VIDEO Evolutionism Contradicts Christian Evangelism

Sept 30, 2019

Is evolutionary theory compatible with the church’s basic functions of worship, evangelism, and the edification (building up) of believers? In last month’s article, we saw how evolutionism has a profoundly negative effect on a believer’s worship.¹ But what does it do to evangelism?

Let’s consider a young man named Dan, an outstanding mechanical engineering senior at a state university. He regularly shares the gospel of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and is a faithful member of his church.

However, things drastically changed for Dan in the second semester. During a sociology lecture on human evolution, the professor called on Dan to participate in a mini-debate on the subject. Dan was somewhat familiar with the topic based on some training he had received in Sunday school. He thought this was a rare opportunity to tell of his belief in the Lord Jesus.

The “mini-debate” turned out to be a sham. The professor opened the discussion with a long rant against Christianity. He took most of the time for himself. He peppered his talk with humorous sarcasm of Christians and the Bible. This had the class in hysterics. In the few minutes remaining, Dan attempted to present scientific facts regarding evolution. Class attention was disrupted by lingering laughter. But by far the worst disturbance was the constant interruptions by the professor. Dan could never finish a full sentence. At one point as Dan explained how there are no clear-cut ape-to-human fossil transitions, the professor scoffed that people like Dan might be the best evidence for cavemen.

Dan felt like just walking back to his seat. But he did the last thing the professor expected. He asked for a rematch the next week with a dean acting as referee. Initially, the professor refused. But then he conditionally agreed if Dan could find “just one other person to take his side.” Dan agreed.

Dan asked another Christian, Beth, with a solid academic record in geological engineering to be his partner for the next debate. She thought for several moments. She agreed with Dan that evolution was a ridiculous theory and that it certainly contradicted the Bible. She continued, however, that college was only a small portion of a person’s life. She had to consider the personal impact of helping Dan. Her involvement could spell doom for a decent recommendation from her department for a job or graduate school. Her career could be ruined. The conversation ended with her questioning both his “good judgment” and his concern for her as a friend to “even ask me” to participate.

The second debate never took place. Dan still received an A in sociology. But now fewer students take him seriously when he tries to share the truth about Jesus Christ due to his “anti-scientific” views about evolution.

If you had time to talk with Dan and Beth, what would you say?

Evangelism Defined

Evangelism and the gospel are summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved….For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

If we define the gospel “according to the Scriptures,” this would indicate that related passages should be considered. Pulling several together, we may say that evangelism is a Christian’s duty (Romans 1:14-17) as commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8) to preach the good news of salvation from sin (1 Timothy 1:15) by the word of God (Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) through the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:21; 4:12; Romans 3:21-26; 1 Peter 1:18-19) for the purpose of someone’s salvation (Romans 10:14-15; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Ephesians 6:19; Jude 1:20-23).

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 presents a fact tied directly to creation: “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” Thus, a real Adam brought real sin and death to everyone, meaning that all need a real Savior—the “second Adam”—who is Jesus Christ.

Evolutionism Nullifies the Meaning of Sin, Salvation, and the Savior

Evolutionary ideas have religious implications. The atheistic notion that nature creates itself—from the Big Bang to the diversity of life on Earth—is contrary to the biblical truth that God created nature. Last month we saw how this strikes at the very doctrine of God.¹ Evangelism deals directly with a person’s accountability to God. A person may indeed want to mentally deflect dealing with that impending reality. Evolutionism offers a Creator-denying, and thus conscience-appeasing, worldview that allows someone to live as if God doesn’t exist.

Historians depict the longstanding tension between what evolutionism means and the Christian faith. William McLoughlin of Brown University sums up what many Christians concluded early on about evolutionism:

It challenged the Bible by denying its account of creation. It challenged the concept of an absolute moral law by its doctrine of survival of the fittest. It challenged the millennial goal by describing nature as amoral and purposeless.²

When discussing worship, we saw that when people fail to credit God with creating nature, they inevitably begin to worship nature as God. Charles Darwin introduced a worldview substitute to Christianity called selectionism that personifies nature by projecting onto it volitional selective capability. Selectionism sees nature as exercising agency in shaping organisms, which predictably is substituted for God’s creative agency. The reality of a supreme moral lawgiver and, therefore, our understanding of what sin is are questioned.

Animals may behave in ways we find unacceptable, but they are not seen as sinners or believed to face accountability for sin after they die. How might a human adopt the guilt-releasing mental state of animals? One avenue is to embrace the evolutionary view that humans are just another animal. Evolutionism offers a new view of sin since “the views of Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and his successors created the idea that there was no such thing as sin or that sin was merely the remnant of animal instinct in man.”³ But this contradicts Christian evangelism, in which the recognition of one’s sinfulness is necessary to salvation.

Within evolutionism, “salvation” does not represent someone being rescued from God’s judgment and the deserved punishment of sin. McLoughlin shows that shortly after Darwin’s publications, prominent Christian ministers were eagerly redefining salvation:

John Bascom, minister and president of the University of Wisconsin, provided the most sophisticated statement of the new relationship between religion and science in “Evolution and Religion, or Faith as a Part of a Complete System” (1897). Christianity as he saw it was a spiritual process of adjustment to environment; salvation was the slow, evolutionary progress of the race in conformity with the laws of nature.⁴

Christians had long understood that God directly created the first human couple, Adam and Eve. The reality of Adam—and his original sin—was opposed by “new ideas and a new vocabulary [that] were being used to explain man’s place in the universe. Man was redefined as the descendant of a ‘hairy quadruped’ that, over eons of time, had evolved from an amoeba-like cell in ‘the primordial slime.’”⁵ Thus, “because man was not guilty through original sin, there was no need of Christ as Saviour.”⁶

Even though ICR geneticist Dr. Jeffrey Tomkins has refuted the claim that humans and chimpanzees are 98% genetically similar,⁷ two theistic evolutionists still recite a 98% similarity as proof positive that humans were not directly created by God:

