If We Don’t Speak for the Unborn, Who Will?

From Gospel Translations

In 1977, I became one of two co-pastors of a rapidly growing new church near Portland, Oregon. It was an exciting time: People were coming to Christ and becoming true disciples. I loved being a pastor and naively pictured myself “just” teaching the Bible without controversy. But God had a different plan.

A few years later, my wife, Nanci, and I opened our home to a pregnant teenager who had previously had an abortion. We guided her toward placing her child for adoption into a Christian home. Most importantly, this precious young woman came to Jesus. To this day, she remains a dear friend and a courageous spokesperson for unborn children.

That experience changed us, and I began to understand the potential eternal impact of pro-life ministry. At the same time, I was discovering that while I could selectively teach the Bible and stay away from controversial subjects, I could not live the Bible and avoid them.

I read, “Rescue those who are being taken away to death” (Proverbs 24:11) and “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. . . . Defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8–9 NIV). What people are more poor and needy, more incapable of speaking up for themselves, than unborn children?

Who in our country was stripped of all legal protection for 49 years — and who, even after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, are still being killed at the rate of over one million per year in states with legal abortion? (Those are surgical abortions, but the most recent count of chemical or “medication” abortions is 642,700 per year, with rates rising annually.)

Who will speak up for them if not us? That question haunted Nanci and me.

A Burden for the Unborn

Francis Schaeffer wrote, “Of all the subjects relating to the erosion of the sanctity of human life, abortion is the keystone. It is the first and crucial issue that has been overwhelming in changing attitudes toward the value of life in general” (The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, 5:293).

I was profoundly impacted by Schaeffer’s call to defend the unborn and became involved in pro-life education in churches and schools. Our church partnered with Portland’s first (and then only) pregnancy resource center, and I gladly said yes to serving on their board.

Meanwhile, my burden for the unborn continued to grow, and I was deeply troubled that babies kept dying year after year. I couldn’t escape either the biblical or the historical examples of believers breaking the law to save innocent lives. So, in January 1989, after searching my soul, studying Scripture, praying, and seeking counsel, and knowing it would greatly complicate my life, I began participating in peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience at abortion clinics. Hundreds of pastors across the country did the same, despite it being so controversial. (I received a call from John Piper, whom I didn’t yet know, after he had done the same thing at an abortion clinic.)

What we called “rescuing” was a peaceful and united action in which people placed their bodies in front of the entrances of an abortion clinic and prayed and sang. Because we believed the unborn child is as valuable in God’s sight as any born person, our purpose was to prevent access to the clinic and thereby save the lives of children who would otherwise be killed after their mothers entered the building.

One time, a woman from my church told me she had scheduled an abortion, and then the night before she watched us on the news, blocking the clinic doors. She saw me standing there, reading from a Bible. God spoke to her heart, and after thinking it through, she canceled her appointment and had her baby. I would see her and her little boy at church from time to time years later. I remember thinking, “If this makes me a fanatic, it’s a label I’m willing to bear!”

I was involved in nine rescues and was arrested seven times, one of which resulted in a few days in jail. I was also sued by a Portland abortion clinic. One court judgment against us was the largest against pro-lifers in history: $8.2 million.

I believe in paying every debt, but I could not pay people who would use the money to kill children. As a result, the clinic came to the church to garnish my wages. To prevent the church from either having to pay the clinic or defy a court order, I resigned. It was painful, having been a pastor there from its beginning, but what the abortionists intended for evil, God intended for good, and he has accomplished his purposes (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). Nanci and I began a nonprofit, Eternal Perspective Ministries, so we could pursue the causes closest to our hearts — primarily missions and pro-life work.

One of the many things God did was prompt us to give away 100 percent of my book royalties to support Christ-honoring and people-loving ministries. That practice has continued for 35 years. The thirteen million books that have sold brought Nanci and me a double blessing — the impact of the books themselves and the incomparable joy of seeing millions of dollars invested in gospel ministries, from evangelism to church planting, from Bible translation to feeding the hungry, from providing clean water for poor children to defending and caring for the persecuted. Before she died, one of the last things Nanci said to me was how thankful she was that we’d been able to give to these great causes. She was going to experience treasures in heaven, the greatest of which was to hear Jesus say, “Well done.”

Don’t get me wrong: We aren’t martyrs or heroes — not even close. Our lives were never in danger, and even if we had lost all our possessions due to the lawsuits (which seemed like a real possibility at the time), others would have helped us. While our sacrifices were tiny compared to those of many believers around the world, the point is that God showed himself faithful. Our daughters and Nanci and I sensed the presence and approval of our Lord Jesus as he walked beside us. We experienced peace and joy that transcended every difficult circumstance and every criticism that resulted from our choice to rescue the unborn.

For a variety of reasons, it’s been many years since I engaged in civil disobedience. But I believe God called me to that method for a season, just as he now calls our ministry to give my book royalties to pro-life causes along with other strategic ministries. I still speak up for the unborn in messages, writings, and personal conversations. This will always be a cause close to my heart, because I believe it is close to God’s heart.

The Darkness of Child Killing

People have asked me, “Was it really worth it to protest abortion and make a political statement? Wouldn’t it have been better to stay out of such things and continue being a pastor?”

I’ve never believed that I would have done much good as a pastor if I had said no to the clear leading of Christ in my life. I did not get involved in pro-life work because of politics; I was trying to save lives because the Bible I preached said that’s what I should do. It said, “Rescue those who are being taken away to death.” It said, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. . . . Defend the rights of the poor and needy.” It told me, “Defend the fatherless” (see Psalm 82:3). It said, “Do to your neighbor what you would want him to do for you” (see Matthew 7:12).

