The Simple Pastor

By Phil Whittall, church planter, blogger & book reviewer

Archive of "abortion" Category

• How will we be judged?

  August 10, 2010 // No Comments »

  Tim Challies had an interesting piece reflecting on how history may look back on this part of church history. He reflects on three areas which he considers blindspots – abortion, creation care and slavery. This is interesting because it’s not the thing you’d normally expect to hear from Tim Challies (well not the second two anyway).

  Here’s what he says at the end of the paragraph on slavery.

  “Our culture of consumption, our sheer greed seems to fly in the face of God’s commands that we live free from the captivity of possessions. How will history judge us when they see the homes of North American Christians bursting at the seams with stuff—with clothes and electronics and furniture—manufactured by impoverished brothers and sisters a continent or two away?”

  Read the whole thing

  Categories:
  abortion, consumerism, Environment

• Contraception and the beginning of life (part 2)

  November 12, 2008 // 2 Comments »

  So here’s my response to yesterday’s ethical dilemma but here’s the heart of my response…(slightly edited version)
  

  “A nice easy question for me. We went through the same issue not long after we were married and so we spent quiet some time looking into it. I talked with a few Christian doctors and got their opinion and I was pointed in the direction of the work by Professor John Guillebaud, who is a leading expert on the subject and helpfully also a believer.

  In the end, because there was no medical clarity on the issue from Christian doctors about when they thought life began, we went for what we considered the safest option. It seems that there are several methods of contraception which are fully effective pre-fertilisation (we use cerazette) so I think they can be safely used without worry. I think not only are the chances incredibly small that something post-fertilisation would happen if used responsibly and having done all we can, to trust God with the rest. I don’t think we are at risk of aborting and so we’re ethically and theologically happy with our choice of contraception. But we did have to switch it because the first one we were on didn’t offer that same confidence and the risks of it acting post fertilisation was much higher.

  As to when life begins, if I could give the definitive answer on that, I’d be a very famous man. Personally I think its probably at fertilisation, it seems to make the most sense which is why we switched type of pill. Although I think currently medical science makes a better argument for life beginning at implantation, science changes and new discoveries are being formed, which is why I think the first and earliest option is the safest.”

  I referred her to this article by Professor John Guillebaud writing in the Christian Medical Journal

  Categories:
  abortion, ethics, life

• Contraception and the beginning of life (part 1)

  November 11, 2008 // 3 Comments »

  I often find the question ‘what does a church leader actually do?’ because there’s so much variety that neat categories rarely fit. Plus some of the things I do have little value to a non-believer. Preparing talks? Very productive.

  Anyway, here’s a question I was emailed this week to get my head around.
  

  “Sorry about this but I would value your opinion on this topic! I only just found out this week that some pro-lifers believe that some of the most common methods of contraception can cause an early abortion. I have always used pills until now, and I have recently been considering the Depo injection and Implanon, the implant, but apparently all of these use, as one of their effects, a hormone which discourages a fertilised egg from embedding in the womb.

  From my conversations with Christians so far, it seems there are different opinions on the stage at which a pregnancy begins. I wondered if you could contribute your pearl of wisdom? Do you believe that conception happens at the moment an egg is fertilised, in which case I risk causing an abortion if I use pills, the injection or the implant? Or do you believe that a person comes into being at the moment the fertilised egg embeds in the womb?”

  So, a nice easy one then. Not one that comes up in most people’s day jobs. I’ll post my reply tomorrow but I’d be interested to hear what other people would have said. Or you can wait until tomorrow and critique my response.

  Categories:
  abortion, ethics, life

• Abortion not just an American issue

  October 29, 2008 // No Comments »

  Abortion is big issue. It’s an important issue. But I’ve never lived in a country where it wasn’t readily available and I’ve not lived in a country where Christians are almost a majority, so the temperature of the debate in the US has always surprised me and the way in which it has become THE issue for Christians has often been somewhat disconcerting.

  But of late a number of British political events have occurred which has raised the issue here on British blogs and the difference in tone and aim is quite interesting. Here are some of the links

  USA
  

  • Justin Taylor links to posts frequently on his blog. This is the latest and the video is compelling. This fact is shocking.
  • Tim Challies (apologies for grouping with USA as he’s Canadian) addresses a complex question here
  • Jim Wallis thinks there’s a new conversation on abortion
  • Josh Harris engaged in a debate with a couple in his church on this issue of abortion and voting

  UK
  

  • Cranmer questions the arbitrary time limits here and here
  • Sean Green has a chance encounter that has impact

  For recent news on what’s happening in the UK on abortion read this or this

  Categories:
  abortion

• Not a Christian country…

  May 21, 2008 // 1 Comment »

  The last few days have seen the British parliament make a number of distressing moral choices and Christians are upset, quite rightly. See Matt Hosier’s view in the opening paragraph of this post. Our notion of ‘rights’ are worrying at best and dangerous at worst. The consequences will be far reaching and hard to predict.

  Not that I’ve thought Britain has been (or ever was) a Christian country run on approximately Christian values, but it certainly isn’t now in the area of medical and reproductive ethics. It’s another step away. So the question is, that now more than ever the Christian community must become distinctive by the utterly different quality of life we have. Marriages lasting longer, adopting more children, aborting less, sharing more, giving more – I hope society will hunger for these things. God have mercy on us if they don’t.

  Categories:
  abortion, ethics, politics