Tag Archives: abortion

A Strong Warning About False Teachers

A couple weeks ago, my heart broke as a woman who claims the name of the Lord Jesus invited her followers on social media not to “overburden” their conscience by hesitating to vote for a pro-abortion candidate.

In a Facebook post, this woman said,

“…I’d like to suggest that voting for a pro-choice candidate in this election, or any election, need not overburden your conscience.”

Through her blog, she went on to give a defense of her opinion that was utterly devoid of any evidence of Biblical truth, stating that abortion is a “debatable” topic and that government should make decisions on behalf of women and families.

“Given the complex nature of these and other issues, the degree to which the government should make decisions on behalf of women and families regarding pregnancy is, and should be, debatable.”

Debatable? Not according to God. Not when it comes to the murder of unborn babies. We can talk all day about what the role of government should be in the lives of the we, the governed, but abortion is another animal. Men and women, if you love God and know that you are going to stand before Him someday, your conscience should be terribly burdened by what is happening to our unborn in the name of “choice.” Anyone who suggests that God doesn’t care about it is not listening to the Lord—or cannot listen because they do not know Him.

God’s Word warns us against false teachers. If there was ever a time to be on the lookout for them, the time is now. We are living in a generation of biblically illiterate, immature Christians—people who, while claiming the name of Jesus, and wanting His mercy, forgiveness and salvation, do not wish to carry His cross.

This was evidenced by the thousands of people who cheered her post and encouraged her in her deception. These people are easy targets for wolves among the sheep, and they are blogging, pastoring and counseling God’s children away from, not into, what God says is truth.

Our hearts should break over what breaks God’s heart–and abortion is at the top of the list of things God says he hates. Here’s the Truth, according the the Bible, which is the believer’s final authority:

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes,feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Isaiah 49:1
Before I was born the Lord called me;from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. Every baby whose life has been snuffed out at the hands of another human being belonged to God.

Are we so foolish as to believe He will not exact wrath and pour out His righteous anger over us for NOT “overburdening” our conscience? God forms us in our mother’s womb and has spoken our names before we took a single breath. Oh, how we have sinned against the Lord in this nation by calling evil “choice” and excusing sin for the sake of convenience.

False teachers promise peace when God says there will be judgment—and teachers who suggest otherwise are wolves in sheep’s clothing. False teachers tell you that you can live in sin and that God will not discipline you. These are all false teachings.

Get in your Bible, Christian! Know the Word of God. Don’t be fooled by false teachers.

In the end, we will stand before the Lord and give an account for the way we lived our lives. I, for one, am willing to carry the burden of the unborn on my conscience until the Lord comes and makes it right. As believers in Christ and in His gospel, we have no choice in this matter.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best before he was executed at the hands of the Nazi regime:

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

Click here for a companion podcast!

In Defense of the Children: Are We Protecting Our Most Vulnerable?

Why You Should Teach Your Young Children about Preborn Life

11 Replies

When my son, Ben, studied the Holocaust during World War II, he was appalled at the evil he read about. The idea that a society could set about to cause the wholesale eradication of human life hurt his heart.

It’s easy to look back in history and scorn the evil of the past, isn’t it? The Holocaust was clearly a horrific evil, ending the lives of 6 million Jews, and an additional 5 million non-Jewish people.(1) Though we teach our children about the Holocaust as a way to honor the victims, we primarily teach it so that we won’t repeat the tragedy.

Today’s Holocaust

It’s easy to assume that the horrors of the Holocaust are behind us, yet today we are seeing the loss of human life on a massive scale. Just as in Germany, governments around the world are funding, facilitating, and even requiring death on unimaginable scales.

Does that sound like an exaggeration?

In 2014, there were 977,000 abortions in the United States alone.(2) That’s 2,677 a day, at a rate of 2 babies dying each minute. Those numbers are painful, but not quite on par with the destruction of the Holocaust. However, there have been more than 58 million 873 thousand abortions in the US since 1973.(3) Since 1980, we’ve seen more than 1.4 billion abortions worldwide.(4)

In the US, we’ve outpaced the Holocaust by more than 5 times the number of dead. Worldwide, there are more than 128 times the number of dead as those killed during the Holocaust.

