Our Own Worst Enemy

“So the final conclusion would surely be whereas other civilizations have been brought down by attacks of barbarians from without, ours had the unique distinction of training its own destroyers at its own educational institutions, and then providing them with facilities for propagating their destructive ideology far and wide, all at the public expense. Thus did Western man decide to abolish himself, creating his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own vulnerability out of his own strength, his own impotence out of his own erotomania, himself blowing the trumpet that brought the walls of his own city tumbling down, and having convinced himself that he was too numerous, labored with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer. Until at last, having educated himself into imbecility, and polluted and drugged himself into stupefaction, he kneeled over – the weary, battered old brontosaurus – and became extinct.” (Malcolm Muggeridge, circa 1970)

Same Data, Different Conclusion

(Proverbs 31:8–9) Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are headed for destruction. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Is the glass half-empty or half-full? We all know that two people can look at the same proverbial glass and draw two entirely different conclusions. One person sees the water level as a harbinger of scarcity, the other as a prelude of plenty. In other words, all of us interpret the data we receive through the lens of our prior assumption. No one processes facts without prejudices. No one.

The diversity of the conclusions drawn from the recent movie, “Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer” is a prime example of how our presuppositions shape our conclusions. NBC News quickly pronounced that the movie was a compelling argument for the legitimacy of “trained abortion provider[s].” But pro-life advocates saw the movie as a powerful argument for the sanctity of preborn life, and the illegitimacy of abortion no matter how lawful or pristine. Same data, different conclusions.

During a courtroom scene in the movie, a very professional looking woman doctor takes the witness stand and freely admits to performing over 30,000 abortions. As Gosnell’s attorney questions the doctor, he argues that killing a recently-born baby is really no different than killing a baby in the womb. But pro-lifers see the similarities of killing preborn babies and newly-born babies as proof of the wrongfulness of abortion. Same data, different conclusions.

So, what are the different presuppositions that lead pro-choicers and pro-lifers to entirely different conclusions as they consider the same abortion-related data? Both agree that the preborn child in the mother’s womb is immature human life; a being that if allowed to mature will grow into a fully-formed human being. Same data.

Pro-choicers believe that women, by virtue of their superior size, strength and cognitive abilities have the right to end the life of the smaller, weaker, less-aware human life in their wombs. Pro-lifers deny that “might makes right” and that God (and any sane civil society) requires those who possess superior size, strength and cognitive abilities to exercise those gifts to provide for, and protect, those who lack them. Different conclusions.

God’s laws, and indeed the laws of every just society, are designed to protect the interests of those who cannot protect themselves. And that is why those who truly love justice are ever-eager to speak out for, and to defend, “the mute…who are headed for destruction.”

Gene Helsel, pastor 

King’s Cross Church
Pro-Life Pastors NCW

Deception is What Deception Does

To paraphrase Forrest Gump: “Deception is what deception does.”

A little over three years ago a small group of families concerned about the agenda of Planned Parenthood launched the, “No Thank You Planned Parenthood” billboard campaign. You’ve no doubt seen our billboards around town featuring a woman with dark hair, wearing dark clothing and holding out her hand in a “stop” gesture.

A few months ago, some friends of Planned Parenthood put up their own billboard featuring a woman (who looks like she could be the twin of our model) with dark hair, wearing dark clothing and holding out her hand with a “thumbs up” gesture. Did the women represented by our billboard change their minds? Nope.

For the record, we heartily embrace the hurly-burly of public discourse. And we welcome opportunities to respectfully discuss and debate the issues surrounding abortion. But families in the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy deserve access to all the facts concerning all the options available to them without the spin and deception of misleading advertisements – from any quarter.

So, our concern is for the distraught woman driving up Miller Street who, through tears, sees the knock-off of our billboard and wonders, perhaps unconsciously, if the pro-life women of Wenatchee (represented by the woman featured in our ads) have had a change of heart; a change of mind regarding the plans and procedures of America’s number one abortion provider. Contrary to what copycat-ad implies, the pro-life women of our valley remain steadfastly against the taking of innocent human life, and decidedly for the sacred beauty of life “from the womb to the tomb.”

Tactics reveal character. And this sneaky billboard suggests not merely a lack of creativity, but a calculated willingness to deceive women when they are most vulnerable. Sadly, their copycat advert is just another reason that we of Citizens for Strong Families continue to believe, and will continue to say, “No Thank You Planned Parenthood. We Can’t Trust You.”

Gene Helsel, pastor of King’s Cross Church
Member of Citizens for Strong Families and Pro-Life Pastors NCW