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The Supreme Court Nominations and a Christian Call to Adoption

The Importance of the Supreme Court Nominations

             The 2016 Presidential election proved to be a controversial one, including for evangelicals. While many evangelical moral stances align with the conservative values of the Republican party (anti-abortion, sanctity of marriage, etc.), the Republican nominee of Donald Trump did not seem to represent evangelical values. While some policy issues may align, Trump’s personal piety (a hallmark of the evangelical tradition) did not match up with Christian values of gentle speech, humility, sexual purity, defense of the weak, etc. While Trump is not defined by his mistakes, his mistakes were publicly broadcasted with very little attitude of repentance. How would conservative evangelicals respond with this type of presidential candidate in the Republican party?

            The answer I heard from many of my evangelical friends that were weary of a Trump presidency was very clear: “While we don’t like his behavior and character, we are willing to vote for him because the next president will likely have the ability to appoint two supreme court justices, and the opportunity of overturning Roe v. Wade is too important to pass on.” Essentially, many Christians who were appalled and saddened by Trump’s immoral behavior were willing to support his presidency because they saw the supreme court nominations having a supreme importance.

             Well, it looks as if the gamble these Christians took politically might pay off for them. After the death of Justice Antonin Scalia (seen as a conservative) on Feb. 13th of 2016, President Donald Trump appointed a conservative judge in Neil Gorsuch. Recently, Justice Anthony Kennedy (seen as liberal) has announced his intent to retire this summer, giving President Trump the opportunity to appoint another conservative justice. With this latest appointment, many Americans believe that the ‘balance of power’ as it were in the Supreme Court will have shifted toward the conservative, opening the opportunity to overturn the precedence of the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973) case. If this precedence is overturned, it opens the possibility of outlawing and greatly reducing the number of abortions that occur in the United States, which as of 2014 was reported by the CDC as over 650,000 legal abortions per year.

How Should Christians Respond?

             For many, the possibility has been overwhelming joy. Because Christian orthodoxy holds that life begins at conception, abortion is seen as a form of murder. God is the giver of life, and therefore we believe that the effective fertilization of an egg is not just an act of nature, but a divinely enabled gift of life that should be honored (as all life is to be honored). Therefore, many people anticipating an overturning of Roe v. Wade and an outlawing of abortion as a major moral victory are celebrating in a huge way. It is seen as a historic moral victory of sorts, that does justice to millions of lives that will be saved as a result.

             However, I believe there needs to be a huge caution inserted into the narrative at this point. An overturning of Roe v Wade should be celebrated, but celebrated as a beginning, not the final victory. As a Christian, I will celebrate an overturning of Roe v. Wade and the protecting of innocent lives, but I will celebrate it as a beginning and a partial justice. Outlawing abortion would bring justice to the beginning of millions of lives, but just to the beginning. One act of justice does not constitute full justice, so how will Christians continue to seek justice for those lives that have been saved? If an overturning of Roe v. Wade is only seen as a starting point, what kind of preparations should Christians be making right now?

A Brief Biblical Exposition

            Many heralded Trump to be like that of the biblical Cyrus, an unrighteous ruler used to make righteous decrees on behalf of God. If that is remotely true, then let’s finish the metaphor. Cyrus was a pagan King that permitted the Jewish people to return to their homeland in order to rebuild the temple and live in a godly fashion. This was prophesied by Isaiah (Is. 44:28ff) and came to fruition during the time of Ezra (Ez. 1:1-2). This was a righteous decree given by Cyrus, a man put into a position of political power by God in order to achieve God’s purposes. However, Cyrus did not go and inhabit Jerusalem and see the fruit of that promise, Israel had to go and live out the purposes that God permitted through the decree. If we permit that God has sovereignly placed a political leader like President Trump to enact a righteous decree like Cyrus did, then who are the people that follow up with the hard work of living righteously in a new community? If the overturning of Roe v. Wade is a righteous decree made by the Supreme Court, then who will be the people of God that seek to care for these mothers, orphans, and many sick children that will be introduced into our society as a result? If God will sovereignly appoint people and leaders in a way to bring a righteous decree, then may we as a church follow in bringing a compassionate heart of the Lord to see the fruit of that decree.

            Not only is compassionate action a necessary follow up to a righteous decree, but a righteous decree without willful action on behalf of the people of God is not something that is celebrated by God at all. In fact, righteous decrees followed by inaction and disobedience by God’s people bring God’s frustration and loathing. Isaiah 1:13-15 puts God’s feelings in a very poignant way, “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood” (ESV). God hates their gathered “church” services (if you’ll allow the anachronizing) and he doesn’t listen to their prayers. Wow, why would God act this way toward them? Because he had given righteous laws and they failed to follow through. What should they do in turn? Verses 16-17, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (ESV, emphasis added). Righteous living is not just stopping evil, but seeking to do good, and Scripture has a consistent emphasis on caring for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the marginalized.

