Peter Witkowski Apologetics

Infanticide or Racism: Which is Worse?

whats-worseFew politicians find themselves embroiled in controversy over infanticide and late term abortion. Fewer still find themselves caught up in controversies about both infanticide and racism in a span of three. Governor Ralph Northam managed to pull of this political feat last week.

On January 30, Governor Northam said the following on a local radio station,

So in this particular example, if the mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen: The infant would be delivered; the infant would be kept comfortable; the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desire, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother

Then on Friday, February 1, Virginians learned that the governor had dressed up as either in blackface or as a member of the Klu Klux Klan for a party. The governor quickly apologized, saying, “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.”  But then on Saturday, he denied appearing in the yearbook photo saying he had no memory of the photo. But at the same press conference, he revealed that he did remember using blackface when he went to a party. Responding the events embroiling the Virginia capital, politicians ranging from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Former Vice-President Joe Biden have encouraged Governor Northam to resign his office because racism has no place in American politics.

Many evangelicals across the state of Virginia and across the country echo these calls for the governor’s resignation.

But many have evangelicals have also been troubled by the nature of the outrage leveled against Governor Northam. He has been attacked over and over again for his racist actions. Senator Kamala Harris rightfully noted, “Leaders are called to a higher standard, and the stain of racism should have not place in the halls of government.”

By comparison, little fanfare has been given to the governor’s endorsement of late term abortion and infanticide. Consequently, many evangelicals are crying foul. They believe that advocating for the death of infants is definitely newsworthy. It is.

But some Christians have gone a step further and said abortion is a more significant issue than racism. Are they right?

Abortion & Racism

Over the weekend, Americans learned that Governor Northam’s yearbook photo was leaked by one of the governor’s medical school classmates. The anonymous classmate was spurred to action by governor’s statements on abortion and infanticide. Had the governor not dived into the abortion debate on Wednesday, there would have been no accusations of racism on Friday.

But the connection between abortion and racism extends beyond the actions and words of the Virginia Governor. Abortion and racism share the same philosophical underpinning. For abortion and infanticide to be permissible, society must deem some humans to be less than human because of their age. And for racism to thrive, society must deem some humans to be less than human because of their heritage and/or skin pigmentation. In short,  abortion and racism can only exist if societies and governments permit some human beings to deny the humanity of other human beings.

The Bible clearly states that all human beings are full human and fully represent the image of God. Age, time in the womb, skin color, health, and one’s parents’ do not change a person’s worth. Genesis 1:26 clearly states, “God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Christians affirm that all men and women descended from Adam and Eve. All men and women share in the glory of their creator regardless of the size, color, or earning potential. All deserve to be valued, protected, and defended by society. All Christians should defend babies from abortion and minorities from racism.

Moreover, both evils have led to the gross mistreatment and to the murder of innocent men and women who Abortion has claimed more than 61 million lives since 1973. And slavery has claimed the lives of 5-12 million African-Americans. And that number does not include those who died because of neglect after the American Civil War or because of groups like the KKK. Can Christians truly say one sin is more reprehensible than the other?

The answer is, “No.”

The Church’s Response

The church must condemn both infanticide and racism with equal vigor. One is not worse than the other. Both debased twins must be opposed.

Admittedly, Christians should lament the silence surrounding Governor Northam’s defense of infanticide and late-term abortion. His positions are morally indefensible.

But evangelicals should not treat the condemnation of Governor Northam’s racist activities as being a distraction from the real issue. His racism is just as morally indefensible as his view of abortion. And Christians should rejoice when secular reporters and politicians affirm and encourage seek to defend life.

Admittedly, those who both support abortion and battle against racism have an inconsistent worldview. And, Christians should highlight this inconsistency, calling politicians to defend the life of every American.

But in defending live,  the Church must be careful to avoid pitting abortion against racism. Rather, the church should passionately speak against both sins.

Every life should be precious in the sight of God’s people.

Peter Witkowski Apologetics

A Pastor’s Response to the VA Abortion Debate

Christians must use all legitimate civil means to stop the government of Virginia from embracing Governor Ralph Northam’s position on infanticide and abortion. In an radio interview on WTOP earlier this week, He said the following in regards to House Bill 2491,

If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.

