Since Roe v Wade’s overturn in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, I’ve been interested in the abortion problem from a different perspective. I know I can’t cover every aspect of the issue, but I hope to cover one concept in particular and build from there.
The following article will not deal with whether it was right or wrong for SCOTUS to overturn Roe v Wade, but rather what the church can and should do moving forward.
By the way, I wrote a companion Scripture study about Psalm 139:13-16 that you can read AT THIS LINK.
The Abortion Saga: Becoming a true Sanctuary
In 2019, the little town of Waskom, Texas (population 2000) became the first municipality to create what Pastor Mark Lee Dickson called a “sanctuary for the unborn.” On the surface, Dickson’s effort seem surely a call from God, and perhaps it is. As I’ve given this more thought, however, I’m uncomfortable with the concept. The towns who pass such regulations tend to be small, don’t have abortion clinics, and wouldn’t attract them in the first place. Even in the largest such city, Lubbock, Texas (population 257,000), there was only one clinic at the time of the city-wide vote. And it came with a caveat that the city didn’t make being a sanctuary part of municipal code, but instead provided a way for people to sue clinics and individuals who took part in providing abortions.
But here’s the real problem: These towns are too small to support being a sanctuary city. They don’t have services for young women and families who are in the position that being a sanctuary town is designed to support. In Waskom’s case, for example, the nearest pregnancy resource center is 20 miles away. What exactly makes this a sanctuary? Are the unborn somehow able to pick where they live or are born?
Of course not.
My concern is that, as more states modify pro-life or pro-choice laws based on the Dobbs case, we the church will celebrate being a sanctuary for the unborn and not properly support young, poor families and single parents. That’s why I want to highlight ways churches and Christians can help the families and women of upwards of a quarter million or more new babies who will come into the world under Roe’s repeal each year. I’ll be doing more of that over the ensuing weeks. Sign up for my newsletter to keep up with that work.
Being a true sanctuary for the unborn means being prepared to counsel an unwed mother-to-be who doesn’t know what to do and doesn’t know where to turn for help. It means diapers, date nights, formula, and the like. It means day care so a single parent can earn a livelihood and support the child. A more complete list of what makes a place a sanctuary for the unborn comes a little later in this article.
To be a sanctuary for the unborn, we need to create a sanctuary for the entire person, conception to the grave. Sadly, we as a church aren’t there yet. We can be, but saying we are, as many do in the wake of Roe’s repeal, does not make it so.
This isn’t to say we aren’t closer than the unbelieving world wants to acknowledge, or that we aren’t working on it. Indeed, in the case of Waskom, Texas, First Baptist Church supports the aforementioned pregnancy center, even though it’s 20 miles away in a different town. They also support United Help of Waskom, which provides food and clothing to those in need. FBC supports the ministry as a prayer effort, while St. Lawrence of Brindisi, a Catholic church in town, supports it through volunteer labor. My emails to both churches went unreplied, so I don’t know if there is more effort than what I was able to find in my research. Still, what this shows is that effort is being made, at least to some degree.
Let me get to my point: What I am afraid of is that the church, in taking its victory lap at Roe’s repeal, will forget that suddenly there are going to be hundreds of thousands of more babies each year that we hadn’t had in years past. What a blessing! But as any parent knows, what a lot of work as well! We cannot merely be the church of the unborn. We must be also the church of the young, the church of the adults, the church of the poor, the church of the needy, the church of the confused, and so much more.
What I envision is a whole-church ministry that focuses on being a true sanctuary for life. It will include the following:
1. Support for a pregnancy center that informs expectant mothers of their true options.
2. Support for young families in need. This includes supplementing WIC and other programs by ensuring basic needs are met (diapers, clothing, food, etc). This can be done through the church’s food pantry, or in partnership with another local pantry or organization.
3. Respite care for young families. Once a month or once a week where young couples get to be together away from the kids. This alone would be an amazing work by a church community.
4. Getting kids ready for school. Do they have clothes? Shoes? Will breakfast be available? Have parents been made aware of all support services available to them, and has someone helped them fill out necessary paperwork?
5. Job seeker support for single parents and young families. Hosting or supporting job fairs, providing professional clothing, childcare, etc. Most people want to support themselves. Help them do it by getting them ready.
6. After school programs for kids in need. Latch key kids are kids in danger.
7. Addiction and codependency recovery ministries. Untold numbers of children are wounded each year because of addiction. Helping people recover will support healthy living for children.
8. Other programs and ministries as needed.
As you can see, there is a lot of work to do to prove to a desperate world that we are more than one court decision. If our mission is to introduce the unbelieving world to the total and all-encompassing love of Jesus Christ, who went to a bloody cross for us, and rose in victory from the tomb, isn’t this it? If working to overturn Roe was us saying “go in peace,” then an effort like mentioned above is surely the giving of things needed (James 2).
I implore you, as you consider all that the Dobbs decision brings us as a church and country, to consider very carefully what you ought to be doing now to prepare yourself and your congregation for the thousands of new children coming into the world. Are you ready for the single mother or the poor family? Are your pantry shelves stocked and ready?
I hope so, because now is when the real work begins.
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