The following is Part Two of a reflection written by CBR Project Manager Brad Martel about an encounter he had with a student at Cleveland State. Part One was sent last week and can also be viewed here. 

As Stevie neared the end of her story, I knew the answer: Stevie needed the Gospel. “God loves you,” I began. I had her full attention. Had anyone ever said this to her before? “God knows everything about you. He knows the parts that you don’t share with others and even the parts that you don’t understand yourself. And He loves you. He wants an eternal relationship with you. But there’s a problem.”

I told her how our sins separate us from God and how Jesus reconciles those who trust him. I then thanked Stevie for her time and wished her well. She left the display, found a friend nearby, and wept with her. We both experienced the power of the Gospel message.

Transgender people are especially ready to hear the good news about Jesus, for a few reasons. First, they know something is wrong. The Gospel makes clear that we all have a deeply rooted problem. We agree on this main point. It remains for Christians to explain the problem, what separates individuals from God.

Second, they are looking for a major transformation. The Gospel explains that when anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation! Christians are further exhorted to be transformed by renewing our mind, to put away the “old man.” Here again, we both agree on this main point. It remains for us to explain the healthy and truly necessary transformation.

Lastly, they want, above all, to be accepted. The Gospel assures us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, and that there is fellowship for the believer with God and man. As a church, we are members of a body. Transgender people lead difficult lives and they need the Gospel. They need the truth about their inherent dignity as people created in the image of God.

The following is Part One of a reflection written by CBR Project Manager Brad Martel about an encounter he had with a student at Cleveland State. See Part Two here.

How do you talk to college students about the transgender issue? I was still a volunteer when CBR introduced new signs tackling this topic in 2022. After much experience, I was comfortable debating abortion with students, but this was a whole new world. Though I felt tentative about the subject, I understood its necessity. It’s not as if CBR sought out another moral evil to address. No, the transgender issue found us.

At each college we visited in 2021, we encountered students advocating to normalize transgenderism. In 2022, we discovered that at least 1,130 girls under 18 years old received “top surgeries” between 2016 and 2019 in the United States. These surgeries consist of removing healthy breasts from girls who identify as boys. This child mutilation masquerading as “gender-affirming care” demands a response.

At Cleveland State University, I met “Stevie”. Based on her own experience, Stevie believed that girls, at least as young as 16, should be allowed to receive “gender transition surgery.” She shared stories of being bullied growing up, of not being allowed to use either male or female bathrooms at times, and of parents complaining to her school about their children having to be in the same room with her. Stevie attempted suicide at 17.

Stevie later underwent a double mastectomy, but she still suffers from scoliosis from the years of binding her breasts to hide them. She described many rounds of therapy and vetting before transitioning. Her life would have been less difficult, she claimed, had she been allowed to have her surgery earlier.

At this point, my sympathy for Stevie was immense. She had suffered for years from gender dysphoria and ostracism. She was convinced that her decision to transition to a “man” was the right choice for her. What do you say to such a person?

At CBR, we’re not only saving lives of preborn children from abortion. We’re also saving born children from the lies of the pro-abortion culture. And, that’s the theme of our 6th Annual Pro Life Leadership Youth Camp: Countercultural.

As in past years, we will be offering two separate weeks of camp, in two different cities!

Click here for Knoxville, TN camp details.
Click here for Columbus, GA camp details.

Both camps are $100 per person, but additional campers from the same family will be discounted to $50 each. Please pass this information to your church leadership, youth ministries, and like-minded Christian parents and friends. Seats are limited! 

We offer this life-saving training far below cost, thanks to our generous venue hosts and partners.

Help keep camp affordable for all with a special gift here!
(designation: SE-YLC Youth Leadership Camp)

By Karl Gessler

Worship is warfare. We live in a world with an active war waged for our souls. Every time we worship in spirit and truth, the world’s dark forces tremble because they know they are the losers in the war. Our worship helps make the victory of Jesus a tangible reality wherever it takes place. This is the theology of worship warfare.

Jesus has already won the war on the cross and in His resurrection, but many battles are left to be fought by God’s people. Jesus warned us, saying, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We will never win the culture war for life without the power of Jesus’ presence. So, how can we bring the presence of Jesus into the dark world of abortion mills?