In a recent pro-evolution book from InterVarsity Press, The Language of Science and Faith, [Francis] Collins and co-author Karl W. Giberson escalate matters, announcing that “unfortunately” the concepts of Adam and Eve as the literal first couple and the ancestors of all humans simply “do not fit the evidence.”⁸

Theistic and atheistic evolutionists embrace the same selectionist mechanism of evolution, yet it seems only the atheists recognize how evolutionary thinking negatively impacts Christian evangelism. One outspoken atheist succinctly and accurately explained why

Christianity has fought, still fights, and will fight science to the desperate end over evolution, because evolution destroys utterly and finally the very reason Jesus’ earthly life was supposedly made necessary. Destroy Adam and Eve and the original sin, and in the rubble you will find the sorry remains of the son of god. Take away the meaning of his death. If Jesus was not the redeemer who died for our sins, and this is what evolution means, then Christianity is nothing!⁹

The effect of evolutionism on the church’s duty to evangelize is devastating. Like Dan, we need to fully believe the Bible and be bold in our witness. Next month’s article will examine the effect of evolutionism on the area of edification.

Click here for the first article in the Creation and the Church series.

References

1. Guliuzza, R. J. 2019. Evolutionism Poisons Christian Worship. Acts & Facts. 48 (9): 18-19.
2. McLoughlin, W. G. 1978. Revivals, Awakenings, and Reform: An Essay on Religion and Social Change in America, 1607–1977. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 151.
3. Cairns, E. E. 1967. Christianity Through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Press, 450.
4. McLoughlin, Revivals, Awakenings, and Reform, 156.
5. Ibid, 152.
6. Cairns, Christianity Through the Centuries, 451. Emphasis added.
7. Tomkins, J. P. 2011. Genome-Wide DNA Alignment Similarity (Identity) for 40,000 Chimpanzee DNA Sequences Queried against the Human Genome is 86-89%. Answers Research Journal. 4: 233-241; Tomkins, J. and J. Bergman. 2012. Genomic monkey business—estimates of nearly identical human-chimp DNA similarity re-evaluated using omitted data. Journal of Creation. 26 (1): 94-100.
8. Ostling, R. N. 2011. The Search for the Historical Adam. Christianity Today. 55 (6): 22-27.
9. Bozarth, G. R. 1978. The Meaning of Evolution. American Atheist. 20 (2): 30.

* Dr. Guliuzza is ICR’s National Representative. He earned his M.D. from the University of Minnesota, his Master of Public Health from Harvard University, and served in the U.S. Air Force as 28th Bomb Wing Flight Surgeon and Chief of Aerospace Medicine. Dr. Guliuzza is also a registered Professional Engineer.

Cite this article: Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D. 2019. Evolutionism Contradicts Christian Evangelism. Acts & Facts. 48 (10).

https://www.icr.org/article/evolutionism-contradicts-christian-evangelism/

“Unplanned” Effectively Banned in Canada for “Content”

May 24, 2019  by  Raven Clabough

 

Leftist intolerance is on full display in Canada, where three of the nation’s largest movie distributors — Landmark, Cineplex, and Mongrel Media — have banned the pro-life film Unplanned.

Unplanned is the true story of Abby Johnson, a volunteer at Planned Parenthood who went on to become a clinic director before she experienced a life-changing epiphany that transformed her into an outspoken pro-life activist. Today, she leads And Then There Were None, a nonprofit that helps abortion workers to leave the industry.

The film has reportedly motivated at least 94 abortion clinic workers to leave the field, and has also inspired women initially seeking abortions to find alternatives, CBN News reports.

Theatrically, the film has been a surprising success, grossing more than $18 million domestically on a budget of $6 million, according to the Washington Times.

But the film’s success has been in spite of the efforts of saboteurs. And sadly, those efforts are being seen internationally.

During a May 8 Ottawa news conference, Unplanned’s producer Lisa Wheeler said, “We have been effectively blocked from distributing the film in Canada.”

According to the Washington Times, Landmark and Cineplex told Unplanned’s co-writer and co-director Chuck Konzelman that the film’s content prompted them to pass on the movie.

Konzelman told Life Site on Monday that he received “unsatisfactory answers” regarding each company’s vague reasoning. But without distribution, Unplanned cannot be shown theatrically under Canadian law. In fact, Unplanned cannot even receive a rating by provincial film boards, Konzelman told Life Site.

“In Canada, Cineplex basically has monopolistic power,” Konzelman told Life Site. “The National Post mentions them as controlling nearly 80 percent of all movie screens, and from our limited experience, they seem to have many of the most desirable locations, in and near the major metropolitan areas. So rejection by Cineplex basically means we’re not playing in Canada.”

Mongrel Media also rejected the film because of its “content.”

This is not the first time Unplanned has encountered obstruction, however. In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution last month, Konzelman detailed some of the obstacles the film faced.

“From the outset, making a pro-life film in a pro-choice town [Los Angeles], we knew we would face a number of challenges,” he stated. “Moving past the challenges of production and post-production, limiting my comments to the marketing campaign, allow me to highlight some of these: The MPAA saddled us with an “R” rating, which strongly discourages much of the Christian audience, and all of the Church of Latter-day Saints from seeing our film, since they have a general prohibition against seeing “R” rated films. It also precluded us from using the single most effective form of motion picture advertising — paid placement of our theatrical trailer before other films in theaters.”

Konzelman continued:

We also looked to advertise on cable television. But with the exception of Fox News and CBN, we were systematically denied access to the outlets where we sought to advertise — among which were Lifetime, UP TV, Hallmark, HGTV, USA Network, Food Network, The Travel Channel, DIY and the Cooking Channel. In fact, Lifetime, which is owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture of Walt Disney and Hearst Communications, told our buyers that they were refusing due to the “sensitive nature of the film,” but had previously promoted an interview with Scarlett Johansson in which she promoted Planned Parenthood. We consider these blanket refusals highly unusual and highly discriminatory, and have formally petitioned the FCC to look further into the matter.

