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Volume 3 Number 15 August 13, 2008

MarketFaith Ministries is an equipping ministry which is focused on helping Christians become more effective
in living out their faith in the midst of the increasingly diverse worldview environment of modern society.
Introduction

In everyday life, we may not think much about the topic of worldview because it seems to be more suited for academic
study than something that has a direct effect on our daily lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every worldview
belief is directly expressed in daily life. In fact, it is not too far fetched to say that every act you do in life is an expression
of your worldview. When you do things that are good and right, it is because you believe that is how you ought to act. On
the other hand, every time you do something bad or wrong, it is also an expression of what you believe.

That last thought may seem strange because it assumes you want to do bad things. Well, in your mind, maybe not, but
somehow you have given yourself permission to override with your actions what you consider wrong in your mind. Your
worldview is not what you say you believe, it is what you actually believe and is expressed in your life.

Today we are looking at an action that our society has allowed to go on – abortion. We may say we don’t personally ap-
prove of it, but by not actively working against it we are saying that it is not horrible enough for us to work toward its elimi-
nation. Today we are examining just why abortion is so bad.

(Continued on page 2)

What is the Real Choice in Abortion?

There is no question that the topic of abortion is one of the argue that abortion should be affordable, safe and legal in
real hot button issues of our day. And there is a very strong order for women to be protected.
and outspoken lobby which is active and adamant that
abortion should remain the law of the land. When advocat- A third argument is that teen pregnancy leads to all kinds of
ing for “abortion rights,” proponents put forth some very in- social problems and that most teens are not ready to be
teresting arguments as to why it should be legal. parents. They should, therefore, not have to carry a child to
term which they will be unable to properly care for.
The first argument asserts a woman’s right to personal
choice and privacy. They say that the whole abortion de- Another common argument is that women who become
bate revolves around a woman’s right to have control over pregnant by rape or incest should not be forced to bear a
her own body. They claim that no outside person should child created under those circumstances. They claim that it
have the right to tell a woman what she must do with her is simply not right.
body. It is her own business and she should have the right
to make her own choice. Finally, it is argued that unwanted children are highly sub-
ject to abuse by a parent who does not want the child. If a
Another argument claims that restricting abortions leads to child is unwanted, the mother should not be forced to have
back-alley procedures which put women’s lives at risk. They it.
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Contact MarketFaith Ministries


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(Introduction - Continued from page 1)

Before we move to the article, though, allow me to solicit your help. As was mentioned last time, MarketFaith Ministries
is preparing to hold a Worldview Summit for Ministry Professionals next January. To meet the costs of this project, we
are in need of Christian businesses to help sponsor this important event. If you know of a business owner who would be
able to help with a sponsorship, would you please put them in contact with us and we will be delighted to share with
them what this involves and how they can benefit. They can contact us at MarketFaith Ministries, 321 Anton Dr., Talla-
hassee, FL 32312. Our phone number is 850-383-9756. Thanks so much for your help.

And, of course, I always love to hear from you. Contact me any time with your thoughts, opinions and suggestions.

God bless,
Freddy
(Abortion - Continued from page 1)

Essentially, pro-abortion advocates defend their position based on issues of personal choice, privacy, rape and incest,
convenience, economics, child abuse, and the like.

This is not to say that these issues are not significant. But they completely miss the single most important issue of all.
They entirely ignore the fact that every abortion kills a completely innocent human being. Not a single one of the pro-
abortion arguments above can possibly justify this outcome.

Think about each of these issues for a moment. Should a pregnant mother have the power to take the life an unborn
child based simply on a “right to choose?” Should the privacy rights of one individual trump the right of another to live?
Should a child be exterminated because the means of conception was bad or even traumatic for the mother? Should a
baby be killed because bearing it will be inconvenient for the mother? Should a pre-born child be killed because the
parent(s) can’t afford another child? Should a person’s life be snuffed out because it might be brought into the home of
someone who may not be a good parent?

Looking at it this way, the answers to the questions are obvious. There is no legitimate reason to kill an unborn baby.

But if we are going to make an assertion like this, there is one more issue that we must address. In taking this anti-abor-
tion stance, we are also making an assumption – an assumption that the pre-born child is fully a human being. Many
abortion advocates assert that the unborn are not yet real human beings, so aborting them is not killing a child.

