Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.
This election season, pastors across the country must speak the truth without repentance from the pulpits to their congregations. That includes this message that many shy away from: Abortion is murder and must be firmly rejected by followers of Christ.
The pro-life landscape in America would look radically different if the church stood up for unborn life. If the deadly abortion Amendment 4 fails in Florida, Christians cannot remain silent or complacent as they have done in recent years.
Unfortunately, it is estimated that 25 million Christians who are registered to vote do not, and one in three American Christians do not vote regularly. If the church voted according to biblical values, especially on the issue of life, how would our society and culture change? This week we hosted a Briefing for Pastors in six cities across Florida to train pastors and encourage them to educate and mobilize their congregations and stop the deadly abortion amendment in Florida.
The consequences of an apathetic church are anything but hypothetical. One need only look to Ohio, a moderately conservative state where a radical abortion amendment narrowly passed in 2023, to see how Christians can make the difference between curbing evil and making it law.
In Ohio, a significant proportion of Christians did not vote in the 2023 election, but among those who voted, about 24% of white evangelicals were coordinated for the misleadingly worded Abortion Amendment (Item 1), which enshrined abortion in the state constitution. How tragic! Imagine how different the outcome would have been if the church had taken up the issue and educated, mobilized and encouraged churchgoing Christians to vote in accordance with the Bible.
Florida’s Amendment 4, the so-called “Amendment Limiting Government Intervention in Abortion,” states in its first nine words that “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion.” NO restrictions. NO doctors. NO health and safety standards. NO parental consent. And taxpayer money, too.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noticed that Amendment 4 is the first constitutional amendment in Florida history to actually take away rights away of people. An entire group of people – the unborn – will be deprived of their God-given right to life if this cruel amendment is enshrined in the Florida Constitution.
Only a few years ago, abortion was legal in Florida up to the 24th week of pregnancy, but now that the radical TW A ruling by activist Florida Supreme Court justices 35 years ago has been overturned, a “heartbeat bill” prevents abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy and transforms Florida from an “abortion destination state” into one of the most pro-life states in the country. When Amendment 4 enshrines abortion in the state constitution, there will be no restrictions and no protections. Decades of pro-life measures will be wiped out. The Sunshine State will become an abortion “tourism state” and a graveyard for the unborn – and the shattered lives of mothers, fathers and society at large.
Spiritual battle for life and death
To win the fight for life in Florida and prevent radical abortion reform, the church must step in and pastors must be brave enough to speak out – from the pulpit – against the murder of innocents.
It is a dereliction of duty for a pastor not to speak out in favor of life and against the deadly cult of abortion. There is no more important cause than defending these little ones. Pastors and religious leaders must also dispel myths that abortion is “health care” and good for women.
The unborn are created in the image of God and have a right to life. Satan is the father of lies, so of course he will use the well-funded propaganda machine of Planned Parenthood and the abortion cult to destroy God’s creation and deceive people into believing evil is “good.”
How can pastors defeat this evil agenda and stand up for life? Urge parishioners to register to vote and invite a local voter registrar to your church to register local people. Educate them about the cruel reality of abortion, pray for abortion policies to fail, preach the truth that all people are created in God’s image, and teach that standing up for life is a way to love your neighbor and the least of these.
A modern Black Robe Regiment for life
Ecclesiastes 3 states: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven,” and “to war there is also a time.” In January 1776, Pastor Peter Muhlenberg used this passage and preached“In the language of Scripture there was a time for everything, a time to preach and a time to pray, but those times are over.”
He continued, “There is a time to fight, and that time is now,” and then, beneath his black priestly robes, he revealed his uniform as a colonel in the Continental Army. He pleaded with his congregation, “Who among you is on my side?”
As a result, 300 men from his church joined and the 8th Virginia Regiment was formed. Pastors like Muhlenberg in the 13 colonies, who called their congregations together to fight for freedom, were given the name “Black Robe Regiment.”
Nearly 250 years later, we need another Black Robe Regiment in pulpits across America to condemn the genocide of the unborn taking place outside church doors and implore their congregations to at leastvote – and vote for life!
Are priests desensitized to the fact that around a million children are killed every year in the greatest human rights violation of our time? If so, it is time to look for another church or congregation.
Life is the right of all rights, and the sanctity of unborn life is dear to God’s heart. A sleeping and apathetic church leads to abuse and death, and in this case, the loss of countless unborn lives. This is a spiritual life-or-death issue, and silence is deadly.
If we want to save lives from the barbarism of abortion, the Church must be at the forefront of the fight for life.
Mat Staver, Attorney at Liberty
Author Bio: Mat Staver is the founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel and chairman of Liberty Counsel Action, Faith and Liberty, Covenant Journey, and Covenant Journey Academy. He has authored over 350 legal opinions, is the author of eight academic law journals, and numerous articles and books. Mat has argued in many federal and state courts, including three landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including a precedent-setting 9-0 victory in Shurtleff v. City of Boston. That case unanimously overturned the Supreme Court’s 1971 ruling in Lemon v. Kurtzman, which had done incredible damage to the First Amendment for 51 years. He hosts two daily radio programs, Freedom’s Call and Faith and Freedom, and a weekly television program, Freedom Alive.
Call on Walmart, Costco, Kroger and other major chains to resist pressure to dispense the abortion pill
