I edited quite a while before I posted my last, and I know it was a little blunt. I considered messaging you in a more private way, but it’s a public forum and you seem prepared for a lively debate.

I stand by my principle. As Christians we guided by strong ethic and moral guidelines. We take this on after salvation as a form of worship to God, and as a way of building the Kingdom of God in our lives. It is fairly cut and dry that this is mostly between you and the Holy Spirit. The subject of how to approach a brother that you believe to be in error is a little more cloudy. It gets even worse when the perceived error is in the area of ministry or message.

It seems like we can have this discussion of what we may feel is a more appropriate response to the tragedy of abortion with less polemics and more pure ideas. Even without considering the Romans 14 issue, ideas are often better received when there is nothing or little attached to trigger a defense mechanism.

I for one am glad that this commercial is being aired in this time slot. I agree that some of the goals attached may be weak, but it is once again stirring a discussion of these issues in the public sphere. A discussion that bodes well for “our side” because there isn’t anything inherently offensive about the ad at all.

I hope that it is the harbinger of a softening of position from anti-abortion to pro-life. I think the world understands pro-life and is afraid of anti-abortion.

Rather than fighting with the pagan culture around them, demanding tolerance and acceptance, the lifestyle that Jesus, and the early church, left for us to follow is one of self-sacrificial love that brings glory to God. We do not see much of that from the church in America today.

Who am I to to judge them? I hope I haven’t judged them. At least, I’m trying not to judge them. I’m trying to raise questions, to point out broader systemic problems that we as Christians in America face. I’m certainly saddened, but I’m not as interested “judging” as I am in creating some discussion and debate about how we think about allocating our resources as Christians. How could I not?

It’s uncomfortable to have this discussion and I regret that it risks offending people, but I believe this is something we need to talk about. I share the same desire as this group to see abortion ended and to see women supported in giving birth, so I don’t think it’s too unreasonable to ask whether we could do something better with the 3 million.

I appreciate the tone of the debate here and I always welcome words of correction. However, I would suggest that I’m not trying to put a stumbling block in front of everyone (a la the judging spoken of in Romans 14). I’m asking for some discussion and reexamining of what has become a pretty standard way of doing things among Evangelicals. I could be wrong about that and I welcome your reply.

Blessings!

On the rest of it I agree. Our focus in the abortion issue needs to be in the trenches, not in the political sphere. It’s in the trenches, holding scared hands, giving good counsel, giving shelter and food if need be, that we can touch individual lives with the love of Christ and make a real difference.

Too many Christians or Christian ministries are influenced by the values of society at large–not necessary moral values, but values of medium and message (where and how to dialogue with the world at large). When we consistently engage the culture on basis of celebrity and wealth we validate celebrity and wealth as “how to get things done.” It’s telling that MillerCoors Corp. is yielding Super Bowl advertising time to four small businesses in recognition of the value of “service and authenticity” the guy next door. It’s almost like loving your neighbor.