Show Notes
Abortion remains one of the most divisive issues in public life. Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, more than 63 million abortions have taken place in the United States — more than the population of Italy.
In this episode of Formed for Faithfulness, Case reflects on Psalm 139 and the call for Christians to speak for the unborn with both courage and compassion. We’ll look at the facts behind common arguments, the role of the church in supporting mothers and children, and how believers can engage this issue with clarity, conviction, and grace.
Nuance’s Formed for Formation is a weekly liturgy to encourage all of us to be faithful to Christ in the public square. Join Case Thorp as he follows the Church calendar through the reading of Scripture, prayer, and short reflections on faith in all facets of public life.
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Episode Transcript
Most schools across the country have by now returned following the summer break; a reminder in this 13th week of normal time of the importance of study. Let’s take to heart Peter’s admonition that we should always be ready to have an answer for what and why we believe.
A reading from the 139th Psalm.
1
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
12
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
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.
16
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
No social issue is more divisive than that of abortion. Since Roe v. Wade enshrined the rights to abortion in the constitution in 1973, a decision overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, there have been more than 63 million abortions in the United States. To put it in some kind of perspective, that staggering total is more than the entire population of Italy. Even if you accept abortion might be acceptable in some circumstances, 63 million is a massive number, one which calls into question the long-held pro-abortion motto that it should be, quote, safe, legal, and rare. Surely David’s celebration of how God forms us in the womb in Psalm 139 quickens us to be voices and advocates for the rights of the unborn. And as we speak for those who can’t, we’ll need to be both gracious and gritty, open to listening while unapologetic in our views and also well informed. Because there’s more often heat generated than light shed when people engage in controversial debates. It’s understandable as we’re tapping into deeply held emotions, but we need to be able to separate facts from feelings. For example, pro-choice advocates will point to rape and incest as reasons for their stance. But while those terrible situations may merit particular consideration, the best research suggests they account for only 0.5% to 1% of cases, respectively. Cases where the life of the mother is in danger account for only 3% of the total. That means by far most abortions occur for other reasons–economic, social, and others. And contrary to some pro-choicers’ claims that Christians don’t care about people once they’re born, one study has found that at least one in three churches supports pregnancy resource centers and ministries. Meanwhile, Christians are active in foster care and adoption at twice the rate of the general population. May such realities help us as a renewed sense of wonder at God’s fearful and wonderful work of creation spurs us to speak informally and confidently on behalf of the unborn.
A reading from Jeremiah 18, one through 11.
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’
A prayer from Focus on the Family:
Father, we can only imagine how your heart breaks when you see your masterpiece destroyed at the hands of your masterpiece. You are the God who weeps with us. We thank you for your nearness as we grieve the innumerable lives lost. As we grieve, may we remember not to make enemies of people, because people are never our enemies. Rather, we are engaging in a battle with spiritual darkness. We pray for those who advocate and celebrate abortion. Soften their hearts to see the beauty and the value of life. Help them understand the medical reality of life in the womb. We pray for children in the womb whose lives are at risk. Father, please be near to them and protect them. Shelter them with your wings. Embolden each woman facing an unexpected and unwanted pregnancy. Draw her near to your heart. Show her your unending love and mercy. Inspire her to choose life. Lord, give us eyes to see a greater future. Give us a vision. Let us see what a world that values life for conception until natural death looks like. Give us wisdom to work toward the vision you give us. When we go on our own way, we stumble and fall. We need your Holy Spirit to guide us. Be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Father, we are done with passivity. We no longer want to wait on the sidelines. Use us to save lives in our cities. And may you use our gifts, empower women to choose life. Although we grieve as we watch the number of abortions rise, we are not left hopeless. You are with us. Therefore we have hope. Our trust is in you, Lord. May you bring peace and life to our land in Jesus name. Amen.
Deuteronomy chapter 30 beginning in verse 15.
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
