A new definition of "double standard."

This story caught my eye on the web this morning:

APPLETON, Wis. - Authorities charged a married man Thursday with slipping his girlfriend an abortion drug that caused her to miscarry twice. Manishkumar M. Patel, 34, of Appleton, was charged with seven felonies and two misdemeanors, including attempted first-degree murder of an unborn child, stalking, burglary and two counts of violating a restraining order. (emphasis added)


The drug Mr. Patel gave his girlfriend was "mifespristone, the abortion pill also known as RU-486." Currently, any woman can take that drug on her own, according to our present "pro-choice" abortion laws. But for Mr. Patel to "slip" it to her on the sly is considered "attempted first-degree murder of an unborn child." So, for the girlfriend to take the drug, that's a "choice." For someone else to make such a choice for her is not simply "coercion" or "extortion" or even "assault" in respect to the woman and her choices; it's "attempted murder of an unborn child."

How does a fetus remain mere "tissue" or "potential life" when under the control of the mother, but it becomes an "unborn child" if someone other than the mother makes the choice? Is there not some kind of illogical double standard at work here? Or is it something like, "If I take my life, it's suicide; if you do it, it's murder." That would be valid if it's my life you're talking about. But the "unborn child" is a third entity (dare we say "person"?).

Isn't this simply another instance of the double-talk of the judicial advocates of the "pro-choice" position , who are so eager to protect the prerogatives of an individual woman that they will abide such obvious flaws in their arguments? Either the fetus is a "child" or it's simply a "potential child." It can't be both, depending on who does the killing. It doesn't become less of a child when it's aborted by a mother than if it was unintentionally miscarried. If it's a "mass" subject to the mother's choice, then a miscarriage, even if caused by someone other than the mother, is perhaps some kind of crime against that mother, but not a "murder" of a person. You don't "murder" a non-person.

Maybe it's time to stop the double-talk and take God's word for it: Every "unborn child", at whatever stage of development, is still precious in God's sight, for each one is "fearfully and wonderfully made," and known already by the same God who knows the rest of us who were not aborted.

Thanksgiving: More than a holiday?

Psalm 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High.

No doubt about it. It's good to celebrate Thanksgiving - making memories with families and friends, serving others with acts of charity to the less fortunate, to say nothing of a ready-made excuse to eat more delicious food than, most would agree, is healthy for everyday practice.

But, while it's good to have an annual place on the calendar to refresh the mind's sense of generic gratitude, you have to wonder how much of this thankful spirit is left among the general populace by the first week of December. It's a similar question to that of wondering what happens to all the "good will to men" talk when everyone returns to work after the Christmas holiday.

Indeed, if Thanksgiving is just a holiday, it's a worthwhile one, if only for the occasional nudge to our collective conscience in the direction of acknowledging the source of our blessings; or at the very least to see that we have been well blessed. But, according to the inspired witness of the Psalms, there is much good in the simple and most appropriate act of giving thanks.

Think of thanksgiving, not as an obligation of courtesy, (and so we train our children to say it), but as a means of keeping the soul centered on the most fundamental fact of our existence: We owe nothing of our lives or possessions or accomplishments exlcusively to our own actions or merits. Even our simplest acts or thoughts are made possible in part by the contributions or gifts or assistance of someone other than ourselves; and ultimately to Someone who gave us even the capacity to think thoughts that are contrary to His will.

Giving thanks keeps our perspective in proper alignment. Humility is a natural result of acknowledging our indebtedness, first to God, and second to others. Foolish pride and arrogance are simply incompatible with gratitude as a consistent theme of our hearts and practice. So, as the psalmist said, "It's good to give thanks." Yes, it's the right thing to do, and therefore it's wrong not to give thanks. But, like all things God calls "right", thanksgiving is also "works for me."

It is not simplistic to say: A grateful heart cannot wander far from the truth of God; and the heart that wanders into darkness, far from God's truth, is an ungrateful heart. As Paul summarized the errors of a lost humanity, he said, "Even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:21)

Gratitude - God says it's right for you!

Now landing in the blogoshere!

I've decided it's time for me to get into the "aughts" (or whatever you want to call this first decade of the 2000's). So, as Pastor of a small Baptist church in Omaha, NE, I'm going to try to add something meaningful and Christ-centered to this expanding universe of blog-ness.

As the title of this blog implies, my view of life is "Christ-centered." I want to live in a way to follow after Paul's pursuit of a life that is all about "laying hold of that for which He laid hold of me."

More than that, life just is "Christ-centered", simply because He is the Architect and the ultimate Object of life, the "Alpha and Omega." Whether you choose to believe in and follow Him, that's your decision; your reaction to the truth of His Word. But nothing any man can do or say changes the fact of His Lordship; any more than a skeptic might object to, and thereby overthrow the Laws of Nature.

These are crucial days. Hardly an original statement, but nonetheless true. The idea of truth as an absolute value is quickly becoming for many an anachronism of a distant and unwanted past. But that has in no way altered the fact of truth. What scientists, skeptics, celebrities, talk-show hosts and many others believe about reality does not establish reality.

But, that claim aside, God presents His truth with compassion and an eternal love for all He has created - and that's all of us. So in the days to come, I'll hope to add some thoughtful comments to the web-discussion. But the only thing I can possibly contribute is what is Christ-centered, for that's the only truth I know.

For now, grace and peace, from Christ our Savior and Lord, is yours for the asking.

Larry