Google made things extraordinarily difficult, Konzelman recalled.

“Google Ads [formerly known as Google Adwords] blocked the entirety of the Unplanned pre-release banner ads,” Konzelman noted. “When you advertise on the Google Display Network — which has over 2 million sites and reaches over 90% of the people on the internet — your ads can appear across a large collection of websites, mobile apps, and video content.”

“Google cited a policy regarding abortion-related ads,” Konzelman explained. “Just one problem: We weren’t doing abortion related ads. We were marketing a movie.”

Twitter also went through inordinate efforts to sabotage the film’s success hours after the film’s theatrical debut, according to Konzelman.

“In the early morning hours of Saturday, March 30th,” Konzelman recounts, “the film’s Twitter account — technically the account owned by the film’s single purpose marketing entity — was suspended. The reason for the suspension has not — to the best of my knowledge — been made clear, beyond being ‘accidental.’ However when such ‘accidents’ occur within twelve hours of the film’s theatrical debut — and after nine months of ownership, during which time there were zero suspensions — the ‘glitch’ is of course suspect.”

“Later on the same day,” Konzelman noted, “Twitter apparently deleted the vast majority of those listed as ‘followers’ for our account, reducing the number from something on the order of 200,000 to less than 200. A thousand-to-one reduction in our listed followers. And numerous people — including the subject of our film — Abby Johnson — and the star of our film — Ashley Bratcher — found themselves unable to follow their own movie on Twitter.”

Johnson appeared at Canada’s March for Life in Ottawa on March 9 and encouraged Canadians to speak up and defend the unborn.

“Life is on the line. Children are being killed, dismembered in their mothers’ wombs,” she told supporters. “There is nothing polite about abortion, and it is time for us to stop cowering to the liberal media, to your liberal parliament. Enough is enough.”

Konzelman is hopeful that the Canadian people will demand access to Unplanned so that others may have the opportunity to be transformed.

Image: BalkansCat via iStock / Getty Images Plus

https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/item/32431-unplanned-effectively-banned-in-canada-for-content

Lives of the unborn are worth fighting for, no matter how they were conceived

 

May 17, 2019 By Kristan Hawkins

When it comes to gun violence in schools, people get outraged about children in danger of losing their lives. It’s a worthy concern. According to Education Week, in 2018 28 students were killed in school shootings, while so far in 2019, 2 children have been killed.

That is tragic. But it’s not about the math; it’s about the loss of life … and 30 lives forever gone are 30 too many. But have you noticed that when it comes to babies born during abortions — or viable babies aborted after 20 weeks — all you hear is that it’s not that many? But how many are there?

Consider this, according to the Centers for Disease Control and the abortion-industry think tank the Guttmacher Institute, “only” about 1.3 percent of abortions are late-term (after 21 weeks). With an abortion rate of 879,000 in 2017, that’s more than 11,400 increasingly viable babies at risk.

Those increasingly viable babies face pain, suffering and loss of life.

And what of those who may be exposed to infanticide, allowed to die only because they were born during an abortion, how many might there be?

USA Today notes: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 143 deaths between 2003 and 2014 involving infants born alive during attempted abortions,” with CDC also reporting “it is possible that this number (143) underestimates the total number of deaths involving induced termination.” In another report, the CDC also notes, “Although unlikely, the induced abortion procedure may result in a live birth.”

May? Many abortion survivors are alive and available to tell their own stories. Articulate people like Melissa Ohden, the founder of the Abortion Survivors Network, Josiah Presley or Claire Culwell, speak eloquently about life after almost death at the hands of an abortionist.

In fact, Ohden’s Abortion Survivors Network reports that 279 people have come forward saying that their birthday began in an abortion vendor’s office, in a life and death struggle from their first breath of life.

And how many infants lose their lives because of what happened on the night of their conception?

The New York Times proudly has proclaimed an often-reported number, that babies conceived in rape or incest are “only” 1 percent of those targeted with abortion. With an abortion figure of 879,000, that’s at least 8,790 people who were discriminated against based on the night of their conception.

Children conceived in rape are still children, unique and valuable, deserving of their own chance to make a mark on the world. A civil society does not execute children for the crimes of their fathers, yet when it comes to abortion the knee-jerk assumption is that they should pay the ultimate price rather than putting the focus on the criminal guilty of violence.

Consider that if my father commits a sexual assault today society would not allow his victim to legally kill me tomorrow. The sins of the fathers are not passed on to the children under our system of justice, and my ability to be seen and heard makes that kind of death unthinkable. As it should be. Yet children conceived in rape must endure the constant messaging that the world would be better off if they were dead, and many do end tragically through abortion.

Alabama legislators made a courageous and counter-cultural choice when they said that they cared most about mother and preborn child by focusing their law on the abortionist preying on women, by putting in protections for mothers whose lives were at risk and by telling the world that they loved the children whose stories began in a moment like rape or incest. That moment did nothing to detract from their worth or right to enjoy a chance at life.

In the United States, birth certificates are not issued with points awarded based on your parents’ race, income, marital status or the events on the night of your conception. Birth certificates note one thing: a unique human being has entered the world.

And as we look at the math, it’s clear that the victims of abortion for even the most “rare” cases still number in the thousands. How many need to die before the math just doesn’t add up for a civil society?

Kristan Hawkins is president of Students for Life of America, with more than 1,220 groups on college, university and high school campuses in all 50 states. Follow her @KristanHawkins

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/lives-of-the-unborn-are-worth-fighting-for-no-matter-how-they-were-conceived

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VIDEO Alabama abortion ban means ‘Roe is far from settled law’

‘The time is coming for the Supreme Court’ to act

 

 

(Image courtesy Pixabay)

Lawmakers in Alabama have adopted a law that makes conducting an abortion punishable by up to 99 years in prison.

