Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.
Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that Roe v. Wade was “egregiously wrong,” “deeply damaging,” and “must be overruled.” Many Christians give thanks to God as they reflect on the second anniversary of that historic moment and the stronger protections for unborn children that are now enforceable in multiple states. Yet some who call themselves Christians are disturbed that Roe fell. While unfortunate, that is not surprising.
After all, countless churchgoers lived their entire lives under Roe’s false claim that abortion is a fundamental right. That message was repeated to them in school and in the media. And though they filled the pews each Sunday, the barrage of abortion lies they heard may have never been countered by a compelling sermon about the precious value of unborn children. That must change.
Churchgoers need to be told that children in the womb are loved by God and made in His image. They need to hear the truth that unborn children are among the neighbors we are called to love as ourselves. And they need to learn that elective abortion is a violation of the Ten Commandments’ murder prohibition.
Such teaching has always been critical. Indeed, the Great Commission’s call for us to go and “make disciples of all nations” includes Jesus’s instruction that we teach people “to obey everything” that He commanded us. Yet when those commands are controversial, church leaders have often steered clear. When it comes to abortion, the result has been churchgoers turning to the sin of killing their children, often unware that they are falling for one of the devil’s most effective schemes “to steal and kill and destroy.”
Choosing silence over saving lives
The tragedy of an untrained church is magnified by the fall of Roe. Now, after five decades, the Supreme Court has left to “the people and their elected representatives” to decide whether children in the womb will be brutally killed or protected by law. But instead of seizing the moment to save lives, many churchgoers are wielding their power to leave the most innocent and helpless to suffer death at the hands of abortionists.
We saw this unfold over the past two years as voters in California, Michigan, Vermont, and Ohio decided whether their respective state constitutions should include an explicit right to kill children in the womb. Despite knowing that most in their congregations were about to make a decision for death or life — for sin or righteousness — many pastors chose to stay silent rather than equip their congregations to view the issue through a biblical lens. That was a fatal mistake. Each pro-abortion measure passed, likely with the support of many who call themselves Christians.
Consider an exit poll asking thousands how they voted on Ohio’s abortion ballot measure in 2023. Tragically, it showed that about one in four (24%) of those classified as “White born-again or evangelical Christian[s]” decided that the Ohio Constitution should include a right to kill unborn children — children made in God’s image. In doing so, those voters became complicit in the sin of having “hands that shed innocent blood,” a sin the Bible says “the Lord hates.”
This Ohio exit-poll information seems to corroborate troubling Pew Research Center data from this year showing that 25% of “White evangelical Protestants” in America believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. And while the Ohio exit poll did not offer insights regarding other religious demographics, the Pew data indicates that a majority of Catholics (59%), “White non-evangelical Protestants” (64%), and “Black Protestants” (71%) believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
This data paints a disturbing picture. Put simply, instead of being the solution to abortion, many self-proclaimed Christians are part of the problem — choosing death for children who are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God. One day, those culpable individuals — and the pastors who have refused to preach the truth about the precious value and humanity of children in the womb — may answer to God for that bloodshed.
An awakened church
Thankfully, there is still time to repent and change. Those who have participated in abortions by having them, encouraging them, or voting for them, can find forgiveness in Christ. And pastors who have been silent in the face of this evil can confess their shortcoming and resolve to preach the full counsel of God’s Word no matter the cost.
Yes, it is often easier in the short term to preach only the portions of the Bible that align with prevailing cultural values. But that approach is a disservice to congregations looking to their pastors for truth. It is on the controversial matters — those points where society’s messages conflict with the Bible’s teachings — that churchgoers are most likely to be led astray.
That is evident in the abortion context where, two years after Roe’s fall, the confusion in Christian circles remains widespread. As a result, churchgoers continue to sin and children continue to be killed with the blessing of our laws.
So if you have not heard a sermon about abortion at your church recently, respectfully urge your pastor to preach on the subject. And let’s pray that more pastors will show love to their congregants and unborn neighbors by countering the culture’s lies with God’s truth. With Roe behind us, an awakened church can, by God’s grace, finally end abortion in America.
Samuel Green serves as president & general counsel of Reason for Life, a pro-life ministry that shares biblical and scientific truths about children in the womb and provides a sample pro-life sermon to pastors. Follow Samuel on Twitter @ProLifeSamuel.
Editor’s Note: This article is a modified version of an article published one year after the Dobbs decision.
