Roe v. Wade: Is the church ready?

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Over the last few months, I have said that if Roe vs Wade is overturned or if viability is dropped to 15 weeks, the church is going to need to step up to care for mothers and babies like never before. With the last night’s leak of the news regarding the potential overturning of Roe by the Supreme Court, this concern has been brought front and center.

It is interesting that yesterday I met with Lorna Bius, Suzanne Guy, and Rachel Guy to discuss ways to minister through the Georgia Baptist Mission Georgia’s emphasis on post and pre-natal care. In our discussion, we were looking at ways for the church to step up and have the greatest influence ever on ministering to women before and after the birth of their children.

With the potential of Roe being overturned and the fight to protect women and children from abortion being moved to the states, now is the time for the church to get more involved in what we have always confessed to believe about the sanctity of human life.

There's no doubt that this issue begins first and foremost with loving care for mothers and fathers who find themselves in difficult situations with unplanned pregnancies. Assuming Georgia’s fetal pain bill will ultimately become law, almost all abortions will be outlawed after six weeks of a pregnancy. This will mean that life will become a much more favorable alternative to women facing challenging circumstances.

Lorna said in our meeting that many may see the emphasis of focusing on mothers and babies as extracurricular activity for the church; however, caring for mothers and babies should be at the core of our ministry. Care for mothers and babies is not something extra; it is something that is at the essence of what it means to live out the impact of the gospel in our lives upon those that we see in need.

It’s important that the churches show this love through serving and meeting needs in the community. Consider providing things like help for women and men who have had a post abortion experience; tangible help for childcare and housing; provide discipleship and friends to walk alongside of them; baby showers; help with prenatal diagnoses; partner with Pregnancy Resource Centers, and post abortion healing ministries. Each of these are great opportunities to minister and share the gospel and love of Christ. The churches should be the safety net when it comes to caring for those in need.

This whole process of loving and caring begins with proper biblical teaching on sexuality and the proper role of marriage and family in the lives of all people. Unconditional love will be at the center of what the Church must express no matter what the circumstances are regarding mothers and babies needing to be cared for. This kind of love is what gives greatest evidence to the love that Jesus demonstrated toward us by what he did on the cross.

We demonstrate that same kind of love to mothers and babies who are needing help, so that they know they have many reasons to believe that abortion should be unthinkable. People going through difficult circumstances in their life need to be reminded again that the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the place to go find help and care and love during their most difficult times of life!

We can be thankful that one of the points of emphasis in Mission Georgia is pre- and post-natal care for mothers. I'm so thankful for people like Lorna Buis who are leading us in this mission’s emphasis. I'm thankful for people like Rachel and Suzanne Guy who have started a Life Initiatives and Values (LIV) ministry at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia. This ministry mirrors what all churches should be doing in maternal care.

We are already on the road as Georgia Baptists to doing our best ministry ever to women and babies for the sake of living and sharing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our greatest days of opportunity are now before us. Let’s not miss the awesome opportunity!