bring to the table is very valid. But where does the true problem exist?
Is the church failing to provide adequate care and funding for projects worldwide that combat the social ills such as hunger, health-care, or any other issue? Absolutely yes! But, is this the problem? NO!! The problem with the church today is we have left our first love. What do we truly value? Human life? or Eternity?
I do not raise this question to spark debate on whether or not church members should devote time to serving the hungry and needy. I do, however, raise the idea to hopefully call into question the practices of individual believers who spend their Sundays gathering and worshiping with fellow believers who would rather feed the hungry than lead the lost into a meaningful and eternal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Without a doubt there are many ways to spread the good news of Christ. One can preach it from a pulpit, or one can care for the poor. My point is that discussing the value of human life is an interesting topic, and one that is relevant to today's political situations, but is our motivation as believers to merely attempt to prolong the human life? Or are we following the example of Christ and meeting their eternal needs first?
Posted by: Cleve | April 22, 2008 9:14 AM
Erin,
Thanks for your article. I like the concept of broadening our scope of what is "Pro-life" . There is a sense of truth to Ben's comments that I appreciate as well. Statistics on the deterrent success of the death penelty do not mean much when looked at in the context of our "justice" system. There are over 300 inmates on death row in Texas alone, many I am sure on the row for in excess of 5 to 10 years. I appreciate the Old Testament verse that states so well "Because justice is not executed speedily, the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil".
The next time a gang member murders a father in front of his son for "dissing" him and does so in front of several neighbors execution style on the front yard. After a speedy trial and one appeal Build some gallows on the front yard, invite the neighborhood, let the wife look him in the eye while she pulls the trap lever and them leave the body up for a couple of days......then lets start taking statistics. repeat this as often as necessary when guilt in a premeditated murder is obvious and I promise you statistics will look different.
We now worship the process at the expense of justice and the expense of victims.
Brad
Posted by: brad hill | April 22, 2008 1:55 PM
Due to the fact that these things have been debated for thousands of years, there must be room in the �sanctity of reality� for arguments on both sides of these issues. On the pro-life side there are people who seem more firmly convinced of the compassion of Yahweh, even though they call people who have abortions �murderers� and yet want to stave off justice for death-row inmates. Then on the pro-choice side, there are people who argue for choice in matters where their previous choices have been the reason for their resulting dilemmas.
I wonder how we expect to face the immensity of consequences in this world due to our fallen nature. Naturally, we tend to want to solve these issues from the logic of our own perspectives, but who is to measure our motivations for compassion OR justice? Our society has very little love for its fellow man, but we did not just lose it; it was lost in the garden (Genesis 3).
The God who created this universe has made it a place where there is just the right amount of hell and heaven so that the creation can make an informed choice between them. It is beyond our most genius of thought how our Creator could be so compassionate that He would die for us and yet so just that He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
I do not say this to say that we should do what we please because God is going to do whatever He has planned anyway, but that we could find in Him, whose image we were created, a measure of His justice and compassion before we make bold statements on matters which are so far above our individual perspectives and so prone to prideful boasting.
Posted by: Wayne Bays | April 22, 2008 5:10 PM
Erin,
This was beautifully written. We are indeed all in need of a more holistic understanding of the term "pro-life" that recognizes the sacredness of all life. Thank you for this.
Posted by: Brian Kiley | April 23, 2008 2:33 PM
Well done! It's life giving and affirming to hear someone being an apologist for the sanctity of life without apologizing. Maybe someday we will shed our "childlike affinity" for offering death as a substitute for Real justice. Erin what you have spoken of here is indeed...The Junk!
Shalom, Jeff+
Posted by: Fr. Jeff | April 24, 2008 1:26 PM
Erin, This is a very life giving and life affirming reflection. It is indeed refreshing to hear someone being an apologist for the sanctity of life without being apologetic. Perhaps someday every one will shed the "childlike affinity" for allowing death to be an errant instrument for justice. Let us pray! What you have said here is indeed...The Junk.
Shalom, Jeff+
Posted by: Jeff gibson | April 24, 2008 1:44 PM
Erin,
First off, you're a great and Godly woman, and I really like this article you've written. I agree that we as Christians should do all that we can to give the impovershed healthcare, food, and clothing. We as Christians should give above and beyond what God has called us to (beinga a tithe) so that we can help those in need. However, statistics recently taken by George Barna indicate that only 6-8% of Americans have a relationship with Christ (faith and obedience [as C.S. Lewis says, one can't just hold an intellectual theory about Jesus, one must actually follow Him]). There's the problem. We have to reach our neighbors, but they have to be willing to commit their lives to Christ.
Secondly, I used to be of the same persuasion as you on the death penalty. I talked to Flip about it, and he believes that once one unjustly destroys God's image, it can only be rectified by taking the killer's life. While I haven't completely studied this line of thinking, it does seem to make sense. I don't want to get into just and unjust killing here (because I don't know uber-amounts about it right now), but Remkus holds an opinion that's different to Flip's (Remkus says his is based in the New Testament, but we haven't discussed it).
I do like the article. You did a great job. We should hang out more.
In Christ,
Tyler Gresham
Posted by: Tyler | May 3, 2008 2:11 PM
Erin I have to be honest I had not heard Campolo before, and as I read it at first I was quite shocked at the language. I am not normally offended or shocked by "bad" language, but in a "Christian" setting it took me a second to recover, but as I finished the quote I realized what a powerful statement since in my pause at the word "shit" I myself for a moment was stalled by the word the the concept of 30,000 children dying. It really makes me stop and look at myself. At my priorities, and thoughts. Thanks for this great piece.
Casey
Posted by: Casey | May 17, 2008 8:20 AM