The Churches Response - Preaching Against Abortion

Some committed Pro-Life people are puzzled by the paucity of sermons that address the sin of abortion. As a pastor, I would like to share from my perspective why this is the case. Let me outline four reasons for the want of Pro-Life sermons...

1) Pastors Find Them Extremely Difficult To Preach. By this I mean that the spiritual and emotional energy that goes into these sermons, along with the embattlement received from the forces of evil while preparing and proclaiming them, make these messages especially trying.

2) Pastors, Like Everybody Else, Are Basically Cowards. Ministers of God, more than anyone else in the culture, are to be the vanguards of Courage and that Strength. Unfortunately, most are afraid of offending people and "Losing Friends"--they want to be liked.

3) Some Pastors Have Been Deceived By Satan. Because we want to find excuses for our delinquency, we often seek to soothe our consciences through the shameful habit of imbibing the lies of Satan that seek to make the sin of abortion appear to be less than it is.

4) Many Pastors Do Not Know How To Preach The Bible Very Well. This is not meant as a put- down, but as an observation. If ministers of God really understood their primary role, i.e. to "Preach the Word," (2 Tim. 4:2), they would know they have no other choice but to preach on the subject of the sin of abortion.

In the light of all of this, what is the answer? It seems clear to me that the answer is found in a clergy that is so courageous that they really don't care if they offend people or not. What we need are men filled with the Holy Spirit who reckon themselves like the Apostle Paul, "crucified to the world," (Gal. 6:14). On top of all this, Pro-Life ministers must be winsome, loving, gentle, and kind. We must know that the cause cannot be lost because we serve a Sovereign God and His will cannot fail!

Mark J. Henninger
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church Of Pottstown, IL 08/94