Cartoon courtesy of Signe Wilkinson. Read more Signe Wilkinson
By now most of you will have heard that a doctor well known for performing late term abortions in some cases was murdered Sunday whilst ushering in his Lutheran Church in Kansas where he regularly attended. Here is the link to the NY Times story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/us/01tiller.html?th&emc=th
My views on abortion are well known, and I certainly fall into the pro-life camp on this issue (though I think there need to be some case by case medical exceptions for abortions where the life of the mother truly is in grave danger, and perhaps in some cases of rape or incest however rare those circumstances may be). Indeed my view would be considered totally pro-life as I am opposed to abortion, capital punishment, and war, all of which are life and death issues.
I find many of my friends in the pro-life movement insufficiently pro-life because if the principle is that all life is sacred and a gift from God, and all human life is created in God's image, then as Christians we have no business taking it away. The fundamental theological and ethical basis to oppose abortion is not different from the fundamental theological and ethical basis for opposing war and capital punishment. As the Bible says, matters of life and death, requiring an omniscient observer, and an always merciful and just and fair judge, should be left in the hands of God who alone meets the requirements for just judgments in such matters. This is why even in the book of Revelation the not so subliminal message is that only Christ is worthy to unseal the seals, and judge those on the earth-- 'vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord....' (cf. what Paul says in Romans 12 about Christians not taking revenge on others in any circumstances).
This brings me to the case in the newspapers today. Regardless of how pro-life you may be, it is inherently contradictory to say "I'm pro-life and I am ever so glad someone killed that abortion doctor because he was a murderer of innocent infants and deserved to die." To resort to murder is to violate one's own pro-life principles, and I am glad that even Operation Rescue has totally repudiated this repulsive, sinful, heinous act.
I am reminded of a famous text in Mt. 18.21-22 where Peter thinks he is being exceedingly merciful to forgive seven times, but Jesus replies not seven times but seventy-seven times. What is often overlooked is that this is an echo of Genesis 4.24 where Lamech says he will take revenge 77 times. In other words, Jesus is completely ruling out revenge taking and ruling in forgiveness and mercy ad infinitum. This is why he also talks about loving one's enemies, turning the other cheek etc. and reminds that those who live by the sword die by the sword.
Think on these things.
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Thank you for the clarification. So, if I may use an example, you might, based on your ethic, say that America's participation in WWII was necessary, in the sense that it prevented far greater destruction of life than would otherwise have occurred, but it was still a sin (not sure if that's the right word) that must be repented of?
You may already be aware of this, but I grew up in an Orthodox church, and the view of war is similar in some ways. I was told that if an Orthodox Christian ever takes a life, even in justified circumstances (self defense, military service, etc) they are barred from communion for a specific period of time in order to properly repent.
I would say though, that I'm not sure this view is as distinct from that of most other Christians, except in degree, as you seem to think. I don't know of many people (well, ANY actually) who see war as anything but an evil, albeit one that is sometimes necessary in order to prevent greater evil. The main distinction seems to be that many, though not all, don't ultimately see even a WWII-type scenario as a failure that must be repented for even by the "good guys".
Anyway, thank you again for the clarification. I look forward to continuing to read your work.
I share your heart to see each life preserved. I am against abortion and capital punishment. That said, how do you treat texts such as Genesis 9:6 and Romans 13:4? It seems to me that there is a seperation between personal ethic and the responsibility given to authority and government to create and maintain God-ordained order. This seperation between personal and government gets stickier when applied to a representative form of government, of course.
While I would love to wiggle away from these texts on my gut feeling that all life should be preserved within all possible means, I find it difficult to apply to capital punishment and war according to these texts. Any thoughts?
As Christian's we seem to be overwhelmed with apparent contradictions in the bible that non-Christians are only too eager to point out. How do we react in the face of evil? Do we realize that we are not worthy of casting the first stone and set the adulterous woman free? Or do we face Goliath with sling and stones ready? In each case there are lessons to be learned that the master Teacher wishes to impart. Bible scholars and those with only a casual acquaintance with the Word can all reference Old Testament situations where lives were taken by men of God. Moses, for example, firmly enforced capital punishment but was punished himself for striking a rock! I believe that taking a life for whatever reason is little different than other sins but seems to fall into an area where we may be acting in God's will by taking that action.
As a society we deem the taking of life in war as acceptable but not during an act of civil disobedience. In the former case we are following the directive of those in authority over us. In the latter a personal choice is made. Soldiers are praised for their actions but murderers are imprisonned or executed for what amounts to the same actions. Clearly, even our imperfect minds grasp a fundamental truth. The ending of a life on earth does not end that life. Only God can end a life. Like David we may find ourselves acting in God's Will by ending a life. Or like Abraham we may have to prepare ourselves to sacrifice a loved one. These are acts of submission to His direction. The real trick here is knowing His leading.
Sorry, the above post was mine. I also had issues with beliefenet. :-)
Hi James:
My answer to this is simple. The ethic of the NT is not the same as the ethic of the OT when it comes to individual believers. Christians are to live by the ethic of Jesus, Paul etc. You are of course right that there is a different ethic laid down for governing officials and the like, and for Christians, when there is a conflict then there is an issue of conscience. For me, I would be unable to serve in the military in any military capacity, but I could serve as a medic or chaplain. Or again, I could be a fireman but not a policeman on a beat with a gun.
Hope this helps,
Ben
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