- We believe that the crux of the "problem" today with the pro-life/anti-abortion movement, as promoted by professing Christians, is its capitulation to a moralistic/humanistic/psychological/ecumenical/social action gospel that puts the body before the soul. It's a gospel of religious humanism -- humanism because, in the end, it exalts man's "worth" over Christ's, and religious because it is clothed in "Christian"/moralistic terminology. Dr. Jay E. Adams hits the nail on the head when he writes:
"... [In their attempt] to thwart the abortion movement many well-meaning Christians unintentionally exalt man by declaring him to be of infinite worth. Abortion should not be fought on the basis that killing a human being is wrong because he or she is so valuable, but on the basis that, when a child bearing God's image is slaughtered, it is God who is attacked because that child bears His image. If you tear up a picture of my wife, you'll have me to answer to -- not because of the intrinsic worth or value of the paper and print that you destroyed, but because you have insulted my wife. An attack on the image of God is serious, not because of man's supposed great worth, but because of the One whose image he reflects" (A Call to Discernment, pp. 18-19).
The focus of the pro-life movement today seems to be one of attempting to
"Christianize" societal institutions by pressuring the ungodly to live like
saints. Instead, its focus should be one of presenting the pure Gospel of Christ, which is
to call out of the world (i.e., repentance of
sin) those who will respond to this Gospel,
so that they might then (and only then) be enabled by the Spirit to live wholly
for God.
In addition, in many instances the pro-life movement seems to be denying the sovereignty
of God; its proponents behave as if God is not in control over who shall live and who
shall die. For example, most pro-life organizations promote pre-marital sexual abstinence
to a culture without Christ, and therefore, a culture that has neither the resources nor
the power to abstain (witness Focus on the Family's/James
Dobson's 4/14/92 full-page
newspaper ad in USA Today titled "In Defense of a Little
Virginity"). Then, if abstinence fails and immorality leads to conception, pro-life
organizations focus on saving the baby's body, with an almost total disregard for the
mother's soul (as witnessed by the law-breaking tactics of Operation Rescue). It all gets back to our first point; the pro-life movement is focused on cleaning up
the world's behavior without attempting to get at the root cause -- SIN!
- Another problem with the pro-life movement is its rampant ecumenism --
the pro-life
movement, from top to bottom, is heavily influenced by Catholics. Visit a protest or
picket line at an abortion clinic and there is a good chance that you will see someone
(often priests or nuns) praying directly to Mary, saying the Rosary, or carrying some kind
of graven image. Or go into a Crisis Pregnancy Center and ask how many of its counselors
are Catholics. Since the Bible speaks against being unequally yoked with unbelievers (2
Cor. 6:14), any alliances with Romanists do not and cannot honor the Lord. Moreover,
ecumenical gatherings serve to weaken resistance to false teachings; the Bible-believer's
attitudes towards the Vatican may soften after being in the trenches with Catholics (1
Cor. 15:33). (Adapted from the 4/93, Christian Defender.)
- An integral part of the pro-life movement is the vast system of Crisis
Pregnancy Centers. Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC) is a generic name for any church or
parachurch organization that counsels women against abortion. Most operate out of small,
storefront offices in 1,500-3,000 locations nationally, seeing an estimated 700,000 to
1,000,000 women annually. Most CPC' counselors are not "professionals," though
most go through an approximately 32-hour training course and about 20 hours of in-service
preparation. Most CPCs also have no official ties with Operation
Rescue, although some of
its volunteer counselors do take part in "rescues."
All CPCs offer a similar menu -- a free, self-administered pregnancy test, a crisis hot
line, information about abortion procedures, and alternatives to abortion. None of them
offers referrals to abortion clinics nor contraceptive information, preferring to stress
abstinence for those not married. For women whose tests are negative (about 50% are),
counselors try to talk about the relationships with men that have made pregnancy a
"crisis." And increasingly, CPCs offer post-abortion counseling, often in the
form of small-group Bible studies (see information on PACE later in this
report), many of which utilize the "five stages of grief" (developed by
transpersonal New Age psychologist and occultist, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross). (CPC leaders
point to this as proof that they are not harsh and judgmental; if they were, how many
women would come to them for help after an abortion?)