The governor signed it late Wednesday.

And lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union or Planned Parenthood are likely, rulings that inevitably would be appealed.

All of a sudden the fight is before the U.S. Supreme Court and abortion business operators see the possibility of Roe v. Wade vanishing in a 5-4 or even 6-3 vote, with yes votes from the two justices appointed by President Trump.

Supporters of the Alabama bill should thank John Rogers.

He’s the Democratic Alabama state representative who drew national attention when he stated publicly regarding abortion, “You kill them now or you kill them later.’

Rogers then came out, and instead of backtracking, announced that U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, another Democrat, agrees.

It’s just one incident that will factor into the debate as pro-lifers see a growing opportunity to overturn Roe.

Mat Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel, which has fought in court from sea to sea on behalf of life, commended Alabama lawmakers for their work.

“Roe v. Wade has already ended the lives of more than 62 million children. While we cannot undo the horrendous damage that decades of legal precedence under Roe have caused, this bill is a significant step toward making the womb a safe place in Alabama again,” he said.

“From conception to natural death, every single human life deserves to be protected by law,” said Americans United for Life President Catherine Glenn Foster.

“The violence of abortion is never the answer to the violence of rape. Like other states that have passed laws concerning when life begins, Alabama has relied upon scientific and medical facts. It has also created the opportunity to implement new, comprehensive policies to ensure the most life-affirming outcomes for both the mother and the child throughout life. Alabama has renewed the essential conversation about the meaning of justice and morality, one that starts with recognizing what abortion is: The extinguishing of a unique human life.”

And Marjorie Dannensfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, said, “The passage of this pro-life law is a landmark victory for the people of Alabama who, like most Americans, overwhelmingly reject the extreme status quo of abortion on demand imposed nationwide by Roe v. Wade.

“Alabamians have made known their will to protect the unborn, first with last year’s successful ballot initiative to recognize the sanctity and right to life of unborn children, and now through the bold action of the legislature to reject abortion,” she said.

“Across the nation there is growing momentum, informed by science and compassion, and spurred on in reaction to abortion extremism in New York and Virginia, to recognize the humanity of the unborn child in the law. It is clearer than ever that Roe is far from being settled law in the eyes and hearts of the American people, and this is increasingly reflected in state legislatures. The American people want a fresh debate and a new direction, achieved by consensus and built on love for both mothers and babies. The time is coming for the Supreme Court to let that debate go forward.”

It was those comments from Rogers that sparked outrage across the nation.

He was advocating for abortion.

“You bring them into the world unwanted, unloved, then you send them to the electric chair. So you kill them now or you kill them later,” he said.

Even pro-abortion businesses and their leaders, like Staci Fox of Planned Parenthood Southeast, gasped in horror.

“Not only were his remarks reprehensible, they are a complete distraction from the real work still left to be done in this state,” she said.

His comments came just weeks after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, sparked a firestorm when he appeared to advocate infanticide.

Talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh explained, “What do you expect to happen when the Democrat Party gives standing ovations to legislation permitting the killing of babies who have been born? What do you expect to happen? What does anybody expect? This country has not gone over to the dark side of liberalism, in toto. We haven’t gotten anywhere close to that.”

He said Americans are not in line with the pro-abortion agenda as much as some leftists want.

“So it was only a matter of time and for everybody that thinks what’s going on in Alabama, ‘Well, this is a little over the top, though, Rush. Come on, now. This reaction, this is a little overboard.’ What do you mean, over the top? Where were you when they were giving a standing ovation in the New York state senate, when they passed legislation permitting the killing of babies that had been born?”

Alabama’s HB 314, the Human Life Protection Act,” classifies abortion as a Class A felony, punishable by up to 99 years in jail. It exempts women who receive abortions.

The bills authors and supporters have explained that they want the plan to trigger a court fight that would end up with the revocation of Roe. That would leave decisions about the limits on abortion to the various states.

Just a day ago, James Dobson, president of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk and the James Dobson Family Institute, said he’s praying that the Georgia law which is part of the campaign would play a role in overturning the abortion law

However, Fox News reported Pat Robertson, who long has opposed abortion, said Alabama’s move is too “extreme.”

“I think Alabama has gone too far,” Robertson said Wednesday on his long-running TV program, “The 700 Club.” “It’s an extreme law, and they want to challenge Roe vs. Wade, but my humble view is that this is not the case we want to bring to the Supreme Court because I think this one will lose.”

The 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision created a right to abortion, allowing business operations through which Planned Parenthood gets tens of millions of taxpayer dollars each year.

The author of the majority opinion, Justice Harry Blackmun, acknowledged that the concept of personhood for the unborn was the key to the decision.

At that time, science was unclear about the personhood of the unborn.

Blackmun wrote, “If this suggestion of personhood is established, [the pro-abortion] case, of course, collapses, for the fetus’ right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the [14th] Amendment.”

WND reported Rogers’ statement:

Alabama State Rep. John Rogers (D) on abortion: “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later. You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later” pic.twitter.com/dxPg6X759h

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 1, 2019

 

Mindy Robinson reacted on Twitter: “My adopted friends would bet to differ. Last I checked they were more than happy to be alive and adopted into loving families … and not cut up into pieces and left in a trash can. Explain to me again why Democrats think they’re so morally superior over the rest of us?”

Mitch Fewell credited Rogers with making him feel good about his decision to leave Alabama and move to California, where state officials are prosecuting two pro-life advocates who exposed Planned Parenthood’s sale of the body parts of unborn babies.

