Abortion is a hot topic among Evangelicals, and it should be.  But the reason we care does not begin with connection to a political party, a political leaning or ideological preference.

Christians care about children, whether children in the womb or not, because they are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27).  We have been given by God a certain sovereignty over plants and animals in regards to their life, but not over fellow man. God alone may give and take life.  So God says, “whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.”  And later, “You shall not kill unlawfully (Ex. 20:13).”  So we care for and protect these little image-bearers.

President Obama, for whom we support and pray as our appointed leader of our democratic nation, recently applauded the Roe vs. Wade decision because it:

1)    Protects women’s health

2)    Protects women’s reproductive freedom

3)    Restricts government intrusion into private family affairs

This has an appearance of moral substance, for who does not support health and freedom for all people?  The inconsistency with this is that the government is then “intruding” into the lives of around 1.3 million people each year against their “freedom” and allowing the removal of any hope of a “healthy” life.  Around 50 million babies have now been killed since that court ruling.

We care so much because God loves these image-bearers!  So what now?

Let us not be inconsistent in our love for image-bearers. We must not rush to love the unborn while hating the born.  It just seems so easy for evangelicals, under the banner of “love for the unborn,” to take up the cause by criticizing, slandering, and insulting the “born.”  Yet should we not be the most humble and loving of all people?  Jesus came with great humility and demonstrated His love by dying for us as great sinners.

Although our hope is that legislation might agree with God’s creational order, we might just win this battle for the unborn through our love, care, and prayer for the already born… from our neighbor to our President.