This blog post is in partnership with the Kenwood Institute in Louisville, KY. If you would like to learn more about the author and what the Kenwood Institute is about, check out their website at kenwoodinstitute.org.
The world that the biblical authors construct through their writings must form our worldview presuppositions, thought categories, and abstract conceptions if we are to believe, live, and promote a sound pro-life position in this generation in the church and in the world. In other words, I am proposing that a sound biblical theology is the proper basis for an effective pro-life public proclamation. You may not be used to pro-life pieces beginning this way or perhaps you are wondering what biblical theology is. My aim is to proffer a conception of human identity derived from the text of the Bible that renders nonsensical the pro-abortion position and aids local churches in responding to pro-abortion arguments from a Biblical worldview. I will conclude with some applications for the local church context.
On the sixth day of creation the Lord made human beings as his crowning creatures. This description of humans is evident because we are the only creatures made in the Lord’s image and according to his likeness (Gen 1:26–27). Therefore, a human being bears a heightened dignity and value relative to the rest of creation including even the myriads of angelic beings that exist (Luke 2:13; Rev 5:11). And this heightened dignity is certainly extended to embryonic human beings in utero precisely because they are human beings. Thus, the consistent pro-life position is clear and logically sound—to end the life of a baby in the womb is murder and is prohibited (Gen 9:5–6; Exod 20:13).
Nothing that I have stated thus far is news to the pro-life movement and its supporters. The Imago Dei has long served as a pillar of the pro-life position and rightly so. At the same time even this sound theological doctrine is often misunderstood or only partially applied due to the post-Enlightenment emphasis of individualism and desire-informed identity in our cultural imagination. The pro-abortion argument that the baby in utero is not a baby or is somehow less than human or lacks personhood has been all but abandoned. The reason for this abandonment extends beyond advances in our scientific knowledge and technological capabilities to observe babies before birth. That reason is a shift to a direct connection between desire and identity and the necessity of individualistic affirmation.
The argument that we face today is simple—if I want an abortion, I am entitled to the fulfillment of that desire regardless of the nature of the baby. All that matters is what I want. What apparently does not matter is the evident biological fact that the developing baby shares the same nature as the mother and bears personhood distinct from the mother. And furthermore, if you criticize my desire or decision, you are attacking me personally because what I want is who I am at least to some degree. Recently Judge Christina Klineman in Indiana issued a ruling claiming a religious right to abortion in response to the state’s abortion ban. This argument is just another rather creative appeal to individual desire as validation for morality and it reveals the most disturbing part of the pro-abortion position—abortion is for them a pagan act of worship. Such efforts will continue, so we need a rational, presuppositional response to combat it.
Our reasonable response to this argument is rather simple as well. As a human being created in the image of God, your desires do not form your identity nor are you entitled to the fulfillment of your every want. Your identity is determined by the one who created you—the Lord, who states through his prophet Isaiah, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isa 43:1). This text is specifically speaking to believers, but the basic principle can be extended to all human beings because we all are divine image-bearers. It is the Lord who created us, who “names” us—a metaphor for identity determination—and who owns us. This reality is explicitly taught in the opening chapter of the Bible and then by implication permeates the entirety of the Scriptures. Even the unbeliever is not his own, and although he may live his entire life on earth in rebellion against the Lord, he will encounter this reality in the judgment. Therefore, we want every person in the church and outside to know who he or she is, to form personal identity, on the proper foundation of the doctrine of creation and the image-bearing nature of humanity. Properly formed identity must serve as the wellspring of desire, not the other way around. And if our desires are shaped by proper human identity as revealed in the Scriptures, any desire oriented towards abortion for any reason is suppressed and dismissed in favor of a desire to fulfill humanity’s mandate to subdue the earth through procreative multiplication (Gen 1:28).
Responses to pro-abortion arguments in favor of exceptions for rape or incest are no different and just as simple because the ground is the same. Being sinned against is never a valid ground for sin and we must never return evil for evil (Rom 12:17, 21). Rape and incest account for less than 1.5% of abortions in the United States, so apparently the emphasis on these exceptions derives from the same basis as the pro-abortion position as a whole—affirming the woman’s desire. It is only heightened by her position as a victim, which has become the de facto strategy for anyone pursuing affirmation. This is not to say that women who are victims of rape and incest are not victims in these circumstances; they certainly are. But that does not change their identity as divine image-bearers and the necessary submissive response. Terrible violations against women such as rape and incest provide an emotion-based opportunity to manipulate thinking people into sinfully affirming murder ultimately on the same basis as present pro-abortion arguments in general—individual autonomous desire. To be consistent, we must not make such exceptions. We must affirm the Imago Dei of each individual person rather than his or her desires because it is our identity as creatures and our image-bearing capacity that together demand the submission of every human being regardless of circumstances, including even the most abhorrent.
It is especially important in local churches to ensure that Christian people develop a coherent conception of themselves and the world through a sound biblical theology that affirms human nature properly as described here. We must shepherd the people of God in proper identity formation, which in turn enables desire formation in accordance with the revealed will of God, which then drives behavior. If we allow the current cultural imagination to shape believers, we may find them swayed by these arguments and exceptions that affirm the individual rather than glorify God. If you are a pastor, patiently teach your people biblical theology, help them to understand and analyze the wicked ideologies that permeate our culture, and call them to live rightly. If you are a Christian, become a member at a local church that esteems and teaches biblical theology and contribute to the life of the body so that not one among you falls victim to the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13). May we all bring glory to the God who created us in his image and according to his likeness by celebrating and protecting life and may our land be cleansed from the wickedness of individualistic autonomy and its fruit, abortion.