I asked myself, “If I were scheduled to be killed at 8:00am tomorrow, what would I want someone to do for me?” So I did it, peacefully. It’s not the main thing I’ve done, nor is it the most important. It just happened to be the one that got the most attention — especially in my hometown of Portland — and was the most financially costly.

Satan is a master at burying spiritual issues under the label of “politics.” Long before it was ever a political issue, abortion was a moral issue, and one that God has a clear and emphatic position on. It has everything to do with the worth of a human child.

There are Christian books and seminars about waging spiritual warfare with the forces of evil. But perhaps nowhere is this evil more evident than in abortion. We’re not dealing here with “one more social/political issue”; this is a unique and focused evil in which Satan has deeply vested interests.

Jesus called Satan a murderer and liar from the beginning (John 8:44). He murders, and he lies to cover his murders. The forces behind child-killing are demonic — abortion is Satan’s attempt to kill God in effigy by destroying children created in his image.

When you have stood outside an abortion clinic every week for years, as Nanci did, talking to women who have been lied to and told that an abortion will solve their problems, it changes you. When you have held in your hands the remains of an aborted child, as I have, it brands you deep in your heart. When you have seen the world of abortion on the inside, it is, I suppose, like touring a slave ship. You will vomit and cry and never forget it. It will wake you up in the night, and you will find yourself weeping for the innocent. If I do not sound dispassionate about this issue, it’s because I am not.

Expect Resistance

Almost no topic is as guaranteed to offend some church members as abortion. I well remember how, at my home church, one of the most pro-life churches I know, certain people would stay home whenever they knew a pastor was going to speak on abortion.

Yet I’ve also seen people led to Christ at pro-life activities when the gospel is shared. There may be no better opportunity for evangelism than when showing compassionate care for the vulnerable! Every time the lies of Satan the child-killer are exposed — each time a mind is changed, a life is saved, and a woman is spared the horrors of abortion — God is glorified, and a great battle has been won. No wonder Satan hates gospel-centered pro-life ministry, and it’s no surprise we face such opposition when we boldly and graciously declare God’s truth about the unborn.

Jesus said, “‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Followers of Jesus should expect injustice and misrepresentation, including when they speak out on abortion.

One of the greatest enemies of what Eugene Peterson called “a long obedience in the same direction” is the desire to be popular, whether with the world or with the church. Nanci and I had to learn to have thicker skin when it came to people’s disapproval about our choices to be involved in pro-life ministry. We discovered that if our eyes were on anyone but Jesus, we weren’t going to have the stamina to put up with criticism or outright hostility.

Paul said, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). Jesus is the Audience of One. We will stand before his judgment seat, no one else’s. On the issue of abortion, and every other one, we should long to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

God Can Use You

I’m thrilled that the pro-life cause has grown and gained greater visibility in the last four decades. When I was on the board of Portland’s first pregnancy resource center in the 1980s, I remember trying to convince pastors that this was truly a mission field. At that time, there were only twelve to fifteen evangelical centers across the whole country. (There were many others sponsored by Catholics.) Today, there are more than 2,700 pregnancy care centers in the United States and thousands of pro-life organizations here and throughout the world. Many ministries have dozens or even hundreds of volunteers, donating time and supplies and forming the largest grassroots volunteer movement in history.

Even in this world that is at times so dark, I’m optimistic about the opportunity to impact all kinds of people for Christ. I’ve seen joy and peace in the lives of many women who have experienced forgiveness after their abortions, and many women who, as a result of intervention, spared the lives of their children and have since delighted in their children’s children. Someone told me about a woman on her way to have an abortion. In God’s providence, the car in front of her had a pro-life bumper sticker, compelling her to turn around, cancel the appointment, and have her precious baby, who brought great joy to her.

If God can use even a bumper sticker to save two lives — a baby from death and a mother from great harm — how might he use your own modest efforts? Even though it’s not popular to speak up for the unborn, I encourage you to follow the Lord Jesus wherever he is leading you; then depend upon him to give you more courage to take the next step.

Start by praying regularly for pro-life ministries, churches, mothers, and babies. If the darkness of child-killing is to be overcome, it will require humble and persistent prayer. When we engage in pro-life ministry, our struggle is not “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). I know firsthand that there can be heaviness involved in pro-life work. But in the midst of the darkest day and hardest call, God is a shelter to our hearts and minds (Proverbs 18:10).

You can also give regular visibility to the issue of abortion in conversations and, if you’re a church leader, from the pulpit. As we speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves (Proverbs 31:8–9), it’s vitally important that we do so in a Christlike manner, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Consider spearheading a pro-life ministry in your church, or finding one in your area, and donating time, money, supplies, and professional skills. Ask God to show you the unique ways you can contribute, and then give generously. As Jesus taught, your heart will follow your treasure (Matthew 6:19–21). Years ago, my friend used his carpentry skills to remodel the house that became the pregnancy resource center in my hometown. This man, who’s as big as an NFL lineman, wouldn’t be the first choice to counsel a pregnant woman! But the work of his hands has impacted thousands of women and preborn babies.

In eternity, we won’t regret a single effort we made to speak up for the unborn, minister to their mothers, and reach out in Christ’s name. When we are with King Jesus in the new heavens and new earth, every sacrifice we make now, big or small, will be obviously and eternally worth it.