As we approach Christmas, with its celebration of the most important of all births, it seems appropriate also to celebrate all mothers and the birth of all children, indeed the astounding miracle of birth itself.
Accordingly, may I draw your attention to two new books, both by authors involved in Pregnancy Care Canada, a ministry dedicated to providing support for anyone affected by an unexpected pregnancy.
Brian Norton, co-founder of Pregnancy Care, has nearly four decades of experience in helping women and children in crisis. One day he happened to read a blog post by a thoughtful pastor who presented two major conclusions on the delicate subject of abortion. First, “Christian thinking on this issue has not always been what it is now,” and second, “There are good reasons to land on either side of this issue from Christian conviction.”
Feeling strongly that both these conclusions are false, Brian Norton wrote a reply in the form of his new book, Being Human: Abortion and the Church. In four brief, cogent chapters he argues that “Christian thinking, historically and theologically, is unabashedly pro-life,” and “lands decisively on not supporting abortion as a Christian conviction.”
Being Human is designed not only for people of faith who are ‘pro-choice,’ but for those who are uncertain about the Christian legacy and beliefs on abortion, and who seek to understand the issue from a sound theological and pastoral perspective. According to Dr. Frederica Mathewes-Green (a bestselling author on religion and culture), Norton’s book is “a wonderfully-argued and referenced presentation of the continuous Christian witness for life, from the earliest centuries until fifteen minutes ago.”
The current executive director of Pregnancy Care Canada is Dr. Laura Lewis, author of another new book on this battleground subject, More Than One Choice: How to Love and Support an Unexpected Pregnancy. After a quarter-century of experience as a family physician, Dr. Lewis offers wise counsel to anyone seeking to walk alongside someone who may be struggling with the option of abortion. “The tension surrounding this issue,” she observes, “has caused many to retreat rather than lean in with the hope and compassion of Christ.”
Perhaps the best summary of this short, sensitive, and winsome book is simply a list of some of its chapter titles: Now I Know; Check Your Bias at the Door; Build a Bridge; Know the Facts; Hope After Abortion; Remember LOVE; Choose Kindness Always.
What might it look like to remember love and to choose kindness always? To quote Boethius, “O how happy the human race would be, if that love which rules the heavens ruled also your souls!”
Next Post: The Great God Contest: A Christmas Parable
