5 Rebuttals to the #StandwithPP Movement & a Rally Cry for the #DefundPP Movement

The fifth video released by the Center for Medical Progress is the most gruesome one yet.  This horror needs to end (and has needed to end for a while).

Many have rallied around Planned Parenthood's cause offering many defenses.  I am quickly writing this blog to quickly respond to these defenses.  Videos are included with each quick response.

# 1 The released videos are “highly edited.”

All content we see is edited.  “Highly edited” is a subjective term.  All news we watch is edited.  In fact, they often splice two screens together, I would consider that pretty highly edited.

The questions remains, which Planned Parenthood has been unable to answer, how are the videos deceptively edited?  Why not produce the doctors in the videos and have them talk about how these videos were highly edited?  Obviously, if the context of these videos were clear and the deception was obvious, this would not continue to be an issue.  You can watch one of the three full videos for yourself. 

# 2 These guys are nothing more than “Right-Wing Extremists."

Not according to Joe Scarborough from MSNBC.  He is very outraged over these recent videos.

Also, those who make this argument make a category error.  Women’s health, and the harvesting of fetal organs, are not one in the same.  There are many other ways to provide women’s health- and abortion is not one of them.  Also, there are many women leading the way in the pro-life movement, and unless you think they are at war with themselves, you may want a new comeback.

Third, the attempts. like in Planned Parenthood's recent statement, trying to tie the CMP to those who firebomb abortion mills is flat out wrong.  The Blaze has made it clear, they have confused two separate organizations.

This is not a right-wing or left-wing issue.  This is a matter of life and death.

#3 Only 3% of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortion services.

After having a stats class last year, I have remained skeptical of statistic until I hear all the factors that went into it.  This should be the case with this statistic.  This video shows that nearly 94% of pregnant women who went into Planned Parenthood received an abortion.

Also, 3% of abortion is 3% too many if abortion is the killing of a child.

# 4 But, Planned Parenthood is not profiting from doing this.

Center for Medical Progress Founder was interviewed for CNN and handled this objection very well.  At the bottom of this page is an image from the Stem Express website, which advertises “financial benefit” for clinics*.  This is evidence that has been dismissed by Planned Parenthood and Stem Express.

# 5 But, Planned Parenthood has responded to all of these objections!
Really?  This interview from President Cecile Richards shows that Planned Parenthood is not interested in addressing these issues, but in avoiding them.  In fact, all of her points are the exact same ones that have been address above.  Without providing any meaningful refutation, we allow this organization to continue to benefit from selling the body parts of unborn babies.  This is not only the technique of the President of Planned Parenthood, but also the President of the United States.

Rally Cry: Christians, this matters.  Let us not let this story stay quite.  We should cry out and join the protest of blood that cries out from the ground (Gen. 4:10)!  But, let's also be clear: our voices should also join the chorus of all of creation.  What does all of creation sing?  Jesus Christ is King (Luke 19:37-40)!

The same King wept over rebel sinners, as should we (Luke 19:41).  We must not forget compassion in our action.  Jesus didn't.  Both met at the cross- compassion and action- "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).  Jesus rescued us from our slaughter- sin.  Our pro-life ministry must model Christ- die to self, lay down our lives in love, that others might live, even in the face of death itself.  Jesus faced death with his face like flint (Luke 9:51), and He calls us to likewise face it head on.

"Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter."-Proverbs 24:11

* Here is the image from the Stem Express website offering "financial benefits to clinics" (mentioned at least three times).

stemexpress.com/partnerships/

If you have time, one of the videos that has ignited my passion for the Pro-Life Movement, was called 180 Movie.  Below is the video.  I invite everyone, pro-life or pro-choice, to take the time to watch it.  It has changed minds and hearts on abortion!  Please watch and share!

Gifted By Grace Sermon Audio

Here is a sermon I was honored to preach at the Awakening Conference.  The conference was geared toward college students (like myself) and was held at Walnut Memorial Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky on February 28, 2015.  I was given the topic of Spiritual Gifts, so I chose Romans 12:1-8 as my text in hopes of showing how the gospel is the foundation for our gifting and then I hoped to show three practical applications for our gifting(s).

May God be glorified, His gospel preached, and His people edified.

Biting the Hand that Feeds You

Facebook has been filled with noise, very unpleasant noise.  This week the Supreme Court has taken up the case for same-sex marriage.  Every time a story like this hits the news I notice two things.  First, secular people all of a sudden become Bible scholars.  Second, Christians become cowards.

