Sanctity of Life

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jer. 1:5)

“He set me apart before I was born, & called me by his grace.” (Gal. 1:15) (Eph.2:10)

The following is an article that was published by Baptist Press last week. I want you to read a portion of the article and then I will make a few observations.

Staggering: U.S. passed the 53 million abortion mark in 2010

Jan 14, 2011, by Michael Foust

At some point in 2010 -- 37 years removed from the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision -- a doctor in the United States performed the nation's 53 millionth legal abortion, a sobering stat that ethicists say should drive the public to speak up for the unborn. The statistic is based on data compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice organization whose studies are acknowledged by most major pro-choice organizations.

The nation's abortion rate reached a peak of 1.6 million in 1990 and has steadily fallen in most years ever since, although Guttmacher's latest data, from 2008, showed the abortion rate had risen slightly to 1,212,000 million from 1,206,000 in 2005, the most recent data point. Because Guttmacher no longer releases abortion data every year, the 53 million figure is based on assumptions that the abortion rate remained relatively unchanged in 2009 and 2010.

The 1973 Roe decision, coupled with the companion Doe v. Bolton ruling, legalized abortion nationwide for effectively any reason during all nine months of pregnancy. "Fifty-three million is the population of a medium-size country. Imagine the outcry if the people of Spain (46.1 million people) were destroyed by another nation," C. Ben Mitchell, professor of moral philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and a consultant to the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told Baptist Press. "Yet most of the world is silent about the destruction of the unborn. Christian love demands that we weep compassionately for the unborn, pray fervently that the killing would stop, work urgently for alternatives to abortion, and become the voice of the unborn in the public square.”

The last part of Dr. Mitchell’s statement provides our four-fold challenge concerning our love for the unborn:

· Weep compassionately for the unborn

· Pray fervently that the killing would stop

· Work urgently for alternatives to abortion

· Be the voice of the unborn in the public square

Now, let me share with you one exciting new ministry that will begin at our south campus as soon as the renovations can be done. Sav-A-Life will be opening a branch in Jacksonville at our south campus. Please pray for Michelle Payne as she leads this great ministry. Sav-A-Life provides some wonderful alternatives to abortion and will allow us to be the voice of the unborn in the public square. I am excited for this ministry to come to Jacksonville and I know God will use it for His glory.

Dr. Derek