Regardless of how one may attempt to slice or to spin the governor’s comments, the words always point to one meaning: Infanticide. Governor Northam believes parents and doctors should be allowed to determine whether or not a child lives. If a mother’s  physical or mental health could be hurt by the existence of the “comfortable” baby, then the mother could choose to kill her baby. And the definition of health provided by court case Doe v. Bolton is so vague almost any maternal inclination would be ample justification for killing the baby in question. A mother could terminate her child because the child was the ‘wrong’ gender, or because the child threatened the mother’s financial or career goals, or because the child had deformities that promised to consume the mother’s time and financial resources. Governor Northam’s statement did not concern women’s health. It concerned infanticide.

Now before I proceed further, I want to be clear. I do not want to minimize the sacrifices associated with motherhood. My four siblings and I taxed my mother to no end. And as the father of three kiddos, I watch my dear wife repeatedly sacrifice her desires, health, money, and mental well-being for our children. Motherhood is a huge undertaking.

But Governor Northam and by extension Kathy Tran who sponsored House Bill 2491 are not seeking to support motherhood through tax breaks or government programs. They are seeking to empower mothers to kill their children after birth. They are seeking to normalize infanticide. They are seeking to allow one portion of the population to exterminate another portion of the population.

And once one part of a society is permitted and licensed to kill for convenience sake, others will seek similar permissions. If all human life is deemed to have no intrinsic value, then ultimately any life can be sacrificed for the ‘greater good’ or mental health reasons. If the old, the Jews, and the mentally infirm (to name a few groups) are deemed by the government to be causing a significant portion of the population mental anguish, what will stop Virginians from exterminating them?

The press and the Democratic Party of Virginia has attempted to deflect the outrage bubbling up around House Bill 2491 and Governor Northam by claiming the whole ordeal is an orchestrated political stunt engineered by Republicans seeking to protect their control of the Virginia legislature. After all, four similar bills have already been put forward and voted down in Virginia over the last three years with little fanfare. Sarah Jones from New York Magazine dismissed the whole controversy and encourages us to do the the same writing,

The idea that abortion providers tear apart full-term, viable babies about to breathe has animated the right for a long time. It’s the stuff of pulp fiction, and the myth bears little resemblance to reality.

And as Governor Northam’s office said, “No woman seeks a third trimester abortion except in the case of tragic or difficult circumstances.”

Sadly, Sarah Jones and Governor Northam are mistaken. The idea of abortion that Sarah Jones mocks as pulp fiction is not the day dream of crazied political junkies; it is reality. Abortion kills millions of viable babies in the cruelest and most uncaring of ways as can be seen in the medical drawings that detail the abortion procedure. Abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood suck babies from the womb piece by piece.

Infanticide will also harm the innocent. Notice that the governor’s office defines tragic and difficult circumstances as things, “such as a nonviable pregnancy or in the event of severe fetal abnormalities.” Non-viable pregnancies that could claim the mother’s life such as ectopic pregnancies are already covered by Virginia law. The governor is not talking medically non-viable pregnancies. He is talking about killing babies who have fetal abnormalities such as Down Syndrome or anencephaly that may disrupt their mother’s quality of life. In short, Governor Northam believes doctors and mothers should be allowed to let unwanted yet viable babies die.

Though the press may now view the defense of life as being ‘sensationalism,’ Christians must continue to declare the truth about abortion and infanticide. Abortion and infanticide are not Democratic Party and Republican Party issues. These practices are moral issues of the highest level, issues of good and evil.

Regardless of their political affiliation, Christians cannot call evil good; they cannot sit quietly on their hands as their government casually discusses murdering its citizens. Christians must deal with reality identifying abortion for what it really is…murder.

The Scriptures clearly teach that all life from inception to death represents the image and beauty of God. The words of Psalm 139:13 apply to all people regardless of their age, gender, or health.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

Luke chapter 1 also clearly teaches that both babies in the womb and out of the womb are fully human. And Exodus 21:22-25 states that anyone who takes the life of a baby should be charged with murder.

Theologian Wayne Grudem concludes,

The Bible teaches that we should think of the unborn as child as a person from the moment of conception, and therefore we should give to the unborn child legal protection equal to that of others in the society.”