In all my life, the most powerful encounters with Jesus have been connected to worship through song. While considering this truth, the Lord gave me a vision of gathering our community together for a “worship blitz” at “the gates of Hell,” as some describe it (Planned Parenthood). Half a dozen times in the last year, my friends and I gathered in large numbers to sing worship songs outside our local Planned Parenthood for two hours straight. The effect is powerful for everyone involved. The regular faithful witnesses for life are encouraged, the worshipers are encouraged by one another, and the voice of truth is multiplied in power. It is amazing to see the escort’s agitation at our singing. We aren’t pointing the finger at them. We aren’t yelling at them. We are simply singing about and to the Giver of Life at a place of death. The contrast is stark.

It is nearly impossible to measure the precise effectiveness of standing outside an abortion clinic in protest, but the signs of effectiveness are there. Many of the regular pro-life witnesses tell us that their experience is so much better when we come to worship. We also know from insider’s testimony that the presence of God’s people praying outside Planned Parenthood is a statistical effect on their business. THEY know prayer makes a difference. Worship is prayer with a soundtrack and a megaphone.

Karl Gessler is a long-time CBR volunteer and supporter. He lives with his wife and children in western North Carolina. 

“It never occurred to me to be against using the pictures. It was just the most natural intuitive thing. Of course, this is happening, this is real, and this is something we’re outraged by, why wouldn’t we want to shout it from the rooftops? Why wouldn’t we want everyone to see what goes on behind closed doors?”

That’s just a snippet of what you’ll hear from our very own Lincoln Brandenburg on The Pro-Life Guys Podcast. Lincoln was recently interviewed by Cameron Côté, Western Outreach Director of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and co-host of The Pro-Life Guys Podcast. Lincoln talks about how he first was convicted to action, some encounters he’s had during activism, and finally encourages men to step up and defend life without shame.

Check it out on your favorite podcast app, or through the link here: HPLM 16: Lincoln Brandenburg – The Pro-Life Guys Podcast (prolifeguys.com)

Annie Whaley, our youngest 2020 Summer Intern, had been apprehensive about talking to strangers about abortion. Thanks to the training and mentoring she received, Annie was able to overcome that fear. She shared, “Doing [pro-life] activism is something I wanted to do, but I never really pictured myself doing it. But it pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me realize it’s not about me…it’s about sharing the truth.”

To hear more about Annie’s powerful experience as a CBR Intern, check out the video below.

We’re still accepting applications for our 2021 Internship, until February 28th! (The internship runs from May 17 to August 6 in Knoxville, Tennessee.) For more information and to submit an application, click here.

Already active in the pro-life movement, Britt Huddleston was a little skeptical that using abortion victim images would really make that much of a difference. Looking back, she said “I was definitely converted that first time we did activism…It got to the heart of the issue…You can’t deny the reality of abortion, that it’s killing a person, when you’re sitting there looking at it.”

To hear more about Britt’s powerful experience as a CBR Intern, check out the video below.

We’re still accepting applications for our 2021 Internship, until February 28th! (The internship runs from May 17 to August 6 in Knoxville, Tennessee.) For more information and to submit an application, click here.

Heidi Whaley had always been pro-life, but thought of abortion as a “distant problem” for which she had no personal responsibility. During CBR’s Summer Intern Program, Heidi’s view changed. “Through this experience, I’ve come to view abortion for what it really is: a bloody, ghastly war. I haven’t been asked to help fight in this war, I’ve been called by God.”

To hear more about Heidi’s powerful experience as a CBR Intern, check out the video below.

We’re still accepting applications for our 2021 Internship, until February 28th! (The internship runs from May 17 to August 6 in Knoxville, Tennessee.) For more information and to submit an application, click here.

When asked what she would say to fellow pro-life Christians, 2020 Intern Maggie Groover had this to say: “Why are you being silent? We know that this is going on. It’s not a secret. How can you ignore this any longer? It’s our responsibility to stand up.” 

To hear more about Maggie’s powerful experience as a CBR Intern, check out the video below. 

We are still accepting applications for our 2021 Internship, until February 28th! (The internship runs from May 17 to August 6 in Knoxville, Tennessee.) For more information and to submit an application, click here.

A CBR volunteer answers a student’s questions about Christianity and graphic images.

It seems Campbell University has strayed further from its Christian roots than we initially thought. One CBR volunteer adequately summarized the harsh reality of our time there, ” I felt like I spent more time defending the Gospel than I did defending babies.”