“I left Alabama 11 years ago and relocated to California. I want to thank this j—— for making me finally feel like I made the right move,” he tweeted.

https://www.wnd.com/2019/05/alabama-abortion-ban-means-roe-is-far-from-settled-law/

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Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Proverbs 32:8 NKJ

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VIDEO Times Square Rally

May 6, 2019 by beautybeyondbones

 

Well, here we are — It’s Monday. It’s May. And boy, do I have a story for YOU!

Allow me to set the scene —

I think the fact that I am both a writer and an actor, gives me this really unique filter through which I see the world. Because I never just see it — but rather, I’m looking for meaning. So sometimes, things just strike meas highly compelling.

That, and I’m always looking for God’s little winks and whispers through any and all lines of communication.

But this weekend, I faced several juxtapositions that really got me thinking.

SO – now to the story!

I was one of the 10,000 people at the Alive from New York prolife rally in Times Square on Saturday!

Francesca Battistelli singing at the #AliveFromNY Event

And, if this is the first you’re learning of this event, well — that’s because ZERO of the mainstream media channels (aside from FOX) covered the event — even though it was the largest ProLife rally in Times Square ever.

Oh — wait, I stand corrected. There were two negatively slanted articles: The New York Post flippantly posted an inaccurate article citing a protest of “400 Pro-Lifers” — which is not only numerically inaccurate by about 9,600 people, but also — a) so flippant in their clearly negative “Pro-Lifer” slang, and b) it wasn’t a protest.

Photo: New York Post

Newsweek covered the “Anti-Abortion Rally” with a video of a young, beautiful abortion provider, talking about how prolife arguments are based on lies and misinformation, and that abortion is health care.

Photo: Newsweek

But I digress.

The event was so powerful. It was put on by Focus on the Family. And, contrary to Newsweek’s spin…it was a huge celebration of life, right in the heart of Times Square!

Abby Johnson, speaking!

There were speakers, and a concert by Francesca Battistelli. The phenomenal movie, Unplanned played a huge role in the event — ((and Yours Truly was actually interviewed for their promotional material! I’ll let you know when it’s live so you can see it!))

Ashley Bratcher from Unplanned

Unplanned’s star actress, Ashley Bratcher, spoke, as well as Abby Johnson — the former Planned Parenthood clinical director, and whose story Unplanned tells. And the pinnacle event was that they broadcast over a jumbotron, Abby Johnson’s 4D ultrasound of her 3rd trimester child!

4D Ultrasound broadcast live at the #AliveFromNewYork event

It was absolutely incredible.

But not everyone was thrilled about the event.

First of all, Planned Parenthood took out a huge billboard right above where the event was being held that read, “PLANNED PARENTHOOD IS HEALTH CARE” in big bold letters.

And then, when I arrived, there were cops everywhere, because swarming both sides of Times Square were hundreds of protestors, shouting profanities and grotesque remarks at the attendees of the beautiful celebration of life in the middle.

They were banging drums and shouting things that would make a sailor blush.

But the event attendees paid them no mind, and continued on in their joyful gathering.

But here’s the crazy thing — as soon as that 4D ultrasound came on the screen, and you saw Abby Johnson’s baby sucking its thumb, and you heard the whooshing of the baby’s heartbeat over the loudspeaker — Times Square was silent. No more protestor rants, no more drums. Just the beautiful sound of life, and a mother’s cooing remarks to her child in the womb, and right underneath the Planned Parenthood billboard.

But after the ultrasound — the protestors went home.

It was the wildest thing.

Maybe the prayers that were in my heart for the souls of those protestors were answered! Who knows.

But coming home that night, I was looking up coverage about the event, and not surprisingly, I was discouraged to see that it was, in essence, completely erased from history by the mainstream media.

But in my search, I did happen to come across this video, which shows Pennsylvania State Representative, Brian Sims, absolutely berating this elderly woman, simply standing outside of a Planned Parenthood in Philly, saying a rosary.

Brian Sims’ 9 minute AGGRESSIVE livestream

He puts a camera in her face and arrogantly and aggressively attacks her, verbally for over eight minutes. Seriously, watch it. It made my blood boil.

WATCH: Pennsylvania State Representative @BrianSimsPA harasses an elderly woman who is peacefully advocating for the lives of preborn human beings and women who are considering abortion.

This is shameful. https://t.co/Xb9pkFZSXC

— Live Action (@LiveAction) May 5, 2019

But it was at this point, that all the juxtapositions I had experienced that day, finally caught up with me.

This issue of life is absolutely tearing our country apart.

I mean, I even see it on this blog!

People are coming after supporters of life, and they’re thirsty for BLOOD.

Some of the names I have been called when I have stood silently, praying outside of Planned Parenthood — without signs, without talking to people, without anything but love in my heart — the derogatory things would make my mother cry. I’ve had cameras shoved in my face, horns blared right in front of me. Even teenaged kids, shouting rude things.

There is a real hatred for people who support life. And I saw that over and over again this weekend.

So what was the take away?

Love wins.

Love wins. Period.

There’s such a misconception, that people who support life are in some way shaming people who support abortion. Or are trying to control women’s bodies. Or you name it.

But the reality is, the prolife movement is driven by love.

Love for the child in the womb. For the pregnant mothers and fathers. For life in all its stages — even the smallest and most vulnerable.

And as witnessed in Times Square that day, love won. When those protestors heard that heartbeat, and heard Abby Johnson speaking so tenderly to her “little guy” as only a mother does — they packed up and left.

So my prayer is this: to stay hopeful. Yes, it seems like an uphill battle – when not a single news outlet will cover this celebration of life. When publically elected officals like Brian Sims act like petulant children and berate a praying elderly woman, when people personally attack you with hatred spewing from their every pore — stay hopeful.

Life is worth it. Love is worth it.

And someday, the world will see that, too.