This forces us to answer the deeper question: Is an unborn child an actual human being? Is an unborn baby nothing
more than a non-viable mass of tissue in a woman’s body, or is it something more? Is that tissue simply a “potential” hu-
man being, or is it a “real” human being? Let’s look at the facts.

First, we know that a fetus is alive from the moment of conception. Science has shown definitively that the cells which
comprise the fetus are living. There is life there.

Secondly, we know that from the moment of conception the fetus forms a distinct human being. It is not simply inert tis-
sue in the mother. It is an individual person which is different from the mother’s body. When a sperm and egg come to-
gether, they create a new person with distinct characteristics which are not just like either the mother or the father. The
coming together creates a unique being with its own DNA.

(Continued on page 3)

Find these books along with other


great worldview resources at
www.marketfaith.org

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(Abortion - Continued from page 2)

Finally, we must affirm that this unique, living being has value from the moment of conception. The value of a human be-
ing is not in the physical form it holds at any given moment. Nor is it derived from the ability of an individual’s body to per-
form particular functions at any given moment.

Just because a fetus does not yet have the form of an adult, does not lower its value. The fact is, the physical form of a
human being changes throughout life. A child does not look like a teenager, does not look like a middle aged adult, does
not look like an elderly person. All stages are the proper look of a human being at those stages. This applies to a fetus, as
well. It looks like a human being is supposed to look at that stage of development.

Just because a fetus cannot execute the functions that a normally functioning adult is able to perform also does not lower
its inherent value as a human being. Using that kind of reasoning, we could argue that people under anesthesia or in a
deep sleep have less value. The same could be said for those who were born with mental or physical handicaps, those
who have lost limbs or have lost the function of some part of their body due to disease or accident. Even without the com-
plete functioning of certain parts of the physical body, the individual person is still there. The value is in the person, not in
physical appearance or attributes. As a result, individual “rights” must be based on inherent, not physical capacities.

Abortion is not a preference issue. We don’t get to choose whether or not another individual gets to live or die based on
our own personal desires. A pre-born baby is not ice cream where we get to choose whether or not we want to eat it
based on personal tastes. It is an actual, living, individual person who has as much right to life as you or I.

So, what worldview perspective could possibly assert a


value set which would approve of abortion? Where does
the idea come from that abortion is not the killing of an in-
nocent life and that it is simply a matter of personal prefer- Subscription Information
ence? Or where does the thought come from that a human
life in the form of a fetus has a low enough value that it is If you would like to receive Worldview Made Practical as a
okay to kill it based on our own convenience? free email subscription, simply go to www.marketfaith.org
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The worldview assumption underlying this viewpoint be-
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moral absolutes and all we have to base our morality on is
personal preference. This point of view emerges directly
out of Naturalism. That is, there exists no God who has de- PERMISSION TO REPRINT: If you wish to reprint this
fined morality for humanity. We must create our own. month’s article in your own print or electronic newsletter,
please include the following paragraph:
The Biblical worldview has an entirely different perspective.
God has revealed in Scripture that human life is a gift from Reprinted from Worldview Made Practical; a free e-zine
God. Human beings are persons who are created in the produced by MarketFaith Ministries featuring practical
image of God. The spiritual person that we are did not exist teaching and life tools to help Christians become more ef-
until God created us at the moment of our conception. fective in their faith life. Discover MarketFaith Ministries at
Since God created it, it belongs to him, and human beings www.marketfaith.org.
do not have the right to exterminate innocent human life.

The real choice being made when one chooses abortion


does not relate to personal choice, personal rights or con-
venience. It relates to life and death. When an abortion Support MarketFaith Ministries
takes place, a child is killed. As Christians, we have a sa-
cred obligation to protect life because it is a person that The purpose of MarketFaith Ministries is to equip the Body
God created for the purpose of relationship with himself. of Christ to become more effective by sharing the practical
applications of worldview. We are involved in developing
training and resource materials for that very purpose. If
In the next Issue: The Gospel According to the Califor- you would like to partner with us in this effort, you may
nia Supreme Court: Postmodernism send your tax deductible contribution to MarketFaith Minis-
tries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32312.

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