If she could, she’d ask not to be killed. CBR Staffer Joanna was left bewildered by one student’s questions: “Is the baby saying ‘don’t kill me? Are they asking not to be killed?” Common sense tells us, that a tiny baby in the womb is not talking, but a violent death would certainly be something she would not want.

Sarcasm fail. “God!! Go away!! I’m on my way to get an abortion!” We were left saddened by the woman’s callous remarks, and earnestly prayed that her words were nothing more than an insensitive attempt at humor.

Looking forward to Hell?  Sarah proudly proclaimed, “I am an atheist. I plan to be in hell after I die. I am looking forward to it. I don’t care much for my life.” She “danced” with CBR Staffer Jane Bullington as she attempted to cover up our photographs with her jacket.

Christian college hides pro-life support.  A jogger stopped to encourage us: “We have 10 children. Thanks for what you are doing. There is a lot of support on campus but the school is trying to keep that under cover.”

Shocking reality on Christian campuses.  A female student boldly admitted: “There is no intention to lead people to the Lord here. There are so many non-believers, yet our classes either ignore faith or teach heresy. I complained about the “Overview to Christianity” curriculum to the professor and she said to take it up with the administration. In my 5 classes this semester, I bet 70% are lost.”

Despite the information age, ignorance still exists.  At a very minimum, showing college students the reality of abortion silences those who deny that it is an act of violence. A young man audaciously claimed that, “All abortions are done by C-section; no baby is ripped apart,” all whilst standing in front of our photos.

Lee U student learns that God is appalled when we do nothing about injustice.

“We are almost all pro-life…” said a Lee University student who opposed our March 2019 visit.  If that is true, then why are “almost all” Lee students, alumni, administrators, and faculty—and their churches—doing almost nothing to end abortion? 

Unfortunately, almost doesn’t count when innocent babies are being slaughtered by Christians and non-Christians alike.  Many students and faculty at Lee University had never seen abortion until we showed it to them.

Shocking warning.  As soon as we set up the first day, Isaac approached us and said, “This university is getting more liberal and students won’t want to see these.  Abortion is being ‘normalized’ and they think it is a clean procedure that should be allowed.”  God was using this student to confirm we had gone to the right place.

Encouragement is always welcome.  A young woman told us, “I appreciate you guys devoting your time to this great cause.”  And another said, “These pictures are graphic, but I think they’re saying what they need to say.”  Indeed.

A God moment.  Three angry girls were badgering CBR staffer Joanna Keilson with questions, barely letting her answer and repeatedly claiming our images were harming children.  While they were still ranting, a family walked up: a father carrying a toddler, a pregnant mother, and a 6-year-old child.  The father took his children over to the sign, pointed, and said to the oldest, “See, that’s the doctor’s hand.  He’s holding a small baby that was aborted.”  He went on to explain what that meant and why it’s wrong.  

You don’t represent us.  A group of ministry school students came out against us, claiming that they represented the ministry school.  Several other ministry students came to support us and told the others, “You don’t represent us; we’re pro-life.” 

Shocking fear.  Two of the ministry students who supported us were saddened by the negative reactions of their fellow students.  One of their professors encouraged them, but was afraid to join us himself, for fear he might get fired.  Think about that.  A professor at a Christian university is afraid of being fired for standing against child sacrifice.  He told his students, “The abolitionists used these same methods. These students just don’t like it because it’s the one injustice they don’t want to deal with.”

Despite opposition, many students are receptive to the Revival Project message at Lee University.

The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR) is refocusing its outreach to the Church, which will now be known as our “Revival Project.”  We’ve taken our pro-life message to Christian audiences for many years, but calling it the “Revival Project” is new.  Here’s why.

The Church’s prayer: revival.  For some time now, Christian leaders have prayed for revival in the Church and in our land.  We don’t doubt their sincerity, but they ignore the principle that God will never bring revival as long as Christians, leaders and lay alike, stand by and do nearly nothing about abortion.  Christians are both complicit with and complacent about child sacrifice in America, even when church members sacrifice their own children.

The Church’s position: cruel indifference.  Church members are killing children who could be saved if Christian leaders would (1) stop helping Planned Parenthood cover up the truth and simply open the curtain to let everyone see what abortion is and does, (2) exhort Christians to forsake killing their own children and grandchildren, (3) help Christians be a public witness against child sacrifice, and (4) offer hope and healing to abortion-wounded hearts.  The overwhelming majority of our “pro-life” churches refuse to take even these basic steps.

