Hope, Change for the Unborn by Lou Engle
Two days ago our nation’s first African American president, Barak Obama, was
escorted onto a regal platform before the masses of America. He put his hand
on the Bible (the actual Bible Abraham Lincoln used for his oath) and then
briefly made his inaugural oath to protect the Constitution.
Borrowing from the theme of President Obama’s inauguration, it seems that
today we have a new Abraham Lincoln and are on the brink of witnessing, in
all its glory, “A New Birth of Freedom” for America. It is amazing how we
can honor the heroes of justice in our past and stand in the very shadows of
their memorials but not learn the lessons that history taught.
Engraved on the walls of Lincoln’s monument are the words of his second
inaugural address, “Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this
mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it
continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty
years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn
with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said
three thousand years ago, so still it must be said ‘the judgments of the
Lord are true and righteous altogether.’”
Abraham Lincoln most certainly drew his inspiration from Numbers 35:33 (“So
you shall not pollute the land where you are, for blood defiles the land and
no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it
except by the blood of him who shed it”) as well as Genesis 9:5-6 (“Surely
for your life blood I will demand a reckoning… Whoever sheds mans blood,
by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God he made man.”)
Lincoln came to understand that the Civil War was God’s divine discipline
upon a people and a nation who refused to live according to God’s laws.
Lincoln was aware that the Civil War was a day of reckoning for the horrific
injustice of slavery and the shedding of innocent blood done in the name of
economic gain and racial oppression. If what Lincoln came to conclude was
true, and if 600,000 men died on the battlefields of the Civil War for the
blood of slavery, what will it mean if God brings a day of reckoning for the
shed blood of conservatively 48 million aborted babies since Roe v. Wade
1973?
If Abraham Lincoln was right in his assessment of the Civil War, then the
shedding of innocent blood is a most serious offense against the One who
creates, sustains, and loves life. Anyone who has seen the graphic pictures
of abortion know that this is a shedding of blood and blood does not make a
distinction between an unborn person and a born person. This issue of blood
takes abortion way out of the realm of choice.
So now, while proclaiming a new day of freedom, President Obama has promised
to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, and in so doing would be ruling exactly
for that which President Lincoln stood against, the lifeblood of the slave.
This is a harrowing moment in American history. While Obama has promised to
make abortion rare, the FOCA will remove every restriction of abortion from
conception to possibly born alive infants. To remove law is to remove
restraint. Law restrains evildoing. It can’t change hearts but it can
prevent many from shedding innocent blood.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that he couldn’t keep a person from hating
him but through legislation could keep him from beating him. The laws of God
are good for society and for the well being of its people. The passing of
FOCA would be an act of lawlessness in the highest degree and will only
increase and magnify the tragedy of abortion to children, to mothers and
society.
The Constitution that governs this nation was founded on the belief that no
man’s freedom can come at the cost of another and all men deserve to live
free of repressive edicts, fear of death, and tyrannical oppression.
And so we go on refusing to learn from history demanding our own choice and
our own freedoms at the cost of the most innocent of all, the unborn child.
We call on President Obama to listen to the voice of thousands of Christians
who voted for him under the impression that he would make abortion rare.
Live up to your word for the sake of America.
Lou Engle is co-founder of The Call, an effort to gather young adults to
pray and fast for revival. In 2004, Engle planted the first Justice House of
Prayer in Washington, D.C. JHOPs have emerged in San Francisco, Boston, New
York and San Diego.
This is an article by Lou Engle which was published by the Washington Post. To view the article on their website, click here.
A New Year
2008 has come and gone in barrage experiences. Some good, some bad and some just there. Logan and I are thankful for the Lord’s grace that was poured out on us over the past 12 months and look forward to what God is going to lead us through in 2009.
Today we are a little over a week in to the new DTS. On January 5th, 16 students showed up in east Texas to dedicated the next 5 months to chasing God with all they have. Its our job to keep pointing them to Jesus and try not to get in the way of what He wants to accomplish in their lives.
Logan and I are both leading small groups and involved in one on one discipleship with the students on a daily basis. It is a wonderful blessing to see these young men and women grow in their knowledge of God and His purposes for their lives as they seek Him with their whole hearts.
We are so blessed to be involved in the ministry of discipleship here at YWAM Tyler. Please be in prayer for us as we seek to do the will of our Father. Thanks to all of you who are supporting us to be here.
RSS Feed and Info
Do you have questions about RSS? Here is a quick video tutorial to explain RSS in a way that even the most inexperienced web user can understand.
Watch Now.
Ready to subscribe to our feed?
or
