While most Americans will be understandably preoccupied with the presidential race in the lead up to election day, this attention must not come at the neglect of local and statewide elections. This is particularly true in the 10 states that will vote on constitutional amendments to legalize abortion. These constitutional amendments represent a growing and alarming trend in the United States.
While conservatives rightly rejoiced in the Dobbs v. JacksonSupreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and effectively turned abortion into a state issue, they were woefully unprepared to handle the political left’s counter-strategy. The removal of Roe represented an existential crisis for the political left, whose moral vision for America requires the right to abortion to fulfill the sexual revolution’s vision for libertine sexual ethics. But despite what appeared to be a dramatic setback for the sexual revolution, the political left swiftly turned their sights to a new battleground – individual state constitutions. Since the fall of Roe, the political allies of the Democratic party have planned, funded and successfully orchestrated these statewide measures that will be difficult to reverse. And so far, they’ve succeeded each time they’ve tried.
In the two-plus years since Roewas overturned, Ohio, California, Michigan and Vermont all have amended their constitutions to create a right to abortion. The left has won on this front even in red states that have put forth pro-life ballot measures, such as Montana, Kentucky and Kansas.
Christians and social conservatives should bear these staggering realities in mind as we approach this November’s election since these constitutional changes will result in long-lasting and far-reaching implications for the residents of these states. Given the success of these measures, it will be difficult to re-litigate the issue anytime soon and convince the necessary number of voters needed to again amend these constitutions in a pro-life direction. With the “darkening of our national conscience” through nearly 50 years of Roe, and the diminishing biblical moral vision in America, the prospect of reversing these constitutional changes seems grim.
Regrettably, some Christians have recently learned that they cannot count on their political representatives and leaders to lead in advancing the pro-life cause. As Ryan T. Anderson has written recently, “Dobbshas revealed what many of us in Washington have long known: Political elites in the so-called pro-life party are frequently insincere in their pro-life commitments and unwilling to provide the leadership necessary to shift public opinion.” This harsh reality should not discourage Christians from political involvement, but challenge them to do more. Political leaders should regularly hear from their Christian constituents and should expect they will be held electorally accountable for their efforts – or lack of effort – in advancing the pro-life cause. Creating this situation requires more, not less, political awareness and engagement by Christians.
But this will not happen unless Christians themselves first advocate their pro-life principles with the same level of conviction as the sexual revolutionaries. Consider for a moment the success of the sexual revolution. While it involved a myriad of factors and took generations to accomplish, the left has completely transformed the worldview of the average American on these fundamental issues. Despite the deeply counter-intuitive nature of their beliefs, many Americans now accept the creation of so-called “same-sex marriage,” affirm the reality-bending notion of transgenderism and advocate for the right to destroy their own offspring. The revolutionaries held their conviction through generations, despite countless setbacks. But today our nation is reaping the suffering of their conviction and perseverance.
Contrary to the sexual revolutionaries, the pro-life message is supported by a worldview that is consistent with human nature and reality, which we call natural law. In other words, the Christians message does not require convincing others of ideas that are manifestly contrary to our created nature – such as the idea that a man can be born in a woman’s body or that men can get pregnant. Everyone knows these things are not true simply from the light of nature.
Christians further know that the natural law bears witness to the clear revelation of God’s Word. It is without question that Christians have better ideas, arguments and a more compelling story to tell about human nature, its meaning and purpose. Not only that, the proponents of the new morality know that they are peddling lies (Romans 1:18–32). We must remind them of this. We must boldly and lovingly confront and confute their lies. Guided by biblical wisdom, we must be resolved tell the truth to others about these moral and political matters.
While we need more Christian political engagement and for our political leaders to champion the pro-life message, we have an even deeper and more profound need in our nation – we need people to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We need the church and its leaders to inform consciences about the reality of abortion and the lies of the sexual revolution. If the church fails to do so, then we guarantee that those with futile minds and darkened hearts will continue to suppress the truth and persuade their neighbors that killing their unborn children is a moral good.
This article originally appeared in The Pathway. Jonathan E. Swan is associate pastor of education and discipleship at First Baptist Church, O’Fallon, Mo., and executive editor of “Eikon: A Journal for Biblical Anthropology.”
