Today, Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with status updates about a van with pictures of dead babies and a pro-life message seen driving around Oxford today, and apparently one (or some) of the members stood in front of the student union and spoke/yelled/preached did something that made people mad. My response was much the same as what everyone else's was - disgust, perhaps slightly offended, and a little mad that these people were doing this in the name of Christ and they were misrepresenting...something.
But then, after thinking about it for a while, and thinking that my disgust, offense, and anger at what was happening was misplaced somehow, I realized something.
I was disgusted with myself.
I mean, think about it - what these crazy pro-lifers are saying is true. Those pictures, whether you find them offensive or not, are the grim reality of abortion. And I, as a Christian, have become so complacent that my offense is placed in someone exposing the reality of what is basically genocide.
I'm not saying that the right way to express disgust or moral indignation or...whatever...over abortion is yelling at people and showing them pictures of dead babies and standing outside of abortion clinics and picketing. But I do think it's a more complicated issue than we make it out to be.
Think about this - I see a commercial of starving kids in Africa, asking for money to donate, and I feel sympathy. Same with commercials for the humane society - I see pictures of starving, abused, and neglected dogs and cats, and my heart breaks. But I see pictures of dead babies and I'm offended that the people showing the pictures are misguided? What is wrong with me? I mean, when I see the pictures of abused animals, I think..."man, those people need to be put in jail." When I think about starving kids or invisible children, I think "man, where is justice here?" But when I see pictures of dead babies, I just label those people right wing nutjobs and try to push those images out of my mind as quickly as possible.
Shame. On. Me.
Right now, Matthew 25 stands out in my mind. It's the passage that I hate thinking about - the one that Jesus tells people "For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Then the people answer "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?" And Jesus responds "Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." And then those people go to Hell forever.
So...what? I mean, it's my tendency (don't know about yours) to look at those pictures and those people holding the pictures and turn away in disgust, but why am I not broken over it? Why am I not in despair over death and destruction to that level? Why am I not saddened by children who never get to breathe a breath here on earth, who never get the opportunity to grow and develop and...well...do all the things people get to do? Why am I not crushed over the hearts of those mothers who had to face the choice?
None of that is true of me. No, I just look and think "man, how can those people be so wrong" and I walk on my merry way and I never give it a second thought. Part of the Gospel is God acting on behalf of those who are helpless. I mean, this is probably a pretty vulgar example, but what if God saw pictures of us, dead in our sins, and just thought "man, what's wrong with those people?" about the people holding the signs?
I don't know. That's not a great example I'm sure - but what other great sin against humanity do I treat like that? I mean, I don't treat Invisible Children movement like that. I don't treat the Humane Society like that. I don't treat...I don't treat anything like that.
These thoughts hit me like a ton of bricks tonight in class, and it's all I've been able to think about for the last several hours. I pray God will forgive me for my indifference. I mean, I don't want to go out and hold up signs with pictures of dead babies. I'm pretty sure that's not necessarily the right way to handle it. But when was the last time I prayed or felt convicted over this issue? Ever? I don't ever want to see one of those pictures and not be broken over sin. I don't ever want to think about abortion and not be hurt for a world around me that is dying and going to Hell apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
And maybe these crazy pro-lifers are on to something. Instead of serving as a point of disdain or disgust, perhaps these people should serve as an alarm clock. Maybe it's more like a loud, clangy alarm clock instead of the gentle harp sound from my iPhone, but hopefully it wakes me up one way or the other.
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