Challenging students and passersby alike in front of Catholic University of America.

The Lord’s apparent response: “Request denied.”  We want revival without repentance, the crown without taking up the cross.  We pray for revival, but how can God permit revival when there is complacency about the bloodshed of our neighbors and even bloodshed within the Church?  God says in Isaiah 59:2-3:

[B]ut your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.  For your hands are defiled with blood . . .

God says in Isaiah 1: 15-17:

When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.  Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

In these and many other places in the Bible, God says, in effect, that our petitions to Him are offensive as long as we fail to seek justice, correct oppression, protect the fatherless and widow, etc.

A question for the Church:  Who is more of an orphan than a child being abandoned by his own parents to be decapitated and dismembered?  And who is more of a widow than a woman being threatened with abandonment if she will not consent to the extermination of her own child?

In light of God’s Word, it is difficult to imagine that He will grant revival as long as the Church turns a blind eye to child sacrifice.  Over and over again in Scripture, God rebukes and calls to repentance, not the world, but His own people (e.g., Ezekiel 36:18-23, Revelation 3:15-17,19, and Romans 2:24).

Signs visible to pedestrians and vehicular traffic alike at Liberty University.  By standing on a busy sidewalk, we reached many thousand students.

Purpose of CBR’s Revival Project.  Our purpose is to confront complicity and complacency in the Church.  We use horrifying photos, because without them, most people cannot understand how evil abortion truly is.  Nor can they understand how their indifference must grieve the heart of God.

Our signs exhort Christians to forsake killing and take a public stand against child sacrifice.  Our presence models one way Christians can be a public witness.  One sign offers hope and help to parents in crisis and offers healing to abortion-wounded hearts.  You may view all of the Revival Project signs below.

Revival Project signs.  Each Revival Project sign is a 5 x 10-ft image printed on two 5 x 5-ft panels.  Most depict a photo of abortion or living embryo, along with a Scripture verse that explains God’s view on child sacrifice and our responsibility to stand against it.  Depending on conditions, a volunteer can hold one or two of the panels.

Revival Project at entrance of Regent University, reaching arriving students and staff, as well as travelers along a busy thoroughfare.

Revival Project venues.  Christian leaders, for the most part, are not receptive to this message, so we display our signs on the sidewalks and other public spaces immediately adjacent to their concerts, conventions, seminaries, and schools.  In doing so, we find Christians who will see the difficult truth and hear God’s heart for “the least of these.”  God sent Jeremiah to the gate of the Lord’s house to call His people to repent of their sin, including child sacrifice (Jeremiah 7).

The response from “pro-life” Christians.  At Liberty University, Lee University, Catholic University of America, and Regent University, we were denounced by faculty and students alike.  Harvest Crusade organizers (Anaheim, California) threatened their own attendees, stating that they would not be admitted to the arena if they hold one of our brochures.  Members of Crossroads Community Church, a megachurch in Vancouver, Washington, used vinyl banners to block our prenatal development photos.  This is reminiscent of the pagans in Ireland who also blocked our prenatal photos.  Apparently, pro-life advocacy of any kind is offensive to many Christian leaders.

Why would “pro-life” Christians oppose us for exposing the deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11)?  Why did so many churches fail to address historical injustices such as slavery, racism, and Nazism?  Here’s why.  It is bad for business.  Controversy doesn’t fund-raise well.  It’s easier to give a token response and turn to more profitable pursuits.

Will you invest your time and treasure?  Please pray that Christians will repent of sacrificing children on the altar of self and instead sacrifice themselves for the sake of others, as Jesus has done for us.  We will expose injustice as long as God enables.  Please invest your time and treasure in this crucial work, to be a voice for those who have none.

Revival Project Signs

For display only at Liberty University:

“The deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery…” Gal. 5:19-20a “… because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.” Rev. 18:11

On Day 2 at Western Kentucky University, a female student set up her own table near the GAP display. She was wearing a black robe; she had black hair, black nail polish, black lipstick, and red contact lenses. She set out a good bit of witchcraft paraphernalia on her table and began to cast spells over us. Debbie and CBR volunteer Laurice Baddour began to pray, asking God to keep the GAP team and the campus community protected; they prayed fervently against the kingdom of darkness. Laurice describes what happened next:

I asked for prayer, then I walked over to the table, introduced myself, shared my faith, and asked her and her two friends some questions about their spiritual lives. They were incredibly open — the two with her were atheists. I began to share the great power and love of God for them, but that their sin is separating them from Him, yet He is calling them to repentance and a relationship with Him. I shared the gospel three times with them, each time going deeper.

