Over the summer, I’ve been preaching through the Ten Commandments. One of the lessons that the Holy Spirit has taught me is how much kindness God demonstrated in the two tablets, inscribed by his own finger. Given to an already-rescued people, God provides for them the way of human flourishing.  These weren’t rules to follow in order to belong to God; these were the terms by which God would relate to the people he redeemed and they, in turn, would relate to him, one another and the world. Embedded in every negative command (“You shall not”) is an implied positive command (“You shall”) that is designed for our good and for the glory of God’s name. For example, the fourth command to “not do any work on the Sabbath” is ultimately an admonition to rest.  It’s actually a gift: a forced respite for a people prone to endless producing.  Similarly, the sixth command, “you shall not murder” has a glorious positive side. Behind this prohibition against intentionally or recklessly killing an innocent person is a positive command: “You shall cherish the sacredness of human life.” From the moment of conception to the time of death every human being reflects the

The older I get the more upset I become at all of the injustice taking place in our world. Racial discrimination, sexual harassment, school shootings, religious persecution, abortion, and so much more seems to happen more now, than ever.  As Christians, we must be firm in our pro-life values, from womb to tomb. So how should we respond when the smallest among us are perishing in astounding numbers? Righteous Anger First, it is okay to be righteously angry. In our fallen and broken world, people sin, and injustice happens. However, in our anger we must not sin. Ephesians 4:26-27 are well-known verses: “’In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”  That is an explicit command not to sin in our anger. What does sinning in our anger look like?  Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, so that it may benefit all who listen.” When we, as believers, are called to speak in a way that does not shy away from the

I will never forget the first time I stepped onto the sidewalk. I was a 22-year-old seminary student with no experience in pro-life ministry. In fact, I had very little “ministry” experience at all! I certainly was not accustomed to waking up at 6 am on a Saturday. Nevertheless, I committed to serve with a new ministry in our church called Speak for the Unborn. That cold and early morning marked the first of what would become 10 years of standing in front of an abortion clinic in Kentucky every week offering hope and help to moms and families in crisis. Though many experiences were formative, four truths stand out from my time on the sidewalk. Abortion is Wicked Like far too many of us, the only time I really thought about the sanctity of life was during an election season. That all change the moment I stepped onto the sidewalk. Every week I watched wave after wave of moms, dads, grandparents, and friends walk through the doors of an abortion clinic. These were not statistics. These were people; a lot of them. These were people who had believed the lie of abortion. These mothers were promised freedom, but in