How You Can Help

Perhaps it seems strange to hear about abortion on The Busy Mom. What does this have to do with you? There are a lot of approaches people take to end abortion. Prayer, petitioning outside clinics, voting pro-life, raising awareness on social media and in person, and working in the political arena–all have merit, and are all important. I’m going to suggest an approach to add to that arsenal–one that will take longer to grow to fruition, but may be wonderfully effective.

In the United States, 18% of abortions are performed in teens under the age of 20.(5) Nearly one in 5 of all abortions is undertaken by a teen. 40% of those teens don’t tell either parents about the death of their baby.(6)

What if we educate our children about preborn life now? As a part of our bedtime reading, what if we incorporate science and Scripture that teaches our children the truth of preborn life? Let’s tell our kids that a baby’s heart starts beating two weeks after conception. Our children need to know that God planned each life in advance, and that He lovingly forms each baby in the womb.

Maybe we can’t change the culture of death that we live in. Perhaps we can teach just one child–or four, or twelve–about the value of human life from its conception. If we do it together, perhaps we can turn the tide in favor of life. Life that is ordained by a sovereign Creator.

Giveaway ~ Ends 4/20/16

This new resource from children’s author Danika Cooley may help. Wonderfully Made: God’s Story of Life from Conception to Birth (Christian Focus 4 Kids, 2016) is a science- and Scripture-filled picture book for kids ages 5-11. The book is told from the perspective of a mother (you!) telling her child about his or her development in the womb week-by-week. You can learn more about Wonderfully Made and download free resources for a Wonderfully Made unit study: posters, Scripture memory cards, and a fetal development lapbook over at the Wonderfully Made book page.

Another way you can make a difference is by supporting Save the Storks. Save the Storks partners with pregnancy resource centers all over the nation to provide them with powerful tools and training so they can more effectively reach and serve abortion-minded expectant mothers.

Together we empower these mothers to choose life for their unborn babies.

We accomplish our mission by making the highest-quality and most beautiful mobile medical vehicles available. These Stork Buses allow our affiliates to go where abortion-vulnerable women are likely to be, such as in front of abortion clinics and on university campuses.

Stork Buses allow our affiliates to go to women who need their services, rather than expecting those women to come to them.

Heidi has taken a stand against abortion for as long as I can remember, because it matters. She knows it’s overwhelming to think about the problem on a large scale, but knowing you can do one or two things really does make a difference. What will you do today?

Void where prohibited by law. Must be at least 18 years of age. This giveaway is in no away associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. No purchase necessary for entry. Odds are determined by the number of entries. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn.

(1) The Holocaust. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust
(2) (Updated 2016, February 5) US Abortion Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/
(3) Number of Abortions – Abortion Counter. Retrieved from: http://www.numberofabortions.com/
(4) Number of Abortions – Abortion Counter. Retrieved from: http://www.numberofabortions.com/
(5) Guttmacher Institute. (N/A) Induced Abortions in the United States. Retrieved from: https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states
(6) Guttmacher Institute. (N/A) Induced Abortions in the United States. Retrieved from: https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states

Lord, Help Me be More Like My Little Girl

3 Replies

Tonight, as I tucked my almost five-year old into bed, her prayer was simple:

“Dear God, please stop this abortion. Just cancel it. It’s wrong to kill babies. You can do it all by yourself. You don’t need any help—because you’re that big and that good.”

We weren’t expecting such a big thought to come from such a small girl…and a quiet hush came over the room. She trusts Him.

He IS that big, that good. We are facing many problems in our world today. Saylor’s prayer reminded me that I serve the King of Kings. The ONE who spread the heavens out like a canopy over the earth. The Lord of “heavens armies.” The One who made the seas and all that is in them.

He says our days were ordained for us before a single one of them came to be. He says we are to trust Him.

One day soon, He WILL make things right.

“Into His capable hands, I must commit the future of my children—and of all the broken things around me that I have no control over. My role is not to worry. It is to obey. It is to trust.”

Into His capable hands, I must commit the future of my children—and all of the broken things around me that I cannot fix. My role is not to worry. It is to obey. It is to trust. Lord, I do believe. Calm my mother’s heart. Help my unbelief!

Help me be more like my little girl.

