Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 786 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life – Wisdom Wednesday

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 786 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore our trek of interpreting life through a Biblical Worldview.

As a Christ follower, it is important to view all situations and events in life through the lens of the Bible. That is a view of the world that is aligned with what the Bible teaches us. We are exploring current issues that impact our world and society and comparing them through the lens of the Bible, instead of the lens of our society, culture, modern media, or social media.

I do not desire to tell you what to think, but teach you how to think, so that you may be able to filter current issues and events through your Biblical Worldview. I may explore opposing views and challenge you to think. You may not always agree with my view, and that is okay. I am open to any comments that you may have on the subjects that we explore.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As mentioned in Monday’s podcast, we had anticipated being in Ft. Myers, Florida with Paula’s Aunt Pauline due to her failing health, but at the last moment, we changed plans as she was able to temporarily go into a nursing home for rehab after a few days in the hospital.

We are on-call to travel there once we know when she will be released from rehab. We will need to assist in her moving to an assisted living center. Assisting family in this manner is incorporated into our Biblical Worldview that all of life is precious from conception until death. God is the author of life, and He knows every moment of our lives. As King David wrote in Psalms 1[39:13]-16,

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

A Biblical Worldview, at its core, is grounded in the fact that the Bible is God’s Word and contains all truth that God chose to reveal to us. Even with that understanding, I realize that there are many interpretations of parts of the Bible, and even the most learned Bible scholars and theologians will disagree. The last Wisdom Wednesday episode where we explored a Biblical Worldview we looked at additional aspects of Creation vs. Evolution. Which is true? Is it a blend of both?

The very core of the Creation vs. Evolution debate is centered on the argument between whether we are created by an all-loving God who made heaven and earth or are we here by random chance and circumstance. In the first scenario, every person is specifically created for a purpose that is unique to that person. In the second scenario, it is survival of the fittest where the strong survive, and the weak die off so that the human race can evolve and become better. In the case of Aunt Pauline who is 90, frail, and in poor health…Is her life any less important than a healthy young adult? What about a baby that is not yet born? Is that child less valuable than a healthy productive contributor to society?

This week marks the 45^th anniversary the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in all 50 states. Let us take time to pause and consider how we should view this decision. So our topic today is…

Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life

When most people hear the phrase Pro-Choice or Pro-Life, they equate it to whether a person is for or against aborting unborn children or at least leaving that choice up to the woman who is pregnant, but it is so much more expansive than that.

At its very core, the argument boils down to whether we, as the human race, are accountable to God or only to ourselves. Are we a creation of an intelligent designer, or a product of random chance that have evolved into superior creatures because we are more fit than millions of other organisms that have ceased to be in existence over the eons of ages?

Are we responsible and able to decide who lives and survives and who does not? Are we capable of determining when life begins and when it should end? There certainly have been many world leaders through the ages who assumed that decision making role by eliminating what they felt were inferior ethnic groups. Throughout time and even today, we fall prey to the same mentality in the form of hate towards various ethnic groups.

Your answers to these questions, and many more are based solely on your Worldview. If your Worldview is based on God’s Word, then you have to acknowledge that all life is precious and only God should determine the beginning and end of life.

So the question is, should a woman, or a man, have complete control over what they do with their bodies? Within my worldview, I strongly agree that we are responsible for what we do with our bodies, but we must live with the choices that we make. If you choose to eat too much of the wrong food, you will gain weight, and your health will suffer. If you choose to smoke, take drugs, or drink excessively, you will become addicted to those substances.

We always harvest what we plant in our lives. Because of this worldview, I can confidently say that I am both pro-choice and pro-life. Let me explain with this illustration tied to our topic today.

A woman, or a man, have a choice whether to have sex with the realization that there is always a chance, regardless of precautions that are taken, that they will end up with a pregnancy. Once you follow through with the choice to have sex, if a pregnancy is a result, then they have forfeited their right to choose whether to remain pregnant or abort their unborn child.

At that point, there is another life to consider. Because of their original choice, quite literally a seed has been planted, and the harvest that is the result is a precious new life. You are responsible for that new life. The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians 6:7-8, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”

So we can be pro-choice and pro-life but still hold to a Biblical Worldview. It is the initial choices that are made that will determine what choices we have next because there are always consequences to every choice. Some consequences may be good, while others are not, depending on our choices.

The argument that is always brought up in the pro-choice and pro-life debate is what about the cases of rape or incest. Should the mother be forced to carry a baby that was a result of a heinous and disgusting crime? While the situation is horrible, and never justified, if a new life is a result of even this tragedy we have to consider that new life.

There are thousands of families who will give almost anything to have a child through adoption. The church, which is the Body of Christ, and even our government should ensure that in this type of situation that the victim of such crimes are taken care of completely with no financial burden to them. We should welcome with open arms these victims and care for them as if they were our own children.

Not to minimize this situation at all, because it is serious, but the fact is that less than 1% of all abortions are a result of rape or incest. We need to look at the bigger picture of the sanctity of all life; we need to keep this in perspective.

What about if the mother’s life is at risk if a child is carried to term. While I cannot speak as a mother, all measures should be taken to make sure all life is preserved, both the mother and the child. If it is still inevitable, then that choice should be left to the mother, along with guidance from the immediate family, and the doctor. I know my mother stated after having ten kids that if she were ever faced with that choice, she would gladly give her life if the child’s life could be spared. There again, this situation is very rare and needs to be kept in perspective as we consider the overall sanctity of life.

There is so much more we could discuss about this hot issue, but from my Biblical worldview, I consider all life to be precious, regardless of the situation and should be preserved at all cost. I welcome your feedback, regardless of whether you agree with me or not.

Next week for Wisdom Wednesday we will continue to discuss the topic of creation and life as we consider the other end of the spectrum for those who are near the end of their life, either because of advanced age, illness, or accident. What is a Biblical Worldview in these situations? Each week we will choose hot topics that are prevalent today and explore them through a Biblical lens. If you have any topics that you would like us to cover, please email them to me at guthrie@wisdom-trek.com.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute wisdom nugget that will provide you with a bit of wisdom that, if followed will allow you to grow healthier, wealthier, and wiser each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. If you would like to listen to any of our past 785 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe to iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!