            Similar judgment against God’s people is seen throughout the Scriptures. In Ezekiel 34, God rebukes the religious leaders of Israel because, despite their careful attention to legal law, they have not lived out His compassionate heart (both are meant to be done together). He accuses the religious leaders, “The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them” (Ez. 34:4, ESV). In Isaiah 58, God offers a scathing rebuke of the religious leaders who fast and hold worship services and pray, but are bewildered as to why God is absent. God’s response is that they have focused so much on personal piety that they have ignored those in need around them. What does God desire of these people? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Is. 58:6-7). The same themes are seen in the New Testament, with Jesus rebuking the self-righteous religious leaders for their adherence to righteous laws while ignoring the compassionate love of their neighbors, which never should have been separated from one another. James argues that righteous decrees without righteous action is worthless, and gives this iconic statement: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27, ESV, emphasis added).

            Ultimately what I’m getting at is this – if we as a Christian community celebrate a righteous decree that would outlaw abortion, and yet there is no movement made to care for the orphans and poverty-stricken mothers and families that are now caring for additional children, we may be surprised to find that God hates our worship assemblies and refuses to listen to our prayers in the American Church. We must pair our excitement of political and moral victories with right and compassionate action. To simply worship and praise right doctrine and law while not advocating for the fatherless and the oppressed is repulsive to God.

A Call to Christian Adoption and Response

             So, what do we do? If we truly want to honor God in both right deed and action, how should we prepare to act while we are celebrating good and moral laws? The first call is a call to understanding and education. Roe v. Wade has not been overturned yet, but if we wait until it has to start putting together a plan of action, it will be tragically late. Do you understand why people choose abortion beyond what your favorite news station tells you? Do you know the barriers that mothers and families must face if they choose to keep a child? Take time over the next couple of months to study the issues at hand so we can make informed decisions and help well.

            A second call is to believers to seriously consider adoption. Adoption is a big decision for a family, so before a law is made outlawing abortion, begin to prepare now. Prayerfully seeking how you can be a part of God’s plan to care for those who will be affected by this law. If abortion is outlawed in the states, there will be children whose parents cannot afford to care for them (or in some cases don’t want to care for them), and the church must act. It takes time to find an adoption agency, have a home study done, get your finances in order, and prepare your home and family for an adoption. If you wait until there is an overwhelming need for adoption, you will find yourself behind the curve and that potential child could have to spend a year or two in foster care while you try to get all of the necessary work in order. Begin praying now and asking God if you can partake in the mission of the Church at this pivotal time in history. I loved the way the Robinson family put it in a recent article on ESPN (http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/277657/my-cause-my-cleats-program-leads-bucs-captain-to-adopt-twins), with a simple question of “Do you have room at your table for one more?” This is not a call to adoption because it’s what you’ve always dreamt of for your family, or because you weren’t able to have kids and so you should adopt. If either of those are your case, praise be to God for Him leading you to adoption! But this call goes far beyond that, a call to a serious consideration to adopt because it’s what’s right for the Kingdom at a critical juncture in our history, and the great need that will likely be present.

            I recognize that not everyone reading this has room for one more at their table. If you don’t have room, but have financial resources at your disposal, find agencies and ministries that are in a place to help and support them with your time and resources. Better yet, connect yourself with young ladies considering abortion and help them to overcome the financial hurdle of having a baby (medical expenses for a pregnancy and delivery without insurance can easily be between $20,000-50,000). Connect with a family who has room at their table, but not the finances to begin the process. Above all, pray. Pray and ask the Spirit of God to move in the hearts of other believers to step up and take action. Pray for the justice to allow these babies to live. Pray for the justice that allows these babies to thrive once they’ve been born. Pray for the mothers who are making the difficult choice to keep their child despite seeing no way to live afterward. Pray.

The Possible Results

             I truly believe that the opportunity to outlaw abortion through the overturning of Roe v. Wade is a monumental moment for the American Church and a pivotal point in our history. The question is, how will we respond during this pivotal point, and what will the legacy of the church be? I believe that God can receive a lot of glory as a result of this righteous decree paired with right and compassionate action by the church. Can you imagine what the response of our nation would be if a year after Roe v. Wade was overturned the number of orphans was at an all-time low in the United States? If infant mortality rates were down, orphanages emptied out with children finding homes, young families in poverty cared for? Earlier I quoted Isaiah 58, which spoke of God’s judgment and call to care for the marginalized. Isaiah 58 continues,

“Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” (Is. 58:8-11, ESV).

Jesus told his disciples, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, ESV). This is a critical moment for the Church, and if we respond with love and care for the oppressed and the fatherless, our nation and the world will see the glory of our God.

             Of course, there is the other possibility. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, and Christians do not act in overwhelming love for these lives that are saved, and infant mortality rates rise and orphanages overflow while Christians celebrate a ‘political victory’, we will be scorned by the nations and I believe God will be repulsed. If serious action is not taken by the church as a whole to care for those that have been saved, and the respective families they are saved into, then we run the risk of being the caricature the Left makes of evangelicals – self-righteous, uncaring, selfish people. We run the risk of being like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day that point to our ‘flawless’ record of law, while hurtling toward our own destruction.

             I admit that I don’t have all the answers, and I admit that I have more learning about the issues to do myself. But I do believe this could be a pivotal moment for the American Church, and I believe God’s Word has a lot to say about it. My wife and I have made a commitment to seriously consider adoption, and we are willing to let that adoption timing and structure shift as a result of the timing and need presented in the coming years. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that action is needed and we must work toward it. So, pray, seek the Scriptures, seriously consider adoption, connect with people and agencies, and seek to love well.