—–Be Still My Soul—-
1. Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Text: Katharina von Schlegel, b. 1697;

Not a Person

A Quiet Exile—and An American Genocide

7 Replies

ex·ile

ˈeɡˌzīl,ˈekˌsīl/

noun

The state of being barred from one’s native country, typically for political or punitive reasons.

Have you noticed that Christians have been relegated to the “little kids” table where most issues today are concerned? It’s like it’s Thanksgiving and we’re sitting at card tables in the spare bedroom while the grown-up, more “enlightened” people sit around the big table—casually deciding the future of our nation. Yes, Christians see what is happening, but many are afraid to say who we are and what we believe.

After all, who wants to end up at the little kids table?

The church is struggling with the fear of being exiled. Many pastors avoid “divisive” topics like abortion when they preach. For goodness sake, we definitely don’t want to talk about gay marriage. (That’s so yesterday.) Moving on.

Christians know what’s up. Speak the truth you’ll end up at the little kids table with someone’s leftover meatloaf. No more conversation for you, buddy. Come back to the table when you have something meaningful to contribute.

Take the case of Cecil, the beloved African Lion who was allegedly, “accidentally” illegally hunted and killed a few days ago. It’s trending big-time on social media, to the point where the hunter has had to go into hiding due to death threats. Yes, the lion was beloved and beautiful—but can I just say this out loud? “Cecil was a lion. An animal.” We’re enraged over the death of an animal while millions of our unborn are brutally killed every day in this country.

Cecil is getting a whole lot more attention on the news than the victims of abortion. Listen. I’m no fan of big game hunting like this—but it seems like a distraction from a much bigger issue: the murder of our unborn.

“#JusticeforCecil?” Really?

Where is the public outcry over the atrocious way unborn babies are torn from their mother’s wombs? I’ll admit it. It’s hard to have outcry against something you’ve casually been a part of. We legalized it. We’re part of the problem. Since 1973, abortion has destroyed the lives of more than 57,762,169 unborn children. That’s over fifty-seven million.

But we want justice for the lion.

We live here. We know what’s going on in abortion “clinics” across this nation. So yes. We’re all culpable for allowing such an atrocity to continue all these years. Our silence has allowed a genocide to happen right in our own back yard. I praise God for the brave men and women who made the videos that are exposing what all knew in our hearts was happening at Planned Parenthood.

Don’t look the other way. We’ve got a lot to atone for.

I have worked alongside many pro-life groups over the years, but I’ll be honest: it’s discouraging to feel like there’s no hope of ever seeing the tide turn our way in the fight for life. However today, as I write this from my little corner of the United States, I have a hunch we might be seeing the tide turn in favor of life. If you care about this issue, now is the time to speak. Now is the time to let your voice be heard.

“He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 22:16

This is part of what it means to know the Lord. I’ve been re-reading Bonhoeffer this summer. What stunning similarities there are between then and now! Hitler’s Third Reich “Church” rose while simultaneously silencing true Christians in Europe! The Reich told Believers that their ways were best for Germany—but deep down, Christians knew otherwise. Bonhoeffer witnessed the slow but steady silencing of church leaders in his time, and finally, the almost complete capitulation of the Church to the Reich. It was exile. Many of God’s people turned away from public discourse in an effort to escape the scrutiny of the SS and avoid being publicly ridiculed or even arrested. Slowly, evil men were able to take full control of Germany as good men kept silent.

What a price was paid for the silence purchased through intimidation and fear. What began as a quiet exile of good men and women ended in a genocide.

I know that some people will be offended at the comparison between then and now—but it is what it is. Read for yourself.

As an author, I have been privileged to speak to tens of thousands of people over the past ten years. In the past year, I’ve noticed a dramatic change in the demeanor of many Christians in the public arena. Many are afraid. Afraid of being hated because of their beliefs. Afraid of being misunderstood. Afraid of being made to look foolish because of their faith. And while it’s understandable to want to stay quiet, our silence is speaking for us. As Bonhoeffer said, “Silence in the face of evil is evil itself. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

We may have begun to see Christians exiled, but it should not deter nor surprise us. Jesus said in John 5:15, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

As a Christian woman, I am compelled to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am compelled by my faith to do what God says is right, no matter what other people will say. The Bible teaches us that the war we are in is an epic battle between good and evil. The temptation is for us to yield the floor to our emotions—but we cannot argue from our emotions alone. Our argument is not emotional. It is spiritual. It’s God’s argument.