“This is what the Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” Ez 37:5

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Live 4D Ultrasound Highlight of Focus on the Family’s ‘Alive from New York’ Even

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Update on “Alive From New York”

Jim Daly and John Fuller share a retrospective look at Focus on the Family’s May 4th “Alive From New York” event celebrating the sanctity of human life and discuss the public reaction to the event. Did you know that just $60 can help save a life through the Option Ultrasound™ program? Your monthly support will help us equip more pregnancy medical clinics across the country with ultrasound machines.

https://store.focusonthefamily.com/singleitem/checkout/donation/item/chooselife-2019-5-6?

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VIDEO The Movie Unplanned Gives Insight to Dehumanizing Acts Like Sri Lanka

April 26, 2019 By  Jake MacAulay

 

What do chattel slavery, the Nazi holocaust, global genocide, and the bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday have in common?

By dehumanizing the victims, these horrific acts become tolerable and unobjectionable.

The plantation owner thought the African was not fully human; the Nazi thought the Jew was not human; one political faction thought the same of their rival faction; and terrorists believed Christians were undeserving of life, so they murdered them on the day Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Many make the argument that our American political system has taken the same approach to the unborn.

Let me explain.

After taking all of my children to see the movie Unplanned this weekend, we learned about the true underbelly of the murderous, government-funded, billion-dollar global corporation of Planned Parenthood. The movie was told from the life experience of a former clinic director Abby Johnson.

On September 26, 2009, Abby was asked to assist with an ultrasound-guided abortion, where she watched in horror as a 13-week baby fought for, and ultimately lost, its life at the hand of an abortionist. After some 22,000 abortions as director of a Planned Parenthood clinic, she resigned and became an outspoken advocate for the pro-life movement.

Abby physically witnessed what our American founders recognized and recorded in the Declaration of Independence, that, “All men are created equal.” We are NOT “born equal”; we are “created equal” by our Creator with certain unalienable rights – chiefly life.  And we all know every human being is created in the womb of his or her mother.

Benjamin Rush, a Declaration of Independence signer and medical doctor, stated that life’s:

“first motion is produced by the stimulus of the male seed upon the female ovum … No sooner is the female ovum thus set in motion, and the fetus formed, than its capacity of life is supported.”

In the Constitution we find the Framers securing and guaranteeing protection of all life in the Fifth Amendment:

“No person shall be deprived of life…without due process of law.”

The Fourteenth Amendment also states:

“nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law…”

This applies to every living person, and we know abortion violates this right by killing babies before they’re born, let alone before due process.

John Locke, who highly influenced the Founders’ views, extracted from the laws of nature and specified that individuals are:

“not to kill another man; not to know more women than one; not to procure abortion; not to expose their children; not to take from another what is his …”

The obvious truth Locke was asserting by stating abortion violates natural law was that abortion did, in fact, violate another human being’s right to life.

Abortion is the dehumanization of the unborn. It is murder. Abortion is un-American and illegal. Consequently, protecting, committing, funding, or participating in the act is criminal. Period.

Therefore, every elected official in America should repent of this evil they have allowed and fulfill their oath of office to protect the unborn because even unplanned life is still life.

Schedule an event or learn more about your Constitution with Jake MacAulay and the Institute on the Constitution and receive your free gift.

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Unplanned, Captain Marvel, and the State of the American Church

April 20, 2019 By  Dr. Michael Brown

 

I’m thrilled to hear about the great impact that Unplanned is already having. It has exceeded box office expectations and, more importantly, the movie is changing many lives. How wonderful to hear of Planned Parenthood workers who are resigning after seeing it. At the same time, we can be reasonably sure that many more American Christians saw Captain Marvel than Unplanned. Why? It’s because we’d rather be entertained.

Let’s focus on just one segment of the professing Christian population of America, those who identify as evangelical or born-again, amounting to roughly 40 percent of the populace.

Even if we cut that number in half (which is quite drastic), that would still be 20 percent of the nation, meaning 1 in every 5 people.

Now, let’s look at the box office totals for Captain Marvel and Unplanned.

The former has grossed about $386 million so far, the latter about $16 million, meaning that Captain Marvel has out-earned Unplanned by about 24 to 1.

You do the math. You tell me what movie Christians were flocking to see. The answer is obvious.

To be clear, I’m not criticizing someone for seeing Captain Marvel. I haven’t seen it myself, so I don’t know what’s in the movie. And I have no problem with believers enjoying some clean entertainment (again, I have no idea where Captain Marvel fits in that spectrum).

What I do know is this: Most American Christians are so apathetic about abortion that we can’t even take the time to see a powerful, even watershed, pro-life movie. Think about that for a moment, and let the weight of reality sink in.

It’s one thing to share the gospel in front of an abortion clinic. Or to adopt a child destined for abortion. Or to volunteer time to serve at a pro-life pregnancy center. Or to make a sacrificial donation to the pro-life cause. Not every Christian can (or will) do this.

But to see a movie? We can’t even do that? No wonder Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land.

Over 50 years ago, Scottish evangelist James Alexander Stewart addressed the superficial state of the church in the West. Of our public gatherings, he wrote, “The atmosphere of these meetings is so much like Hollywood that one might almost expect some comedian or film star to rush on the platform.” (Remember: He wrote this more than 50 years ago.)

He said:

I refuse to entertain sinners on their way to hell. . . . I want to preach every time as though it were my last chance. I do not want souls to curse my name in the lake of fire and say, “Yes, I went to such-and-such a Gospel meeting, but that preacher Stewart only entertained and joked. He made Christianity a farce!”

The old-fashioned method of evangelism was to make people weep, but the modern “Hollywood” way is to make people laugh. Everybody has to have a jolly good time. . . . We must have plenty of jokes or it would not be a good meeting. That is why there is such a woeful lack of conviction of sin in modern evangelism. The Holy Spirit cannot work in a frivolous atmosphere.

Here is a solemn truth that very few of God’s people seem to see: Everything depends on the atmosphere of the meeting. . . . For example, if you were saved in a jazzy sort of atmosphere, light and frivolous, with the song leader more like a clown and the preacher merely glorifying himself and using fleshly effort, you will also turn out to be a jazzy frivolous Christian with no depth in your spiritual life.