As a Christian, as a husband, as a father, as a pastor, and as a voting Virginian, I call upon Governor Northam to defend the life of every Virginia. I call upon him to disavow his support of infanticide and of abortion on demand. I also urge my fellow Christians to join me in supporting life. I encourage them to use their voices and their votes to defend the life of every Virginian.

Will you join me?

Peter Witkowski Discipleship, Evangelism, Pain & Suffering

Bedside Evangelism: Yes or No?

bedside-evangelismSharing the gospel with those about to wade through the river of death can seem daunting and at times inappropriate and unkind. The Clinical Pastoral Education movement ardently discourages ministers from discussing the cross, Jesus, and eternal life with those in the middle of a medical crisis. The group believes pastors should offer comfort through listening and through sharing encouraging thoughts that restate the patients’ beliefs, concerns, and desires.

While this pastoral trend towards therapeutic listening has a certain appeal because it keeps ministers from unnecessarily stepping on the toes of suffering and seems to picture God’s love, it actually hides the love of God from those who need it most.

Illnesses, car accidents, and natural disasters exist because of the fall. They are manifestations of evil. Christians should always seek to rescue, help, and comfort people who acutely feel the effects of the broken world. But sorrow and suffering are not random evils. They are often used by God to accomplish his divine will.

God afflicts the wicked with suffering because he desires their salvation. In 1 Samuel 5-6, the Philistines come to grips with this reality. They had defeated the Israelites and captured the Ark of the Lord. As the begin to celebrate this great victory, God pummels them with divine wrath. Their god, Dagon,  is smashed to pieces. Their people develop tumors and begin to drop like flies. Mice overrun their fields. Because of their great anguish the Philistines realize that the God of Israel is the most powerful God.

C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia, wrote,

The human spirit will not even begin to try to surrender self-will as long as all seems to be well with it. Now error and sin both have this property, that the deeper they are the less their victims suspects their existence; they are masked evil. Pain is unmasked, unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt

When life goes well, people are prone to ignore God. As Jeremiah 22:21 reminds us, “I spoke to you in your prosperity but you said, ‘I will not listen.” Pain gets the attention of the modern man and woman just as it got the attention of the ancient Philistines. But pain does not save. As Thomas Watson noted,

If pain and trouble were sufficient to repentance, then the dammed in hell should be most, for they are most in anguish.

Pain only knocks people off of their demigod thorns, revealing that someone else rules the universe. But pain does not fully reveal who that ruler is and how one can enjoy a peaceful relationship with God. The Philistines returned the Ark and escaped their pain. But they did not follow their cows into Israel and become followers of the one true God. The Philistines never found salvation.

Pastors have the amazing opportunity to supply the prophetic voice that the Philistines lacked. When a minister learns that a sinner is dying or hears that a less than faithful church member is approaching death, he should come to their bedside equipped with the gospel. The pastor should share the truth that Jesus has died to save sinners. As the Puritan Pastor Richard Baxter noted,

Even the stoutest of sinners will hear us on their death-bed, though they scorned us before.

The pastor should seize the bedside moment and share Christ with the dying, risking social scorn and a few bruised toes.

Is not the salvation of the wicked worth a little angst in the pastor’s souls? Did not Christ offer paradise to the thief on the cross? Can the faithful minister do any less?

Admittedly, pastors can abuse the suffering. The pastor can wrongfully offer salvation in exchange for physical blessing and peace. The sick and weak can be prone to do anything to get relief. The Philistines made golden tumors and mice. Pastors must offer Christ crucified and not some twisted gospel of self-interest where people come to God in order to get favors from him. God does not want to be treated as a genie bound to do the will of human flesh. God wants the sinner to repent and follow Him with his or her whole heart. Anything less is not real salvation and will not last. Watson rightfully notes,

A passionate resolution…raised in a storm will die in the calm.

Salvation ultimately has to be a work of God. And God often uses suffering to draw men and women to faith. Pastors should not hide the gospel when at the bedside of the dying. Rather as Baxter said, “it is time for us, while there is hope, to help him if we can.”

Pastor…Minister are you ready to help?