The first observation looks something like this: “Wow.  Look at all of those Christians, who say homosexuality is a sin, they must also believe that we can’t eat shell fish too!  Get with the times.  Aren’t we supposed to love our neighbor?  Ugh!”  Regardless of what these scoffers may proclaim, people who use this kind of thinking are secular regardless of what their Facebook or Sunday morning routine may say.  Their reasoning is ignorant and the foundations of their worldview are empty.  Secular thinking must presuppose, while also suppressing, Christian thinking. 

Source

The above scenario shows this to be the case.  First, one simple Google search could provide theologically consistent answers as to why being homosexuality is a sin while eating shellfish is not.  American Christians need to realize that many of those who attack our faith are ignorant of what it teaches.  Willfully ignorant.  A simple reading of Jesus shows us that this is in fact consistent.  Mark 7 opens with Jesus putting the smack down on the Pharisees about embracing men’s traditions.  He then began to teach about how it’s not what is outside of people that makes them unclean, but what is inside.  His disciple then ask him to explain the parable further.  In classic Jesus style his answer was pretty straight forward:

And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,  since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. – Mark 7:18-20

A Cry of Assurance

"...but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" - Romans 8:15-16

Struggling Christian, your cry to your Father is met by the cry of the Holy Spirit which cries out as a witness: "My child, I hear you. You are mine." Therefore, your cries out to God are God's assurance that you in fact His. "Help my unbelief" are the words of one whom is continuing to believe. A bedrock of security for those sinking in the ocean of doubt.

What Child "Sacrifice" Teaches you about Faith

Via: http://tinyurl.com/pbkkyw9

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets…

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” -Hebrews 11:32, 39-40

We all have heroes.  The author of Hebrews dedicated a whole chapter of his letter to address heroes of the faith.  Before he can tell us what it means to be a “hero of the faith,” he begins his chapter by defining what faith is.  He writes, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” - Hebrews 11:1

Within his discussion he gives us the importance of faith.  He writes, “ And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” – Hebrews 11:6.  Faith is belief in God, and that belief in God brings some sort of reward.  Faith is not just belief, but true faith sees faith as something to be valued.  This faith was found in all of the writers heroes of faith.

He walks through the Old Testament recounting classic stories of the faith!  Anyone who has been to church or a VBS has probably heard a few of these stories.  Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Samson, Gideon…..Jephthah? Some of you might be asking, “Who?  Jephthah?  Who is that?”  While others of you might be asking, “Jephthah?  The guy from Judges who sacrificed his daughter?  How was he a hero of the faith?”  The answer may just surprise you…

The Biblical Vision of the Good Life.

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“Psalm 128 is a picture of the good life.” These words from Dr. James Hamilton have been echoed in my ears since I arrived at Southern Seminary for a recent Alumni Academy on Biblical Theology. While the whole two days left me with much to dwell on, this passage has been heavy on my heart. Little did I know recent events in Atlanta would tie right into what God has said. The good life is intrinsically tied to family life.*

Psalm 128 begins, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!”  “Blessed” means happy.  Reverence was to lead the Psalmist to rejoicing.  And not just a moment of rejoicing but a “walk.”  Fear of God is more than what you do in a Sunday service; it is a continual walking in obedience to God.  And we see in Psalm 128, the fear of God is connected with blessedness.  It is clear that the author of this Psalm was familiar with the blessings for obedience in Deuteronomy 28.  The people were promised blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience.  Notice verse 2 which carries this thought along, “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.”  The blessing of God brought him provision.  Notice both what the Psalmist does say, and what he does not say.

Being Thankful With our "Whole Heart" (Psalm 138)

I was flipping through my Bible in search of a passage the other night and stumbled upon notes on a passage I don't remember making. Upon investigating closely, I had written notes all over Psalm 138. What follows are notes and reflections put together to share.  I feel God brought me back to this passage for reasons only He knows. Hope it encourages you.

David introduces Psalm 138 this way- "I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;" He was giving thanks to the Lord!  Notice with his "whole heart."  David said he would even do it before the "gods." This is simply a phrase referring to rulers who are in a sense little gods. Psalm 95:3 and 96:5 are perfect examples of the use of the term "god" in the Psalms to refer to rulers. Before all kings God is worthy of praise for He is greater than any king! This brings us into the first thing David gives thanks for.

He was thankful for God's name.

I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness - Psalm 138:2

He gives thanks to God's name (who He is at His core) because of His steadfast love and faithfulness.  This would draw us back to the words of God to those in Exodus. God's faithfulness is not something He gives, but it something He is. He is thanking God for being who He is. He also thanks God for what He has done.  He is thanking God for His character, which means he must have had something to inform this understanding.  God's word was what informed it.