Does that not speak to the state of the church in America today? We would rather be coddled than convicted, entertained than exhorted, babied rather than burdened.

The famous missionary C. T. Studd also addressed the phenomenon of spineless, superficial Christianity in his little classic, “Chocolate Soldier.”

He wrote:

EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN IS A SOLDIER—of Christ—a hero “par excellence!” Braver than the bravest—scorning the soft seductions of peace and her oft-repeated warnings against hardship, disease, danger, and death, whom he counts among his bosom friends.

THE OTHERWISE CHRISTIAN IS A CHOCOLATE CHRISTIAN! Dissolving in water and melting at the smell of fire. “Sweeties” they are! Bonbons, lollipops! Living their lives on a glass dish or in a cardboard box, each clad in his soft clothing, a little frilled white paper to preserve his dear little delicate constitution.

And then this biting poem:

“I must be carried to the skies
On a flowery bed of ease,
Let others fight to win the prize,
Or sail thro’ bloody seas.

Mark time, Christian heroes,
Never go to war;
Stop and mind the babies
Playing on the floor.

Wash and dress and feed them
Forty times a week.
Till they’re roly poly—
Puddings so to speak.

Chorus:
Round and round the nursery
Let us ambulate,
Sugar and spice and all that’s nice
Must be on our slate.”

The good news is that, “GOD NEVER WAS A CHOCOLATE MANUFACTURER, AND NEVER WILL BE. God’s men [and women] are always heroes. In Scripture you can trace their giant foot-tracks down the sands of time.”

May that same spirit of heroism and valor rise up in the church of America today.

Or, if that’s too much to ask, how about a spirit of decency – enough to get us off our couches to see a life-changing, redemptive movie about the slaughter of the unborn on our watch.

Is that too much to ask?

Original here

 

VIDEO Unseen undercover abortion videos to go public

2-week hearing set for reporters who revealed baby-body-parts-for-sale scheme
April 21, 2019 by Bob Unruh

 

(Image courtesy Pixabay)

An undercover-video investigation that exposed the abortion industry’s sale of body parts of unborn babies will be the focus of a two-week preliminary hearing in a California court.

The case centers on the conflict between the First Amendment-based right of reporters to video people in public places and California’s privacy laws.

California brought the complaint against David Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress, who released more than a dozen videos in 2015 capturing Planned Parenthood executives and others negotiating for higher prices for body parts.

The videos, which are still available online, prompted some states to pull funding for abortionists and adopt new rules. The U.S. House and Senate investigated and sent referrals for criminal investigation to the Department of Justice.

But the abortionists responded with civil lawsuits against Daleiden and his organization. And they convinced pro-abortion Attorney General Xavier Becerra in California to pursue state privacy violation charges.

The Thomas More Society on Friday it will have lawyers in court Monday for the two-week preliminary hearing on “non-consensual eavesdropping and conspiracy” charges.

California Superior Court Judge Christopher Hite will decide whether Becerra, whose political campaigns have been subsidized by abortionists, can present enough evidence to require Daleiden and associate Sandra Merritt to defend themselves against 15 felony counts at a full-dress jury trial later this year.

“This hearing will mark the first time that the anonymous abortion industry witnesses who complained that they were illegally videotaped will present sworn testimony in court. It will also be the first time that excerpts of the videos – capturing alleged involvement in illegal fetal tissue sales as well as the commission of violent felony crimes against human beings – will be shown in open court,” Thomas More said.

The reference is to videos obtained at a National Abortion Federal meeting that have been suppressed by a federal judge with his own links to Planned Parenthood.

WND reported in January on plans to depose abortion industry executives as part of the case.

The Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, another legal organization defending the undercover reporters’ work, said Planned Parenthood executive Mary Gatter, who famously said wanted a Lamborghini, will be among the people deposed.

“Backed up by legions of attorneys from two national law firms, Planned Parenthood is spending millions of dollars to destroy a young man who exposed fetal tissue trafficking in the abortion industry,” Charles LiMandri, FCDF’s chief counsel, said earlier. “We have no doubt that officials’ testimonies will shed a light on Planned Parenthood’s illegal operations.”

Here are two of the videos released by CMP:

One of the videos that has been suppressed by Judge William Orrick includes more details about the industry.

It was available only briefly online.

However, transcripts of comments by abortion executives have been preserved.

Lisa Harris, medical director for Planned Parenthood of Michigan: “Our stories don’t really have a place in a lot of pro-choice discourse and rhetoric, right? The heads that get stuck that we can’t get out. The hemorrhages that we manage.”

Susan Robinson of Planned Parenthood of Mar Monte in San Jose, California: “The fetus is a tough little object and taking it apart, I mean taking it apart, on day one is very difficult.’

Talcott Camp, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Health Freedom Project: “I’m like oh my god! I get it! When the skull is broken, that’s really sharp. I get it, I understand why people are talking about getting that skull out, that calvarium.”

Deborah Nucatola, senior director of medical services at Planned Parenthood Federation of America: “You know, sometimes she’ll tell me she wants brain, and we’ll, you know, leave the calvarium in ’til last, and then try to basically take it, or actually, you know, catch everything, and even keep it separate from the rest of the tissue so it doesn’t get lost.”

Uta Landy, founder of the Consortium of Abortion providers for Planned Parenthood: “An eyeball just fell down into my lap, and that is gross.”

Her comment was followed by raucous laughter from the abortionists at the meeting of the National Abortion Federation.

In December 2015, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives referred the Planned Parenthood Federation of American and six regional affiliates to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation.

Operation Rescue noted little attention was given to the issue under President Obama, but after Donald Trump moved into office, the investigations “appeared to show signs of life.”

