Creating a Sacred Space to Have a Dialogue about Abortion

By Charlotte Jones

Politicians are shaping the abortion debate without listening to the voices of women. The Church is called to be the guiding light in the debate as it asks the question, "How would Jesus respond to the moral issue of abortion?"

Creating a Sacred Space to Have a Dialogue About Abortion provides the Church with tool

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: May 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887387208

Charlotte Jones

Charlotte Jones is the author of two other plays, In Flame and Martha, Josie, and the Chinese Elvis. She received the Critics’ Circle Award for Humble Boy. She lives in London, England.

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Dedication

Dedicated to women who need God’s grace.

Acknowledgments

This book would not be what it is without the support and encouragement of Drs. Gary MacDonald and Barry Hughes. Thank you for challenging me to research beyond my limited knowledge of abortion. Thank you for advising me to equip the Church with tools to minister to God’s people.

All scripture is from the New American Standard Bible.

Introduction

The political divisiveness of the abortion debate is rapidly infiltrating the Church. The debate is challenging the sanctity of life as it creates a division centering on the binary positions of pro-choice versus pro-life. It is the constant rising voices of pro-choice and pro-life advocates that are generating a challenging climate for the Church. Furthermore, both views affirm Christian values. The dichotomy of views within the Church is a clarion call for pastors to engage their congregations in a dialogue about abortion.

Pastors and leaders are often reticent to engage in controversial topics such as abortion. Many pastors are reluctant to address abortion because they feel unprepared to do so. Some remain silent because they fear a dialogue about abortion will isolate or offend some members of their congregation. Such silence allows other societal forces such as politics to shape the discussion, often in unhealthy ways. Silence by pastors can also silence the voices of persons affected by abortion, particularly women, including women within their own congregation. Abortion is a moral issue for the Church, and pastors have an obligation to his or her congregation to respond.

There is a responsibility to confront the moral issue of abortion because Jesus compares the Church to salt and light. His metaphoric use of salt and light is indicative of the Church’s role in the world. Pastors have a unique opportunity to preserve the values of Christ by engaging their congregations in a conversation about abortion. When they are silent on moral issues such as abortion, the Church’s ability to be salt and light in the world diminishes.

As leaders of the Church, pastors must lead it into functioning as salt and light in the abortion debate. He or she can add seasoning to the conversation with godly wisdom. Through the leadership of pastors, the Church can become a guiding light in the abortion debate by applying God’s principles. These principles must include the grace of God. Moreover, the conversation can be difficult when navigating a response to the civil right to choose and the right to life. As salt and light, the pastor’s leadership can link common grounds for unity that exists between the right to choose and the right to life.

Navigating the civil right to choose an abortion and the right to life can be intimidating for pastors. My interviews with local pastors indicate most are not intentional in addressing the civil liberty to choose an abortion, nor the right to life. They are not intentional because many feel ill-equipped to have the conversation. However, the feelings of inadequacy can hinder pastors from fulfilling their congregational responsibility to confront moral issues.

When pastors are unwilling to face moral issues, they deny the Church an opportunity to be salt and light in the world. He or she has the responsibility to enhance the Church’s call to be salt and light. Pastors can maximize the congregation’s ability to be salt and light in the abortion debate. They can do so by providing a forum to have a dialogue about abortion, creating a sacred space for the congregation to share their stories, and opening a door for a restorative ministry for women and families who choose an abortion.

The Church has a call to the ministry of reconciliation. The traditional response to abortion of It is a sin, it is murder usually ignore the reality of women agonizing over their choice for an abortion. The Church has to become a starting place for healing despite the social stigma of abortion. Abortion is a moral issue for the Church, but in many cases, it is a political tactic for politicians. The Contract with America has a political agenda hidden in a moral focus. It is a political tactic by politicians to obtain an endorsement of votes from the Church.

The Church should not look to politicians to legislate morality. In many cases, politicians live immoral lives themselves. The body of Christ should look to God’s principles because our moral contract starts with Him. The Church has a moral responsibility to be the leading voice in moral issues. It cannot allow politicians to influence its response to abortion. The community of faith has a calling in the kingdom of God to create a place of grace for women who are grappling with the realities of difficult pregnancies. The voice of grace must come from the Church. Pastors can lead the voice of grace in the abortion debate through a congregational dialogue. Grace is the middle ground between the extremist of both left and right politicians.

Church and State Relations

The United States Constitution governs our nation. The Establishment Clause is within the Constitution and exists within the First Amendment. The Establishment Clause is known as the Separation of Church and State. The term Separation of Church and State originated from our Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson. He drafted the term, wall of separation between Church and State. The Establishment Clause is housed within the First Amendment as it states, Congress shall not establish religion nor prohibit the free exercise thereof. The first ten words are known as the Establishment Clause, whereas the last six words are the religion clause.¹

The establishment of religion clause means neither the State nor the Federal government can set up the Church. The Establishment Clause expresses dual purposes. The first clause prohibits, whereas the second clause protects.² The original intent of separation of Church and State is to ensure the government does not interfere with religious practices. Its intention is to eliminate the possibility of an established Church in the new nation: beyond that, full agreement as to the framers’ intent ceases.³ The purpose of the Free Exercise Clause is to preserve the right of the citizen to believe. The Church should seek to understand the role of the Establishment Clause.

God’s people can perish from the lack of knowledge. When the Church is not equipping itself with the fundamentals of the Establishment Clause, its ministry in relations to Church and State issues cannot be as efficient as it should be. Basic knowledge of the Establishment Clause aligned with the word of God, makes it easier to navigate the viewpoints of the Establishment Clause. There is a challenge for the Church to balance its approach to the clause with the principles of God.

The balancing act between Church and State can be complex. It is difficult because the Church will face arguments for or against its relationship with the State. The scriptural argument for separation of Church and State can be found in (Matthew 22:21), They said to Him, Caesar’s. Then He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. ⁴ It is crucial for the Church to be knowledgeable in the major approaches to the separation of Church and State. When the Church equips