The Pro-Life Ministry at Redeemer Church of South Hills is an important component of our church. Each month, the ministry will provide an update on all of the work that is being done with the goal of ending the murder of innocent babies.
Below is Aaron Pratt, providing the initial update:
Topics discussed:
- Introduction to the Pro-Life Ministry
- Ohio Burial bill where women are responsible for the proper burial of their aborted babies
- South Carolina bill – a heartbeat bill that contains “should/if” clauses pertaining to the heartbeat being detected by required ultrasound. It also provides exceptions for a woman whose life is believed to be in danger (should she continue with the pregnancy), and, also for those women who conceived in the unfortunate instance of rape.
- The fallacies with these bills
- The issues with the general Pro-Life industry and the incremental steps to end abortion that are taken
- Why we do what we do
- What we do:
-
- Preach the Gospel
- Draft letters to local representatives
- Begin to encourage other like-minded churches to join in the fight
- Recommended Reads – Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates, Rooted Interposition
- How you can help
STATEMENT ON ABORTION
Ever since the fall of mankind, we have had hearts set on murder (Gen. 4:8, 6:5, Prov. 1:18). Thankfully, by His common grace and institution of civil governments, God has significantly curbed these evil tendencies. However, in the United States, we live in a time where the government has abandoned its charge to uphold God’s law, instead choosing to support and protect the mass murder of unborn children. It is the responsibility of Christians individually, and the Church collectively, to rise up and fight tirelessly for these oppressed, voiceless image-bearers of God.
There is not one among us who can say that we have had no part in the abortion holocaust that has been going on over the past 45 years. All of us hold some responsibility, either by commission (directly participating in abortion), or by omission (ignoring the murder going on in our midst). As God’s representatives on the earth, we are to be concerned with justice being upheld and carried out (Mic. 6:8), especially when it comes to those who are weak and otherwise helpless. This work must be rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ and needs to be carried out in accord with it.
We recognize that the only way the murderous heart can be changed is by the saving work of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 5:17, 1 Cor. 6:11, Eph. 4:22-24); we rejoice in the fact that God uses His people’s preaching of the gospel to bring about this transformation. Therefore, it is our biblical conviction that true, lasting reform regarding abortion can only occur through the bold preaching of Christ and him crucified to all people; our work must begin there.
While this proclamation of the gospel is the baseline requirement for every Christian (Mt. 28:19-20), there are specific ways we ought to biblically address abortion that go beyond the standard gospel presentation, which we at Redeemer Church of South Hills will implement. These include:
- Preaching directly in the midst of those places where abortions take place
- Directly interceding on behalf of the unborn by pleading with their parents to spare their lives
- Engaging the culture by challenging the popular opinions regarding abortion
- Using any and all lawful avenues to criminalize abortion in Pennsylvania, and ultimately in the United States
Our conviction is that it is the Christian’s responsibility to be willing to make the great sacrifices necessary to protect unborn children; our prayer is that every faithful believer in Christ will join us by using their gifts to engage in this battle; our confidence is in the power and sovereignty of God to ultimately bring this wickedness to an end, and we trust that He will.
To Him alone be all glory.
