Results containing pro life

September 2, 2015

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Essays

The Proliferation of Life

by Aaron Baart

…n front of a Planned Parenthood clinic. To be pro-life means to be for the proliferation of life, the actualization of a movement toward shalom – life the way God intended it to be. I think Jesus understood himself to be very pro-life. He inaugurated his ministry when he opened the scroll of Isaiah in corporate worship in Nazareth. Luke describes the event like this: He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went…

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September 3, 2015

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Essays

What Does it Mean to be Pro-Life?

by Erin Olson

…s usually afforded a third option— you are either for or against abortion. Pro-life always means anti-abortion, but what if this isn’t all that it could mean for our Christian communities? What might it mean for Christians to be truly pro-life? For me, as a mother, being pro-life means much more than just opposing abortion. In fact, opposition to abortion is usually one of the last things I use to describe my pro-life stance. For me, being pro-lif…

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June 29, 2018

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Books

Listening through Disagreement: A Review of “Civil Dialogue on Abortion”

by Stephen Shaffer

…ivil Dialogue on Abortion, Mannenin, who is pro-choice, and Mulder, who is pro-life, seek to model the type of deep and respectful conversations that should be taking place between people of conviction. They seek to take one another’s positions seriously even as they disagree with each other. Civil Dialogue on Abortion is divided into five chapters. One chapter is devoted to each author’s position on abortion, one for each to respond to the other’…

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September 1, 2015

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Essays

Life, Name, Identity

by Jeff Ploegstra

…that we are a part of a bigger life – deeply valued by God. For me, being pro-life means taking seriously that God intended blessing on all “that has the breath of life in it.” A critical part of that is our calling to know intimately the other “living creatures” — to give them names in the sense of understanding and giving recognition to their potential, to be fascinated by them, to praise God for them. This is at the heart of care, love, and co…

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September 30, 2016

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Essays

Evangelicals and Trump

by Anonymous

…. Bonnie My motto every election: “Speak for those who have no voice; Vote pro-life and not pro-choice.” Therefore, I cannot support Hillary “Pro-Abort.” She unequivocally supports abortion at any time, for any reason; praises the baby killing machine that cleverly and deceptively calls itself Planned Parenthood; and wants taxpayers to fund the murder of over one million unborn Americans annually. How can any Christian vote for Hillary? Laura Bonn…

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October 28, 2016

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Essays

Voting for Hillary Rodham Clinton

by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson

…the question of abortion. So, let’s start there. The inflamed rhetoric of “pro-life vs. pro-choice” has replaced the serious issues involved with simplistic slogans on both sides. The basic question is this: at what exact point does a fertilized egg have the full status of independent personhood, deserving complete legal protection, apart from the life of the mother? We have no social, political, or even theological consensus in our society over t…

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March 8, 2016

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Essays

Dying with Dignity

by Amy Ross

…e relief from suffering, for an instant cure. As the Hospice team works to provide end of life value and dignity to patients whose last days have been “marked,” often their fight is prolonged. Their end of life time clock doesn’t quite line up with anything that has been projected. Because God’s plan for their life does not always match ours, patients’ lives are often extended and some are taken off Hospice care entirely. The miraculous power of O…

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April 18, 2019

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Books

No Room for Apathy: A Review of Executing Grace

by Kathryn Post

…signing an anti-abortion petition; we considered ourselves unequivocally “pro-life.” And Good Friday was the worst day of the year not just because you had to go to church on a weeknight, but because it marked the moment when humanity betrayed its Savior and deprived him of his life. Interestingly—perhaps ironically—I also grew up in a household that supported the death penalty. For a tradition that preaches of a Redemption that follows the Fall,…

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December 30, 2016

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Culture

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Spotlights

The Top 10 iAt Articles for 2016

by Liz Moss

…ritten by Erin Olson, this article was part of a series on being genuinely pro-life. Olson writes, “For me, as a mother, being pro-life means much more than just opposing abortion. In fact, opposition to abortion is usually one of the last things I use to describe my pro-life stance. For me, being pro-life means being pro-adoption, pro-foster care, and pro-social programs.” Voting for Hillary Rodham Clinton Leading up to Election Day on November 8…

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October 20, 2015

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Essays

Christian Democrat?

by Dave Schelhaas

…he land includes more than anti-abortion”1 and I agree with him. A genuine Pro-Life position should seek to affect all kinds of situations that diminish human life: poverty, hunger, racism, unjust labor practices, lack of health care, climate change, and the list could continue. As I look back over the span of my lifetime, I see that it was the Democrats that gave us Social Security, The Civil Rights Act, The Voting Rights Act, Medicaid, affordabl…

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June 22, 2023

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Books

A Proton’s Pilgrimage: A Review of Dawn

by Jason Ho

…he universe cooled sufficiently to permit hadronization). Our protagonist, Proton (or “Pro” for short), has just been born and is thrown into the high-temperature tempest of the early universe as particles are created and combined. The authors inject snippets of physics terminology throughout as they refer to the fundamental forces of nature and the family of particle building blocks that will form matter as we know it—what physicists call the Sta…

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November 3, 2016

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Essays

Voting for Donald Trump

by Justin DePlato

…lence against. Why is it so difficult to understand that there is more to “pro-life” than being anti-abortion? There are other statements in this article that are confusing too. How is Trump pro-life when he wanted one of his children aborted? How is he pro-marriage just because he supposedly believes it is only between a man and a woman? He’s had multiple affairs and marriages himself. Those are overlooked because they are heterosexual? That’s Ch…

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September 4, 2015

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Devotions

A Nurse’s Pledge

by Kate Vander Veen

…for all of us to learn concerning what it means to care as a way of being pro-life. Caring for the living. It is an honor. Every human being – from the tiniest string of paired chromosomes to the frail and dying – is a precious treasure to our heavenly Father. It is through God’s mercy that we exist. It is through grace that we have the hope for so much more beyond this life. All of this is so temporary, yet so important. I look into the eyes of…

