The past couple of years have seen some major milestones for those who believe in the sanctity of life. State lawmakers have had increasing success at restricting abortion, leading to hard times for providers of the so-called “procedure.” Crisis-pregnancy centers now outnumber abortion clinics five to one, the number of abortions is at a forty-year low, and for the first time since Roe v. Wade, a slight majority of Americans identify as “pro-life.”
But we mustn't forget that we're not after good poll numbers, political points, or even favorable court decisions here and there. At the end of the day, this is about saving precious human lives that are made in the image and likeness of God.
And that's why I'm so excited to see this emerging group of energetic, entrepreneurial leaders in the pro-life movement. Take Lila Rose, for example, the 26-year-old president of LiveAction who's defended life on dozens of national news broadcasts and debated top pro-abortion leaders. Lila, whom we’ve talked about several times on BreakPoint, caught the nation's attention years ago by going under cover into Planned Parenthood clinics and exposing some of their unethical and illegal practices. Now she's gathering signatures on a petition to de-fund this abortion giant at the federal level.
Or take Save the Storks, an out-of-the-box outreach of millennial entrepreneurs. Their idea is simple: three out of five abortion-minded women who see their baby on an ultrasound choose life. So partnering with donors, the Save the Storks team purchases, outfits, and provides Pregnancy Care Centers with vans equipped with state-of-the-art portable ultrasound machines. These sleek, beautiful, and classy vans offer free ultrasounds to women outside abortion clinics. The results, they say, have been phenomenal, and with increasing donations, a fleet of life-saving vans is growing and spreading to new cities all the time.
These types of innovative, professional pro-life activism are gaining their movement a new lease on life. But we need more like them—and a lot more—if we hope to see the end of abortion.
Part of the problem is that the pro-life movement is led mostly by volunteers. As Gregg Cunningham, Director of the Center for Bioethical Reform remarked, “There are more people working full-time to kill babies than there are working full-time to save them...A movement of part-time volunteers isn't going to change that...”
Now I partially agree. Without the army of committed volunteers on the ground, particularly at pregnancy care centers nationwide that directly love and support women in unplanned pregnancies, there is no movement. But we do need thought leaders too. And that's why I'm thrilled about a new project being launched by two friends this summer at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Everett Piper—who is the school's president as well as a Colson Center Centurion—is working with pro-life apologist extraordinaire Scott Klusendorf to launch an applied bioethics major that’s “aimed at equipping professional pro-life advocates for full-time service.”
This rigorous academic program will be the first of its kind in the country, emphasizing speech and debate, pro-life apologetics, and philosophy and ethics as well as the practical stuff—like crisis counseling, non-profit management, and cross-cultural ministry.
And they've got an all-star team designing the curriculum. In addition to Klusendorf, who trains the students at Summit Ministries each year and has launched the work of several other pro-life professionals, there is national championship winning debate coach Marc Newman from Regent University, and John Ensor, president of Passion Life Ministries.
Folks, there are some terrific bioethics programs from a Christian perspective out there already, like at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Cedarville University. But this one will focus on applied bioethics—which makes it both unique and strategic. Oklahoma Wesleyan is launching the first two classes this summer and plans to kick off the full program next year. Come to BreakPoint.org and click on this commentary for more information.
BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today’s news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions.
John Stonestreet, the host of The Point, a daily national radio program, provides thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.
Publication date: February 4, 2015