Pro-Abundant Life

A few years ago, I was thinking about how the pro-life movement needs to position itself in order to have the most impact. After all, we've been laboring for over 40 years to stem the tide of abortion in the United States, yet nearly 1 million unborn children will die from abortion this year. So in that moment, God downloaded a phrase to me that has reshaped the way I think about what it means to be pro-life and, as a result, what Care Net's mission and vision should be. And that phrase is pro-abundant life. It's inspired by John 10, 10, where Jesus says, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. So let me take a moment to explain what pro-abundant life means and how it is transforming Care Net's work and, we hope, the broader pro-life movement. Let's use the analogy of a building to envision what a pro-abundant life approach to the abortion issue looks like. Let's start with the two pillars that uphold the pro-abundant life roof. The first is God's design for the family. We see this modeled in the first chapter of the first book of the New Testament in the story of Christ's birth, which was an unplanned pregnancy from Mary and Joseph's perspective. We learn that God sent the angel Gabriel first to Mary, who had hopes and dreams for her life that did not include a child at this time and in this way. But Mary didn't let the uncertainty of what she didn't know dissuade her from saying, let it be unto me as you have said, and she chose life. But what did God do to make sure that Mary's unplanned pregnancy was not a crisis pregnancy? He sent the angel Gabriel to Joseph, who had hopes and dreams for his life that did not include a child at this time and in this way. So Joseph was a man with a plan. He was going to put Mary away quietly. But the angel gave him a new plan to be a husband to her and a father to the child growing inside of her. Joseph chose life too.

Christ was brought into the world to reflect the high idea of God's design for family. For a child to have a mother and a father united in marriage, loving each other, loving their child and loving God. Indeed, the holy family was holy family. This is a model for everyone who is facing an unplanned pregnancy and for those who seek to help them. That said, we know that every couple facing an unplanned pregnancy may not marry, but we still must help them to understand the benefits of the institution of marriage and relink motherhood, fatherhood, sex, pregnancy, and marriage consistent with God's design so that they will avoid future unplanned pregnancies. This is especially critical since 86% of the abortions are to unmarried women. Moreover, the lack of a father's support is the main reason why women choose abortion. The second pillar of our structure is discipleship. In the last chapter of Matthew, Christ gives us the great commission to make disciples. All good work that Christians do must lead to discipleship. And compassion for the pregnant is a good work, so it must also lead to discipleship. Those facing unplanned pregnancies are a mission field. So as Christians, we must never think of the abortion issue as primarily a political or material support issue, even though it has political and material support implications. You see, the first thing that should come to our mind when we see a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy is that she needs to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, as well as the child growing inside of her and the man connected to her pregnancy. And here's the thing, 1 John 3.17 reminds us that we must help those in need or the love of God is not in us. In other words, you can't make disciples without providing material support. Moreover, you can't make disciples without being involved in the political, because as disciple makers, we have to protect the vulnerable through the political process. The key, as Jesus reminded us when he was given a coin with Caesar's face on it and asked if we should pay taxes, is to make the things of God, like discipleship, the highest priority.

In summary, discipleship empowers people to reject abortion and it enables individuals to offer compassion, hope, and help to those vulnerable to abortion. This is Christ's command to us. That is why Care Net's vision, the foundation of our pro-abundant life structure, is a culture where women and men faced with pregnancy decisions are transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and empowered to choose life for their unborn children and abundant life for their families. How does this translate into how Care Net serves others? First, we are inspired by the major family to share a vision for marriage, fatherhood, motherhood, and family. Inspired by their decision to choose abundant life, we inform and inspire the modern family to do the same. Moreover, to unlock the power of discipleship in communities across the nation, we have equipped churches to start pro-abundant life ministries and to build structures. stronger bridges to their local pregnancy centers through our Making Life Disciples initiative. This will enable small groups to come alongside and support those facing unplanned pregnancies. We hope that you will join us in the pro-abundant life movement to save the unborn, build families and to make disciples for Jesus Christ. For Care Net, I'm Roland Warren.