Churches are filled with compassionate individuals. The last thing many desire to do is bring pain to someone else. Many church leaders correctly believe that abortion takes the life of the baby and emotionally harms the mother and father. They are compassionate leaders who are burdened for the life of the preborn baby but also don’t want to cause emotional pain to the mother and father. They may even become protective when someone wants to speak about abortion because they are afraid of causing painful memories and feelings of guilt and/or shame.
While this is honorable, the reality is that our silence doesn’t help those who have experienced abortion. It only hurts them. Silence brings isolation. They may feel they have committed an unforgivable sin because healing and redemption isn’t spoken about. It messages that the church doesn’t have an answer and also hints that they are the only one who has made such a decision.
Our messaging, delivery and content is everything. Do we communicate in a grace-filled manner that brings individuals to the life-changing power of the cross, or do we condemn with our words? Many men and women who have experienced abortion believe those in the church will condemn them if they know what they have done. They often live silently with painful memories for years.
Silence on the issue does not spare post-abortive men and women guilt – it spares them healing.
Scott Klusendorf
So then, what is the best approach? Here are three simple ways a church can address abortion in a grace-filled manner.
- God’s redemptive gift of forgiveness for abortion can be integrated into regular messages. Forgiveness from a past abortion is the same message of forgiveness for any other sin – but it needs to be mentioned along with other things or the unstated message will be that abortion is unforgiveable.
- Have individuals give testimony of their abortion story, with the focus being on the freedom and hope offered through Jesus Christ.
- If your church has an after-abortion Bible study, consistently offer it or make announcements about such Bible studies being offered by your local pregnancy resource center. (For more information on these, see our Resource Guide.)
There are many ways to message redemption, healing, and wholeness. For more ideas, see a previous posting, Speaking Life in Every Message.
It’s because of our love for others that we want freedom for them. Instead of being silent and letting them continue in their pain, let’s offer a message and pathway towards healing.