See a CMP video about Planned Parenthood skirting federal law:

The “Lamborghini” executive:

Paying attention to who’s in the room when infants are born alive:

Altering abortion procedures:

Selling body parts a “valid exchange”:

https://www.wnd.com/2019/04/unseen-undercover-abortion-videos-to-go-public/

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VIDEO 50% drop in abortion traffic follows ‘Unplanned’

Early reports from impact of hit pro-life movie

April 18, 2019  by BOB UNRUH

 

Image courtesy 40 Days for Life

Don’t expect this statistic to appear in Planned Parenthood’s next report to Congress when it seeks more taxpayer money.

At one clinic, following the release of the hit movie “Unplanned,” abortion traffic dropped by half.

At another, it was down 25 percent.

Those are just two of the early reports of the impact of the movie, according to Shawn Carney, the president and CEO of 40 Days for Life.

The organization has conducted 40-day prayer vigils in 816 cities in 56 countries around the globe. They set up volunteers – 1 million so far in a decade – to pray around the clock for 40 days.

Their objective is to save babies, help hurting mothers and help abortion-industry employees move to other jobs.

The movie tells the dramatic true story of a Planned Parenthood clinic manager, Abby Johnson, who quits and becomes a pro-life activist after assisting in an abortion.

When Johnson quit, she immediately went to Carney at his organization’s headquarters across from the Planned Parenthood she managed in Bryan, Texas.

Carney told WND in an interview that he and Johnson had known each other for years, both having attended Texas A&M University. When she started working at Planned Parenthood, he started with 40 Days for Life.

He recalls the day that Johnson, “distraught, completely broken,” walked into his office.

He said he was worried about her future after having turned her back on the abortion industry’s biggest player.

Carney said that with the release of “Unplanned,” participation in the prayer vigils has surged 30 percent.

“It’s just been a wave of enthusiasm,” he said. “People are actually going out and peacefully praying.”

He said volunteers are at Planned Parenthood clinics daily. He’s still assessing all the reports, but one clinic’s traffic was down 50 percent since the movie came out. Another down one quarter.

“Absolutely fantastic,” he said.

He said Johnson is the 26th of 186 abortion workers who have fled the industry since 40 Days began its work.

He praised the movie makers.

“Their boldness in showing pro-life activism in a positive light really took a lot of courage,” he said.

Image courtesy 40 Days for Life

The movie, he said, already is in 56 countries, and he’s anticipating the international impact.

Most people, he said, don’t realize that there have been 61 million babies lost to abortion in America alone since the Supreme Court created that right in 1973.

He said the best way to defund Planned Parenthood is to stand outside and pray that God will keep women away.

No customers means no income, and even Planned Parenthood, with its government subsidies annually, needs income, he said.

See the “Unplanned” trailer:

Last week, WND reported Google categorized the movie as “propaganda.”

Who knew that “propaganda” was a movie genre? @Google once again exposing its gross political bias. @UnplannedMovie pic.twitter.com/jOh6TlqQ7C

— Kelsey Bolar (Harkness) (@kelseybolar) April 11, 2019

Kelsey Bolar took a screenshot of Google’s designation, “Drama/Propaganda,” and posted it on Twitter.

“Who knew that ‘propaganda’ was a movie genre? @Google once again exposing its gross political bias,” Bolar wrote.

A Twitter user noted Google “fixed” the propaganda label after 12 hours.

But a blogger for the Twitter news-aggregator Twitchy said, “We’re not really sure they ‘fixed’ anything … fixing it would also be an apology but we suppose this is a start.

 

Image courtesy 40 Days for Life

“The next time someone accuses you of wearing tinfoil when you point out how politically biased against Conservatives Silicon Valley is send them this story,” said Twitchy. “… It’s hard to deny your bias when you all but create a new movie genre for a movie about Planned Parenthood so people who search it might not take the movie seriously.”

WND reported “Unplanned” has succeeded despite considerable opposition. Over its opening weekend, for example, Twitter had an “error” that shut down the movie’s account and deleted 50,000 followers.

The movie also was given an “R” rating despite no nudity or violence. And networks refused to sell time and space for advertising. A company even prevented the movie from using a piece of music because of the topic.

Actress Robia Scott talked about her role in the movie:

And Matthew West created a music video for “Unplanned”:

Fox News reported Johnson now has a ministry called And Then There Were None that helps abortion workers get new jobs.

Original here

 

 

Almost 100 Abortion Clinic Workers Seek to Leave Industry After Seeing Pro-Life Movie ‘Unplanned’

April 15, 2019 By  CBN News

 

Chuck Konzelman, director of the Pure Flix movie “Unplanned,” revealed to Congress this week that nearly 100 abortion clinic workers have sought to leave their jobs after seeing the pro-life film.

During his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Konzelman said 94 clinic workers have approached former Planned Parenthood executive Abby Johnson’s nonprofit, And Then There Were None, according to Pure Flix Insider.

‘Unplanned’ Movie Director Says Film Was Made ‘For Such a Time as This’

“One percent of the abortion workers in the United States, after getting one look at them being portrayed on film,” he said, “have decided to change their lives … and what they do for a living.”

The Pure Flix filmmaker was on Capitol Hill to speak on a panel regarding Twitter’s alleged censorship of “Unplanned.” On its opening weekend in late March, the social media platform temporarily suspended the film’s promotional account.

“Unplanned” chronicles Johnson’s eight-year career at Planned Parenthood and her conversion to the pro-life movement after she watched a doctor perform an abortion via ultrasound.

Ashley Bratcher, the actor who portrays Johnson in the faith-based movie, tweeted Thursday she receives messages “every single day” from people whose lives — and minds — were changed after seeing “Unplanned.”

The movie beat box-office expectations for its opening weekend, bringing in $6.1 million — more than doubling forecasted earnings.

The movie beat box-office expectations for its opening weekend, bringing in $6.1 million — more than doubling forecasted earnings.

As seen here at CBN News. Posted here with permission.

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