Yearly Archives: 2012

Silent pulpits and the distortion of the Gospel

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Breakpoint, a ministry founded by the late Chuck Colson, recently featured Rolley Haggard’s open letter to pastors asking them to consider using their pulpits for a “one minute strategy” to end abortion.

Laura Hope Smith, a Christian mother who died on an abortion table

Laura Hope Smith, a Christian mother who died on an abortion table

Commenting on this strategy, someone representing themselves as Steven E. Ray, Director of Messiah Missions and pastor for over 30 years, defended the silent pulpits, saying “When confronted on an issue, we should have a Godly response, but to use the pulpit or our efforts to proclaim or rally against the ills of society as an end in itself, such has been the misdirected purpose and ruin of the church….  As for me and my house, we choose not to get consumed by spiritually blinding tangents, but preach only Christ and Him crucified.”

The comments attributed to Pastor Ray motivated me to write what follows below.  I posted this on the Breakpoint website and also sent a message to Messiah Missions requesting a response from Pastor Ray.  Later that day, I received an email from Messiah Missions, stating “I am Pastor Steven Ray, and am appalled that someone used my name….  We do not need this type of negative commentary associated with our ministry.”

Sadly, the comments of whoever represented themselves as Pastor Ray do accurately reflect the position of many pastors, so my response below is still valid:  

Too often we see abortion as a societal “issue.” But in today’s world, it is first and foremost a church issue. Continue reading →

Review: INNOCENT BLOOD America’s Final Trial

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The quest for knowledge and the desire to make a difference in the world has been a universal theme throughout the history of literature. When society faces great challenges such as abortion, the question often arises, “What can one man do?”

INNOCENT BLOOD America's Final Trial by Donald S. SmithDonald S. Smith’s new self-published novel INNOCENT BLOOD America’s Final Trial shows that in God’s hands, one man can indeed make a difference. An 800-page novel about abortion may not be at the top of most people’s reading lists—but if it were, the world might be a better place. Perhaps, however, it may best be understood not as a novel about abortion, but as a personal story about the survival of America in the face of our greatest challenge. While it is comfortable reading for those of us who are familiar with the Bible, it is written in such a way that it is accessible even to individuals who have never read scripture.

Surprisingly lacking the gruesome details one might expect from a pro-life novel, INNOCENT BLOOD America’s Final Trial instead embodies an upbeat, positive vision, often focusing on the simple joys of life, including the joy of sex (which some may find to be out of place in a pro-life novel, although it is actually essential to a holistic pro-life perspective). Continue reading →

A transformational offense

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I have often had the opportunity to hear life-changing phone calls over our decades of ministry, as God uses Terri in amazing ways to help women decide against aborting their babies. But I wish that every Christian leader could have heard what Terri said on a phone call last Thursday, because it contained such important seeds of transformation.

This story begins on June 7, when we learned that a Planned Parenthood mega abortion center — over 10,000 square feet — was being built in Bakersfield. The name of the contractor working on the project was familiar: he was a family member of a longtime supporter of ours (who has now gone home to be with the Lord).

Then I remembered that years ago, our supporter had given me the contractor’s personal cell phone number. I dialed the number and asked if he could meet Terri and myself for dinner.

“What is this about?” he asked.

“Someone told us something about you that I hope is not true,” I explained. “I would rather not discuss it over the phone.”

At dinner that night, the contractor quickly acknowledged that he had won the bid for the Planned Parenthood project and that he knew that it was an abortion chamber. “I really believe that God wants me to have this job, or I wouldn’t have won the bid,” he explained. “My reputation is at stake, so I can’t back out now.”
Continue reading →

Putting Prejean in perspective

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Why would a Catholic nun advance a “pro-life” view against the death penalty while refusing to speak against killing innocent children by abortion? I have asked myself this question repeatedly over the past several days while searching for quotes from Sister Helen Prejean, who is speaking in Bakersfield later this week. Although I am not a member of a Catholic church, I have a high respect for many Catholic teachings, and particularly appreciate the Catholic Church’s long record of consistency regarding life issues such as abortion.

We learned of Sr. Prejean’s visit from Joel Torczon, our friend and dedicated pro-life volunteer who also happens to be a member of St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, one of the churches where Prejean will be speaking. Torczon wrote a letter to the editor of the Bakersfield Californian expressing concerns about Prejean’s views in the context of the “consistent life ethic.”
Continue reading →