After thirty years of post-Roe v. Wade battle over abortion, most of the general public has been jaded to the meaning of abortion. They have heard the word so many times and have met so many people who have had one that, frankly, they have stopped thinking about just what it is the word "abortion" describes.
This is especially true for Christians.

This problem runs deep. 21st century Christians have a light view of anything that requires them to take a sober and realistic look at that which is unpleasant. They would rather not think too hard about things which are upsetting or convicting. This goes for sin. Most people don't want to hear about sin. They certainly don't want to be confronted with their own sin. Even those who confess to be sinners don't really want to think too hard about just how bad sin really is.

It is because so many of us would prefer to live in a state of denial, blissfully ignorant of evil and its consequences, that God has given us His Word, and He has ordained preachers to expose the awful reality of evil. Though Jonathan Edwards' classic sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," is considered too negative by modern Christians, we must remember that it was precisely this type of evil-exposing sermon that was used by God to usher in the Great Awakening. (On the 300th anniversary of Edwards I read the entire sermon to my congregation.)

Truth hurts, but only truth sets us free. This brings me back to abortion.

Abortion is the brutal vivisection of a baby. It involves cutting the baby with a knife into dozens of pieces while still alive, cracking open the skull and sucking out its brain with a vacuum cleaner, or burning the child alive. The body parts of this human being are then thrown into a garbage can or sold for parts. There is nothing outside the womb that can compare for brutality and cruelty to abortion. The fact that it is a crime against children who are utterly defenseless resting in God-given wombs meant for peace and growth only makes the crime all the more horrific.

How then should we view the politics of abortion. First, we must be honest.
Honesty hurts, but only honesty will set us free and pave the way for victory.
Politicians who campaign for known abortion advocates are not pro-life.
Politicians who support federal subsidies for organizations that promote abortion are not pro-life. Politicians who believe that babies who are conceived in difficult circumstances (rape or incest) may legally have their brains sucked out are not pro-life.

Second, we must properly define our terms in the context of biblical law.
According to the Bible, abortion for any reason whatsoever is murder. Nor may parents claim a bogus "self-defense" theory to enable the mother to execute her child when a docter says the pregnancy is unhealthy for the mother. All abortion is murder. Period. To advocate the right of a mother to burn her child alive because it was the product of rape is to advocate murder.

Let's put it plainly: Abortion is a crime in the eyes of God. Politicians who claim to be pro-life, but who advocate murdering some children have rejected God's law for a Satanic alternative. At best, they are not "pro-life," but "pro-abortion with exceptions." Professing Christians serving as civil magistrates who clearly facilitate the executions of any babies, must be formally disciplined by the local church.

Now, whether or not you choose to vote for a politician who is pro-abortion with exceptions is a completely different subject. Whether your local church will do its job to hold accountable members who are public office holders is also another matter.

But my request is that we be honest with one another. Let's not mislead the people of God and the people of this nation by claiming that certain politicians are pro-life, when in fact they are on record supporting the most bloody and horrific execution of some innocent children without due process of law.

By Doug Phillips, President, VisionForum