This means that our reason for being pro-life is NOT because we “feel bad” about the gruesome practice of harvesting organs from new babies is commonplace for Planned Parenthood (though we certainly should). Yes, we should be outraged by these things, but outrage is not our reason for opposing PP. We oppose abortion for the same reason we oppose all things God calls sin.

We oppose abortion because God opposes it. End of story. God knows the preborn child. “You knit me in my mother’s womb . . . nor was my frame unknown to you when I was made in secret” (Psalm 139:13,15)

It’s time that we stopped using the world’s reasoning and started coming back to Scripture as our first line of defense. Any other kind of reasoning falls short of carrying with it the victory that is ultimately found in Christ alone.

Let’s not make the same mistake that many Christians made when they turned a blind eye to the evil that Hitler was committing against the Jews. We serve the living God. Let’s act like it. No matter the SCOTUS rulings, Planned Parenthood atrocities or “pro-choice” arguments, we must not be silent.

Pray. Ask the Lord how you can get involved and what He would have you do. We do not have to be exiled from the conversations that our culture is engaged in today. God’s Word is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Your seat at the table was reserved at Calvary. Take your seat and speak on behalf of the One who gave His life for you.

Click here to sign the petition to demand a Congressional investigation into Planned Parenthood and immediate defunding of the abortion provider.

In case you have not yet heard me speak on this issue: check out the podcast. I hope you’ll visit iTunes and help me spread a word of encouragement from the Bible every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Listen on the blog: http://heidistjohn.com/blog//?p=22727

Don’t miss a podcast!
Subscribe on iTunes Here

Can There Be “Pro-Choice” Christians?

76 Replies

All life is precious to God.

I wrote the following post on September 10, 2012.

Given the disturbing and heartbreaking recent videos which expose Planned Parenthood for the evil that it is committing, I urge you to contact your state representative and ask them to join the movement to defund this murderous organization. In the United States, a half a billion tax dollars go to fund this genocide each year.

We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Sign the petition to remove your tax dollars from supporting Planned Parenthood here.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

___

September 2012
This may not be a very popular post, but I feel the need to write about this as I am hearing so many Christians are unwilling to stand for life. It breaks my heart, and I KNOW it breaks God’s heart.

A gal emailed me today about the abortion thread on my wall. The familiar argument of the church being passionate about the unborn but failing to care for the BORN is a poor excuse for murder.

You know, I have heard this argument before and honestly it rings very hollow to me, because for as imperfect as the church is, it does a good job of reaching out to the “already born”. There are gazillions of programs available through the church and other Christian ministries that reach everyone from the homeless to the prostitute to drug addicted … every.single.day. We DO stand up for the already born. Many Christians would take a child that is not their own… I can think of many off the top of my head and I bet you could, too.

Update: Below is the third video released that shows the horror that is happening to unborn Americans.

The only reason we kill our unborn is because we are selfish. We kill the unborn because they cannot speak for themselves. It’s easier to make the baby “go away” in the culture we live in than it is to bring it into the world and give it up for adoption. What’s REALLY sad about that is that this society does not look down on unwed mothers like it used to and we still persist in killing our unborn!

We have the most pro-abortion president in American history right now … one that would allow me to partially give birth to my child before killing it. As a Christian, I cannot stand by in silence when God has made it ABUNDANTLY clear how He feels on the issue of life.

Even in the case of rape/incest, how does KILLING one of the innocent party make anything better? Surely we would not kill a living mother in favor of her unborn child .. and why? Because we can SEE, HEAR, and FEEL the mother. It makes it harder to murder someone once they’re born. Surely we would cry out in defense of an innocent being murdered on the streets in front of our eyes! How “sterile” we have made the whole process of abortion, right down to washing our hands of the whole messy discussion. Christians! Stand for righteousness! Do not be afraid!

I’m reading Deitrich Bonhoeffer right now — the evil that he witnessed is not much unlike the evil we are allowing right now in this nation. We will be judged for turning a blind eye to the murder of innocent. Like Noah, I want to be found righteous in God’s eyes. No matter what the culture says, we know the truth. We will be held accountable.

Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Defund Planned Parenthood. Every life matters.

Heidi St. John

Speaking the Truth in Love