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May 18, 2021

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Culture

When Cultural Scripts and Christian Identity Clash

by Aaron Baart

…mple would help. Due to my Christian convictions, I consider myself deeply pro-life. As a result, I’m also anti-abortion. Staunchly anti-abortion. Trying to live this out has led my wife and I to literally protest abortion. She has even previously led the NW Iowa Right-to-Life chapter. Our position informs the way we vote, but…it also informs how we live. In fact, we’re so pro-life that we’ve also adopted three international children, taken pregna…

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September 25, 2015

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Essays

Revisiting Religious Freedom in Dordt v. Burwell

by Donald Roth

…y. First, the party challenging the government bears the responsibility to provide evidence to prove a substantial burden on their religious belief; then the burden of proof shifts to the government to prove that it used the least restrictive means in pursuing its compelling interest. The “contraception mandate” provision of the ACA is part of a broader requirement that all employers provide a minimum level of coverage to their employees. This min…

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March 1, 2018

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Essays

Challenge and Opportunity: Abraham Kuyper’s Evaluation of Islam

by Jordan Ballor

…uths of their own confession. This is essentially the purpose of his later project in Pro Rege. Another opportunity provided by Islam is acknowledgment of the need to work through and find common ground—in social if not confessional terms—wherever possible. The groundwork for this is laid in large part through Kuyper’s earlier work on Common Grace, which acknowledges the good in this fallen world wherever it might be found, whether among Christian…

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July 17, 2018

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Culture

Movie Review “First Reformed”

by Tom Clark

…spair and opens the door to honest conversations. Surprisingly, it is also pro-life in a way that is genuine and non-political. And yet, the movie takes seriously as fact the dangers of climate change while presenting a hard critique to environmentalism and eco-terrorism. Even for someone who believes the scientists on the matter, the film is shocking in this matter. It had me reflecting on how I can both believe the science that the global averag…

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April 19, 2019

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Essays

God Is Still Rolling Stones—Do You Believe?

by Andrew Oppong

…affirmed by the sixth commandment1 (a belief championed and herald by the pro-life movement), then, aren’t we cutting against the very grain of our identity as protectors of life when we allow a flawed system that erroneously erases the sacredness of life each year to continue? Our world is broken and fallen, thus, day in and day out, we are forced to face difficult issues that sometimes leave us paralyzed. They are messy, and sometimes, we under…

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October 6, 2020

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Culture

Digital Distraction or Digital Discipleship: Esports and Christian Life

by Brad Hickey

…Christian way. An impressive example of this is Mark Stockhoff and his non-profit organization eConnXn. EConnXn seeks to provide safe spaces for gamers. It is intensely focused on “loving the gamer” as well as bringing elements of sportsmanship and kindness to the online gaming and streaming community at large based on the example of Jesus’ love. Stockholm has recently opened his organization as a full-fledged ministry network with streaming, podc…

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March 31, 2015

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Essays

Free Religion is not Free Discrimination

by Donald Roth

…f one of their priests for limited review in a murder trial.4 Finally, and probably most prominently, New Mexico (who, it should be pointed out, has a slightly different version of RFRA) rejected an appeal to its version of the law when a photography company was sued for refusing to photograph a gay wedding.5 The various iterations of this law have been around for some time, and it’s important to note that cases based on these laws have certainly…

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September 28, 2015

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Essays

Discipleship and Metaphor

by Donald Roth

…n the spirit of the Word and apply its wisdom in new contexts, and in that process of faithful improvisation, imagery often provides a more fulsome guide than we would be able to glean from detailed regulation or theological treatise. Rather than dwell on abstractions here, then, let’s look at this in its application through what I believe to be two of the most common and prominent operative metaphors for Christians: the image of “Kingdom” and the…

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October 13, 2017

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Essays

A Response to the Responses: On Women, Celebrity, Institutions, and Authority

by Tish Harrison Warren

…’t be truly pro-institution without being pro-woman and you can’t be truly pro-woman without being pro-institution. If ecclesial institutions ignore the catechesis, discipleship, experiences, and actual authority of 50% of their members, it will massively denigrate the strength of the church. As Anne Kennedy states in her response to my piece, “So many, many women—and this was me growing up—knew how long the skirt should be and what kind of attitu…

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September 17, 2015

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Essays

Boys and Girls Being Boys and Girls

by Luralyn Helming

…h truly well-rounded life experiences regardless of gender stereotypes may prove beneficial to them later in life. But, doing so will require effort on the part of parents to violate gender stereotypes and talk with their children about interests and preferences as guiding rules for decisions rather than following gender stereotypes. However, violating gender stereotypes while they are young may expose children to social censure for the violations…

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April 16, 2019

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Essays

Only from God

by Heather Beaudoin

…we’ll abandon the death penalty and stop putting them through the grueling process of the death penalty. It is because of these and many other reasons that Evangelicals across the country are coming together to talk about the death penalty. The National Association of Evangelicals dropped their pro-death penalty position and adopted a new neutral one in 2015. And, they recently put out a statement regarding the announcement by California Governor…

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April 24, 2017

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Essays

When Iraq Expelled the Jews

by Joel Veldkamp

…ost everything overnight. Even Jews who did not want to emigrate had their property frozen until they could prove citizenship. Police began harassing Jews in the street, stripping them of cash and valuables, and the Jewish flight out of Iraq snowballed. “By the end of the mass migration to Israel,” historian Orit Baskhin concludes, “Iraq had lost 130,000 of its Jews. One of the largest Jewish communities in the Arab world had been destroyed.”5 By…

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