I haven’t used this blog as a ‘Dear Abbey’ column before, but I recently received an email that sought out my take on something that is highly charged politically. In posting this, I am confident that there will be flack that I receive for this. I post this, not to be provocative, but to help those who have not the courage to ask questions.

Question

” Hey Josh,

 I know this is out of left field but I have a question for
you. Since the election is coming soon everyone here (and maybe there too) is
getting fired up for it and fired up for who should be elected. It weird this
time b/c so many Christian who were hard lined Republicans and now unsure or
for Obama. I noticed on one of your blogs that you are voting for Obama.

 I’m still going back and forth on it and probably won’t know
until the day of. I guess my question is, how did you end up choosing Obama? I
say this b/c I keep getting pro McCain emails that have to do a lot with
abortion. Personally I hate choosing one candidate b/c of one issue but a
friend of mine said that on almost everything he supports Obama except for the
fact that he’s against abortion and he can’t justify having better taxes or
foreign policy when there are millions of children dying every year. He also
said that one day he will die and have to give an account for the decisions he
made and it doesn’t want to stand before God saying that he choose to pick a
leader who supported the deaths of unborn children. You get the picture.

 Anyway, it was pretty persuasive. For as much as I like
Obama (shoot, my wife is voting for him), I still go back to the abortion issue
and I was wanting someone that I respect and I know has given a lot of thought
on this to give me their reason. And I guess was wondering what you would say
to my friend, defending your view. Make sense?

 I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’m stuck between
Christians who see both sides and I’m just wanting to hear yours. Thanks man.”

My response:

I feel your pain broseph.  For me, the basic premise that
I’m working from is “We don’t get people to stop having abortions by making it
illegal.” I’m not for abortion, except in instances of rape or like incest or
something… But I am for the government not intervening on such issues, such as
how many children can a person have or not have. You’ve been to China, where
they are only allowed a certain amount of children, and that certain number can
only be masculine. China let the government step in and make laws concerning
childbirth. It’s an extreme example, but a logical outcome.

Plus, the Republicans have been harping on this issue for years
and the fact that they still harp on it, makes me think that they haven’t lived
up to what they say they fight for. You’d think that they would have taken care
of this issue by now, if they were seriously against it.

As far as responding to your friend, I don’t know which is a
larger injustice: the occurrence of an abortion, or allowing the child to be
born into poverty with high taxes that keeps them in that poverty?

Ultimately, I don’t think this issue is resolved through
election day. This is something the Church has shoved off the responsibility on
to our politicians. What the Church can do, is promote more Christian
gynecologists and doctors who will be talking to women who are considering
abortion, in the moment, and not at the ballot box. What the Church can do is
promote adoption, whether it’s a kid from Bangladesh or from Baltimore. It’s
not a thing that the Church just needs to talk about and hold signs on street
corners, but they actually need to embody these convictions. Also, the number
of abortions could be reduced by the Church promoting, not abstinence only
sex-ed, but something more informative. It would help if Christians had good
sex to begin with… Instead, we’re taught that sex is dirty and God hates it and
will hate you if you do it. So parents don’t talk to their kids about this
stuff, and if they do, “it’s don’t get pregnant, because God will hate you”
(like he hated Mary?).

Anyway, there’s a lot that the Church can do, OUTSIDE of
election season to reduce abortions, without reducing the election seasons to
one issue voting.

I hope this is helpful…

Josh

PS – Here’s a link worth reading: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/why-im-prolife-and-pro_b_85636.html