Amazingly, this lengthy conversation about salvation with a witch and two atheists was one of the most peaceful I have ever had! I had expected great trouble, but instead experienced engagement at such a deep, meaningful level, with no interruptions. Their hearts were so open to listen! I knew that God was doing a great work, and that team members were praying for us. I urged the students to respond to God, made myself available to talk again anytime that afternoon, and hugged them all before leaving their table.

Are you a Christian leader? Are you really sure that abortion is just a political issue? The witches don’t think so. Abortion is a battle of good and evil. Souls are at stake. GAP is not only an opportunity to save lives and fight the culture of death, it is an opportunity to share the Gospel with those who need it most.

CBRs John Stair reaches out to witch at WKU.

by Jacqueline Hawkins

At UNC Greensboro, a young woman told Deeper Still and GAP volunteer Debbie Picarello that she was a Christian who believed God gave her a “choice.”  In her mind, God was fine with whatever she wanted to do with her own body, even if it meant destroying her baby’s body.

She was failing the “choice” test, the test of life and death.

Debbie pulled out the ultimate life “cheat sheet,” the Bible.  This is pretty good: In the most important test we will ever take, the test of life and death, God gave us the answers!  Debbie showed her the answers she needed to know:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.”  (Psalm 139:13,14)

In other words, God made us.  He put us together Himself.

“For you are bought with a great price.  Glorify and bear God in your body.”  (1 Cor 6:20.)

Our bodies are not our own; they belong to God.  This is especially true for Christians purchased by the Blood of the Lamb.

“Consider that I have set before thee this day life and good, and on the other hand death and evil …  I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing.  Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”  (Duet 30:15;19)

The choice should be clear.

This was not what the young woman wanted to hear.  She told Debbie she felt judged.  Debbie assured her that she was not judging her, but was giving her the Word of the very God she claimed to worship.  Her belief, that she could do whatever she wanted with her own body and the body of her child, was wrong.  Her assertions directly contradicted the Bible.

It was indeed her choice to follow the Bible or not.  But it was clear how God saw our choices.  There are right choices and wrong choices.  As followers of Christ, our choices are intended to be conformed to His likeness so that the whole world can know him.  Pro-abortion Christians aren’t just dangerous for themselves and their children; they are dangerous for everyone on the planet.

God gives us the answers to the test, so that we can correct our course and pass with flying colors.

Understanding what Debbie was saying, the young woman shook Debbie’s hand and thanked her for speaking with her.

This is so important.  Our most important outreach is not to the pagan world; we are taking truth to confused Christians led astray by complacent church leaders who work harder than Planned Parenthood to cover up the truth.  Over and over again, your support is the difference between life and death.  When you support CBR, you choose life.

Jackie Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and regular FAB contributor.

The following speech was delivered by CBR’s Georgia Project Director, Lincoln Brandenburg, at the 2016 March for Life in Columbus, Georgia. 

What is the goal of the pro-life movement? Jason Jones, the co-producer of the pro-life film “Bella” recently wrote a dynamite article called “The Pro-Life Art of War.” In it, he asks us to:

“Imagine if same-sex marriage were prohibited nationwide, and legal protections for homosexuals consistently struck down or defeated—while sodomy laws were re-imposed and enforced, with billions of dollars in funding from Congress. How effective would you consider the gay rights movement? If the Second Amendment were reduced to a hollow, meaningless shell, and Americans’ guns—even hunting and target rifles—were all confiscated by the feds, what would we think of the gun lobby? If the U.S. abandoned Israel to its fate, and starting sending aid and arms to Hezbollah and Hamas, what would we say of the Israel lobby? Fix each of those scenarios in mind, and let’s ask the question: What should we think of the pro-life movement? The answer is tragically clear: For all the minds and hearts it has changed, it is a comprehensive political failure. American abortion laws are among the laxest on planet Earth…”

Such thinking doesn’t exactly bring out the sunshine on a cloudy day like this, does it? And yet, when you consider the success of the aforementioned movements, contrasted to where we are after 43 years of legalized child killing, one cannot deny that Jones is on to something. In terms of public policy, we really have very little to show for decades of efforts.

