Roe v. Wade
Dear Church Family,
As many of you know, the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade this past month after 50 years of legal standing. Abortion rights have now been pushed to the state level. Although much won't change within our state, the cultural implications of the ruling will be something each of us will be responsible for grasping. I wanted to offer a few words as this is one of the most highly contested rulings in recent years.
Let me start by saying, I am fully aware in a church as diverse as ours; we will have some who rejoice over the latest ruling and others who feel this is a blow to women's rights.
Historically, the Christian church has always stood in the gap for both the born and the unborn. One of the distinct features of the early church was their stance on both abortion and children who would be considered unwanted. Throughout history, and specifically within the Greco-Roman culture, children would have been viewed as disposable. Their value was based on gender, health, viability, and "wantedness."
Infanticide was a common practice in the ancient world; it was endorsed by both Plato and Aristotle. Seneca, a leading Roman philosopher and statesman, considered drowning children at birth a commonplace solution to end unwanted post-birth children.
Abortion was also a standard (yet much more dangerous) and understood practice. The church has always believed that those unborn should be protected as well. The scriptures give us beautiful accounts of God working early within the womb regarding Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, and Mary. King David famously wrote in the 139 Psalm, "For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made." In the early church manual, the Didache it states, "You shall not murder a child by abortion nor shall you kill a newborn." Tertullian (an early church father in AD 197) wrote, "in our case, murder being once for all forbidden, we may not destroy even the fetus in the womb."
The church was formed within this cultural narrative regarding children. Those following the way of Jesus fought back against this culturally accepted view of children. They believed children had inherent value regardless of cultural norms and practices. This is also why orphanages were founded as early as the 4th century by the Christian church, although a more informal Christian process for caring for abandoned children existed. Again, the Christian church was culturally distinct in its care for the born and unborn.
So while we can celebrate this move to protect the unborn, this doesn't signify a final step in caring for the born, unborn, and women's care. The modern church has failed in so many ways regarding this discussion.
We must champion and honor women, women at all stages of life. Many who have had abortions felt they had no other choice. They felt like they didn't have the resources, support, or education to carry the child to full term. We must recognize this tension and work to alleviate pre-abortion issues.
Women hold an incredibly sacred spot in the scriptures. The value and dignity of women is woven throughout the biblical narrative. Again, the early church occupied a culturally unique area by restoring the dignity and rights of women made in the image of God; this came as a natural response to following the life and teachings of Jesus.
Dorothy Sayers writes, "Perhaps it is no wonder that women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man like this Man…there had never been another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronized; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them as "The women, God help us!" or "The ladies God bless them!"; who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as we found them and was completely unselfconscious. This is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything "funny" about woman's nature." (Are Women Human?)
When Jesus stated that he was bringing the Kingdom of God, he meant it in the fullest sense of the word. He came to shatter human "wisdom" and make all things new; this includes how his cultural moment viewed women.
I realize that we live in contentious days. I understand that some of you may not agree with what I have said here. My ultimate goal is to be a part of a church that displays radical love through following the life and teachings of Jesus. In these days, let us guard against political and ideological tribalism. Let us guard against harmful and shaming rhetoric. Let us guard against holding fellow brothers and sisters at arm's length because of a differing opinion.
Lastly, another distinct characteristic of the Christian church is our love and care towards one another. Boston needs to see a better way, the Jesus way. Our city needs to see a church that loves and embraces one another while holding the tension of a wide variety of cultural views. Our church is composed of people from all over the world: different ethnicities, social classes, and backgrounds. What I love most about our church also makes it incredibly challenging to indeed "be" the church together.
Let me say a word to those within our church who may have had an abortion. I want you to know that you face no judgment within our community. You don't have to fear the consequences of sharing your story. Each of us has a unique journey, with choices that perhaps evoke shame and guilt. The good news of Jesus is that we are each fully forgiven and loved through his life, death, and resurrection.
I'm committed to seeing each of us flourishing alongside one another. To both value and empower women and see the unborn and born as full of intrinsic worth.
As always, reach out to me if you have any questions or thoughts.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Brian