by The Rev. Dr. Mark D Atkinson
What does Scripture teach regarding the nature of human life and the unborn? How ought the church to demonstrate compassion to a women in a crisis pregnancy and to her unborn child? Fourth in a series of six Scriptural Themes that indicate why we are pro-life.
D. God requires us to protect and care for the needy and the helpless
Proverbs 24:11-13; Psalm 10:17; Psalm 41:1; Matthew 18:10
Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him. Psalm 41:1
Compassion is a mark of God's people. As Christians, we can be proud of the work of the church in the Pro-life movement. There are more Crisis Pregnancy Centers - places where women can go to find support as they adjust to an unexpected pregnancy - in America today than there are abortion clinics. The abortion industry is a multi-million dollar a year business. Planned Parenthood received from the federal government $542 million dollars last year. Abortion is big business in America. Yet Crisis Pregnancy centers offer their services to their clients for free. The centers are run by volunteers and exist on donations. They reflect compassion.
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By Jonathan Shirk
Years ago when I was in high school I had a conversation with one of my good friends. If my memory serves me correctly, my Christian friend was saying the Bible never said you could not have sex before you were married. Was he right?
At the time I did not have the Biblical wisdom or knowledge to discuss it thoroughly with him. My friend was a good thinker, and I assume, because of his faith in Christ, that he believed premarital sex was sinful, yet was wrestling with whether the Bible actually directly addressed the issue.
My friend's comment, or perhaps question, is still thought provoking and appropriate, and we need an answer, especially because premarital sex is such a controversial and relevant topic today. Does the Bible actually teach that we should not have sex prior to marriage? Sure, our parents, pastors, or Sunday School teachers may espouse the teaching, but is that fair? What does God actually say on the matter?
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