Embracing Life — Day 30

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Embracing Life -- Day 30

Chandra White-Cummings

Day 30: The Missing Link

My world is once again in sync with the 40 Days daily meditation. The parallel track is now starting to feel like no coincidence. Anyway, just today our onsite prayer session seemed to naturally turn to and focus on the role of the church in dealing with abortion. I know that others who address different social issues are feeling the absence of the Kingdom’s crown jewel as well. For example, people are wondering why the church doesn’t seem to be wielding more influence to decrease teen pregnancy, or to lend her voice to social discourse surrounding teen sexuality. Then again, it’s all related, so I’m right back where I started-abortion.

It can be awfully tough to enlist the help of pastors and congregations to take a stand on abortion as a sin and to publicly decry its effect on women, families, and communities. Honestly, I have to say I don’t get it. One recurring argument I’ve heard is that Black churches resist involvement because they feel that white Christians only care about babies; they don’t care about the mothers or the children once they’re born. In other words, the people railing against abortion are the same ones who wouldn’t want to live next to that same Black mother and her child, or wouldn’t lift a finger to help that child make his way in this world. There’s some legitimacy to the argument, but its use is misplaced as a reason for not standing against such a clear evil as abortion.

I know some of you might balk at my use of the phrase “clear evil” because you don’t think the wrongness of abortion is clear at all, and you might not consider it evil. But when you’ve seen what I’ve seen, that phrase seems to be the one that fits. But back to my point.

In the Dayton area, I have a dickens of a time getting Black churches to even talk with me about abortion, much less actually engage the issue at a community level. Let’s see, to date, I’ve been able to speak in exactly two churches. Two. The bulk of my work has been with community groups and agencies, through media, and educating individuals. It’s really a sad state of affairs, and reminiscent of Jeremiah 7:19, when the prophet contrasted the Israelite’s misdirected focus on their material well-being with what should have been concern for their greater problem — the dying out of their heritage.

So today we prayed for churches and pastors, that there will be an awakening among us all to the gravity of our situation, that those women considering abortion will find in the church loving provision, and that we will in turn become the answer to our own prayers.

Find out more at the 40 Days for Life website.

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