Most CPCs also attempt to help women carry their babies to term, by offering free
second-hand baby and maternity clothes. Other practical helps may include a place to stay
with a family, parenting classes, nutrition classes, prenatal medical care, even job
training, and helping to arrange adoptions ("Inside Crisis Pregnancy Centers,"
by Tim Stafford, Christianity Today, 8/17/92).
- The two largest "umbrella" organizations for CPCs are the Christian Action
Council (CAC) (now Care Net -- see footnote at end of report) and Birthright, comprising
services for more than 1,000 CPCs in the U.S. and Canada. CAC began in 1975 (founded by
Billy Graham, C. Everett Koop, and Edith Schaeffer!) as a political lobby when
"evangelical Protestants" joined Catholics in their post-Roe v. Wade
opposition to abortion. (Koop, previously unaffectionately known as "Captain
Condom," has now linked-up with the Clintons to promote pro-abortion health care
plans!) By 1981, CAC began organizing CPCs; approximately 450 centers are now affiliated
with CAC. (Birthright runs 500 CPCs in the U.S. and 75 in Canada. Birthright centers often
have informal links to the Catholic church.) Outside of the umbrella organizations are
many independent CPCs, but nobody knows how many or what methods and morals predominate.
Other religious humanist organizations are also getting into the act of
"advising" CPCs. An article in the 5/94 Focus on the Family
magazine (a publication of self-love advocate
James Dobson's ministry) is titled
"Crisis Pregnancy Centers Receive the Focus Touch." Dobson says that FOTF has
started a new quarterly newsletter, Heart to Heart, in an "effort to
encourage and support crisis pregnancy centers. ... will help build a strategic network
for center-to-center communication ... Each issue will feature evaluations of resources,
including counseling manuals and programs, pro-life videos and abstinence programs, as
well as related news stories, creative ideas, successful approaches and special projects.
Every crisis pregnancy center on FOTF's mailing receives Heart to Heart free
of charge." (Notice there is no mention of the Gospel of Christ.)
- We will focus on the Christian Action Council's/Care Net's materials, specifically its
71-page Crisis Pregnancy Center Volunteer Training Manual. Despite CAC's
claim that its primary focus is to evangelize its counselees, the Training Manual
gives only brief lip-service to the necessity of a Christ-centered gospel versus a
man-centered one (p. 61). When one examines the rest of the Manual , it
is unclear how any volunteer counselor could possibly present any semblance of an accurate
gospel message to the lost (one focusing on God and others to the detriment of
self) -- the
counseling training material comes straight from the teachings of anti-Christian,
self-loving, godless humanists, teaching such concepts as unconditional
acceptance, self-esteem/self-image/self-worth/self-ad
nauseam,
"feelings-oriented"/man-centered counseling techniques; Rogerian client-directed
listening therapy, Freudian ventilation therapy and psychosexual dysfunction
therapy,
etc., all about which the Bible knows nothing! [CAC even admits (p. 7) that "...
these terms are borrowed from secular psychology," but incredibly claims that
"they reflect biblical principles" anyway!] In fact, with only two pages out of
the entire 71-page Training Manual devoted to the gospel message, evangelism
appears more as an afterthought than a CAC priority.
Perhaps a specific example from the Volunteer Training Manual would better
illustrate the nature of the unbiblical teaching perpetrated by CAC: "How To Talk to
the Client About Sexuality" (pp. 55-57). The entire approach for effecting change
comes from a self-centered rather than a God-centered
perspective -- discussion of the risks of continued promiscuity (for a girl testing negative
on her pregnancy test) centers on "her future happiness" and her
"well-being." This self-centered motivation for change is the antithesis of the
Bible's teaching on motivation; i.e., the Bible says that sufficient motivation for any
change is the believer's desire to do what is pleasing to God, not "what's
in it for me?" or how will it affect my "goals and
hopes" later in life (Rom. 7:7-25). Sinful man in his sinful, self-centered nature
will never be able to effect long-term, permanent, godly change on the basis of
"what's good for me" (Jer. 17:9). The Bible says "change because God
commands it." But without Christ, this is impossible. With Christ living within us,
however, we have all the power and the motivation necessary to make the change from an
immoral lifestyle to a godly one (i.e., "put-off" sinful behavior and
"put-on" righteousness -- Eph. 4:17-5:2 and Phil. 4:13). Yet, with CAC's pitiful
emphasis on the gospel message, one wonders how any counselee can ever hope to get to the
point of repentance and subsequent desire to live a godly life!