Our goal must be to win. We can save a life here and there, but winning is the only way that the killing stops. But we have become entirely too timid to win. Most in our movement are Christians. And it is so ingrained in us to be loving, selfless and nice that we don’t know how to stand firmly and boldly against the evil of child sacrifice. We don’t even have a category for that in our thinking. We know how to be gentle as doves, but we don’t’ know how to be wise as serpents.

I would like to submit that being Christlike – loving, sacrificial and gentle – does not exclude us from also standing boldly against evil. Failure to do so is itself is unloving.

In the introduction to the book “The Bravehearted Gospel,” Pastor Ben Davenport writes:

“The historical Jesus was not crucified because God so loved the world. No! The only begotten of the Father was fastened with iron nails to an unforgiving cross because He spoke the truth with authority and glistened with the light of Heaven and men loved darkness rather than light…

“If Jesus, who was perfect, who never sinned, and who was love incarnate, could not speak the truth without being hated, rejected, and despised, who are we to think that we can do better? Who are we to think that we have figured out a more ‘loving and ‘relevant’ way to present the truth in a more ‘seeker-friendly’ manner than Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

“We have wholeheartedly embraced the sentimental, watercolor Jesus that seems to spend most of His time holding lambs and patting children on the head with some faraway, glazed-over, dreamy look in His eye. And we tend to shy away from, or altogether ignore, that man who spoke the truth of God so boldly that conspiracies were hatched, witnesses were bribed, and politicians were entreated to bring about His painful and public execution.”

This is the side of being Christlike that we are afraid of.

Now does this mean that we shun and condemn women and men who have been involved in an abortion? Does this mean that we scream at people outside of clinics? Of course not! I too have sinned. Were it not for the grace of God, I would still be blinded to sin. From one human to another, I can assure you that God is eager to forgive and to free from bondage to sin, including abortion. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.” If you view such people as the enemy, maybe you need to spend some time with God looking in the mirror first.

This is not a call to become one-dimensional. We have all seen people who became so enamored in a cause that they became cynical and abrasive. They develop tunnel-vision and lose their tenderness towards others, their winsomeness and their clairvoyance. That also is not what God calls us to.

But for the majority of us, that’s not the temptation we face, is it? Our temptation is to be silent and passive. Our temptation is to be content with having a political or theological stance, but not taking sacrificial action. We’re comfortable having our bible studies with people who are like ourselves; talking about “discipleship” and “worship,” and being really, really nice people… but doing nothing about the babies being decapitated and dismembered down the street from us.

After WWII, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s best friend, Eberhart Bethge, wrote about the weakness of the Confessing Church in Germany during the war. These were not the liberalized, Nazi-pandering churches, but the Bible-believing ones that still held to orthodox theology. He observed that “it became clear where the problem lay for the Confessing Church: we were resisting by way of confession, but we were not confessing by way of resistance.”

Taking a cognitive stance is not enough. The love of God compels us to act. If we will not take a bold stand against the evil of modern child sacrifice, when WILL we finally stand up? What else would it take?

Yes, it is uncomfortable. Yes, we will get flack for it. We will be mischaracterized and called names. At my church we’ve been studying the sermon on the mount in Matthew’s gospel. In chapter 5, Jesus says: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” That should put steel in our spines!

“A servant is not greater than his master;” like Jesus, we should not be surprised when we get flak for speaking the truth in a culture that loves lies. When my colleagues and I engage in activism, we don’t yell at people. We don’t call names. We show the truth of what abortion is and attempt to engage in respectful dialogue. People yell at us. They throw things at us. They call us names. But God uses the prophetic message to convict consciences, change minds, and to save lives and souls. And each one of those precious lives and souls is worth it.

Imagine a day when killing preborn children is a thing of the past. We are continuing to support pregnancy resource centers, such as Sound Choices and Seneca, Choices for Life), not because it’s the pro-life thing to do – but because it’s just the Christian charitable thing to do. No other reason. Imagine us getting together like this, not to march for life, but to celebrate the precious lives that are no longer in danger. Imagine standing before the God who purposefully placed you in this time and place of history, and hearing the words “well done, good and faithful servant!”

With that dream in mind, go forward courageously and boldly. Connect with others who are engaging the culture. Let’s stay humble, stay winsome. But let’s also refuse to take no for an answer. Let’s refuse to let up. Let’s stop playing nice.

Submitted by Lincoln Brandenburg