Crusade for Life   Report

NO CHURCH IS AN ISLAND

          "We don't do politics." 
          "We decided long ago not to participate in politics."          
          "We don't want to influence voters." 
          "We understand the legality issue but we are a safe haven and don't   get involved in those kinds of things."
   
    These were some of the responses when hundreds of churches were recently called about supporting Prop 85, the Parental Notification Initiative. Each church was asked to show an excellent DVD "Protect Me...Please", use bulletin inserts and handout other materials.
   
    Some used the excuse that it was "political" whereas other churches had
several Yes on 85 signs on church property!  How can this be?  What can a church, as a tax exempt organization, legally do?  According to the
Pacific Justice Institute,  a church can legally allocate 5% of it's time
and money toward supporting or opposing legislation.  This includes bills in
Washington D.C., bills in Sacramento and initiatives which are really
legislation brought to the public as a whole for a vote.  The word
"political" is used by some churches as an excuse to do nothing on
legislation, although political activities actually refer to supporting or
opposing a candidate for public office, which a church is not allowed to do.
   
    What about the churches that deliberately refuse to become involved in
anything that remotely seems like so called "political activity"?  Are they
really insulating their people from the "evils" of the world rather than
being salt and light?  Let's take the recent Prop 85 initiative as an
example.  In a typical church with members of all ages there are families
with minor teenage girls 12 to 17.  These young girls are still living at
home, are dependent on their folks for medical care, a place to live, food,
transportation for their many activities such as band and sports, and of
course family support, love and discipline. They may go to a public school,
a church school or are homeschooled.
   
    But these girls also live in the real world.  Can parents really protect
them all the time? A church is not an island where the young teenager is
always protected. Most teens go to a public high school and even if they
don't,  their neighbors, relatives, and friends, who don't go to their
church, are an influence.  They watch TV at other homes, go to movies, read books, hear music, surf the internet and are constantly influenced by the secular world we live in.

    Do parents realize that their control, their parental rights, are
already deeply eroded?  How are they to know the truth about an issue such as teenage abortions?   From TV ads,  the liberal press, the public school, or election campaign phone calls?  No, no, no, no - particularly if they are busy and not really interested in things like current laws, the only place for them to learn the pitfalls in our secular society for minor girls is from the church!  So when a church refuses to even discuss and educate their people on an initiative that would restore some  parental rights, both the parents and the girls are the losers.
   
    What a mission field this could be!  Parents would become aware.
Parents would be forewarned and would realize what influences their
daughters face, what can happen behind their backs, and some, often serious consequences, that could befall their daughters.  One such case was a karate teacher of 33 who seduced and impregnated a 15 year old and then told her he would "commit suicide" if she didn't get an abortion - unfortunately the parents only found out after the fact.  He knew the abortion business would not let the authorities know even if they did suspect statutory rape.

    Even though Prop 85 failed - basically because there wasn't money for nearly enough TV/radio ads and the churches didn't pick-up the challenge - churches that did educate on the initiative and why it was important did a service for their people.  Now these parents know!  They are aware that predators - most minors are impregnated by adult males of average age 22 - are protected and abortion businesses such as Planned Parenthood cover for them and a parent will never know until it is too late!   These parents no longer have their head in the sand and can try to protect their daughters.
   
  

   
   

                                               

     In this new year of 2007, if the churches don't become more active,
California will continue leading the country down a God-less path and as California goes so goes the nation to self destruction.  In conclusion - if churches would use even 5% of their time and money on legislative issues, California would change and America would change for the better because of their Godly influence.

  
Why Are We Concerned?
    "So God created man in his own image," Genesis 1:27 - Man is special.
    "God hates hands that shed innocent blood." Proverbs 6:17 - Numerous
places this is written.
    "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;" Jeremiah 1:5
    "When Elizabeth heard Mary¹s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb,"
Luke 1:41 - Preborn are in the womb.
    "I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear: Your hands are full of blood." Isaiah 1:15 - God used
others to bring down Israel.  Will he do the same to  America?

    These and many other scriptures show the humanity of the preborn child and the condemnation that God gives to a people who kill the innocent. Through legalized abortion, America is guilty.
   
Why aren¹t Christians doing more?  There are possibly three reasons:

1. Money - Churches are afraid to offend those in their congregations who have been involved in an abortion .
2. Guilt - 40% of women and men have been involved in an abortion in
someway.
3. Guilt for their passivity - many Christians know it is wrong but have
done nothing to stop the killing.

THERE IS HOPE EVEN AT THIS LATE DATE - PRAYER IS THE ANSWER
   
    Pastor Al and Judy Howard recently shared how they got started in
pro-life.  Pastor Al was a Southern Baptist pastor and when he met Judy and she gave a pro-life presentation at his church he didn¹t think much about it.  Then later when they got married and again Judy gave a pro-life presentation at their church, Pastor Al didn¹t think much about it.  They even formed a Crusade for Life Chapter at their church, but he thought, "I¹m too busy being a pastor to get really involved."  God had other plans.  He was at a prayer conference.  It wasn¹t about abortion at all but the Holy Spirit broke him and he wept for the babies and that is the beginning of one of the most wonderful pro-life ministries in the country - His Nesting Place. They have helped hundreds of women choose life, turn their lives over to Jesus, and become what God wants them to be.
    Pastor Al said that the answer is prayer.  Pray for your pastor, priest, and minister that the Holy Spirit will touch them and they will realize that the taking of innocent human lives through abortion is the most grievous thing to God and must be stopped.

IS IT TOO LATE - for a person or for a country?

For an individual: 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
    Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord,
"Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool."
For a country:   2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,  then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

    Jill Stanek, a prominent pro-life leader, in a recent column in
WorldNetDaily - www.WND.com- wrote, "Frankly, people who lament that their sin of abortion is unforgivable need to get over themselves.  In actuality, they have a pride issue.  They think their sin is more special than anyone elses who has ever lived.  What's worse, people who don't seek and accept God's forgiveness about their abortions make matters worse.  They don't get in the game because they feel like hypocrites.  They could help stop others from making the same mistake but don't."        1/07

As appearing The Christian Examiner, January 2007