- More and more CPCs are offering post-abortion counseling, generally in the form of
small-group Bible studies. (This is encouraged by CAC in its brochure "Facts You
Should Know About Abortion.") One such Bible study is titled "Women in Ramah: A
Post Abortion Bible Study," published by PACE (Post Abortion Counseling
and Education), and written by Linda Cochrane, a psychiatric nurse. Some examples of the
teaching in this 71-page manual are worthy of note:
(a) Appendix: "Why A Group?" (pp. 67-71) -- The techniques recommended are strikingly similar to the psychiatric group therapy that one might have become familiar with if he had seen such movies as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" or "The Dream Team." It is thoroughly "feelings" and "emotions" oriented, and loaded down with psychological platitudes that are in direct conflict with Biblical teaching. "People grow by living through their pain," is but one example of the psychobabble being bought-into by the professing Church today, and being passed off as a spiritual truth in this Bible study.
(b) "Naming Your Baby" (pp. 58-59) -- This teaching is clearly one with spiritism underpinnings. PACE recommends that a woman who has had an abortion embrace a pillow to relieve the "empty arms feeling," communicate with the aborted baby by writing the baby a letter, and imagine the aborted baby communicating its thoughts to you, the mother. These "techniques" are not only gestalt in nature, but are, in actuality, forms of necromancy, i.e., consultation with the spirits of the dead (only, in this example, without a medium to aid in the process). This practice is one of those strictly forbidden by God, and called by Him an abomination (Deut. 18:10-13). It is also extremely dangerous for the spiritual health of anyone dabbling in it, not only because God forbids it (which should be reason enough for any Christian not to engage in it), but because it can serve as an introduction to the occult, a realm in which the demons do not respect the innocence nor the naiveté of the participant.
- Both Birthright and the Christian Action Council/Care Net require their affiliates to
pledge a vow of "absolute confidentiality" to the pregnant mothers who come in
for counseling. But as Christians, should we be willing to make such a vow? Dr. Jay Adams
(in his book, Handbook of Church Discipline), says no we should not, since
this type of vow "originated in the Middle Ages and is unbiblical and contrary to
Scripture." Also, "absolute" confidentiality often prohibits the proper
exercise of church discipline and possible restoration for a young woman or couple (Matt.
18:15-17). CPCs need to reserve the right to tell those people who are Biblically
authorized to know.
Most CPCs today do not have a policy of notifying a Christian girl's parents or pastor
when they have knowledge that she is uncertain as to what she is going to do with her
pre-born child, or worse, declares her intent to abort her baby. Instead, most have
policies of absolute confidentiality. At that point, the CPC is sharing the same
confidentiality policy as Planned
Parenthood. The CPCs have a standard answer for their
absolute confidentiality policy. They fear that if they bring parents or husbands and
pastors into the situation, pregnant woman will stop coming to their center. But, does
this not presume that godly parents, spouses, and pastors will not be used by the Spirit
to guide a Christian woman back to the right path, to bring accountability back into her
life, and maybe bring an end to the matter in such a way that brings glory to Him?
But with such an unholy vow of silence covering the CPCs, how can the fornication or
adultery often leading to the "crisis pregnancy" be set right? What keeps the
sinners from ending up again at the CPC or the abortion mill? Very little is corrected
with silence. CPCs should attempt to steer the unwed pregnant girl and her family to a
church that understands and teaches the Bible, so as to facilitate confession, repentance,
and restoration unto Christ. If the girl and the family reject this, then the death of her
pre-born baby is not on the CPC's hands. But since many involved with CPCs have courses or
degrees in psychology, and have already replaced Biblical/ethical counseling with
psycho-therapeutic counseling, the moral foundation of these CPCs has already been
destroyed. Thus, they are often ill-equipped to accept the deeper moral problems
concerning "absolute" confidentiality. (Adapted from "Are Some Crisis
Pregnancy Centers Fanning the Abortion Crisis," by Paul Dorr, FWR
Report, 4/93.)
* Note: The CAC has changed its name to Care Net (1/15/94, World). It will now supposedly de-emphasize what it is against (abortion) and reemphasize what it is for (women). In our opinion, this will only lead to an even greater emphasis on pop psychology and victimization theology.
