An Abolitionist Exhortation to Abolitionists
From the early English slavery abolitionists of the Clapham Sect, to the American slavery abolitionists, to the modern abolitionist movement, abolitionists have pointed to the Kingdom of God as our primary concern.
Historical abolitionists certainly focused on slavery, but they did not focus on it to the exclusion of other causes. They spent time and effort fighting for other causes. Sometimes it was the fight for early feminism while other times it was fighting against the xenophobia of anti-immigrant hate. They cared about and fought for other causes not because they didn’t care about slavery, but because what drove them (care for the Gospel of the Kingdom) also drove them to care about other social evils.
No cause is greater than our allegiance to Christ and one way we show this is by being Kingdom driven instead of cause driven. The same power and the same spirit that drives us to care about the abolition of abortion should drive us to care about the dehumanization of other Image Bearers of God.
Abolitionist brothers and sisters, the gospel is the answer to racism and tyrannical police action just the same as the gospel is the answer to abortion. We should not halt our anti-abortion cause, but the gospel does not need an abortion-centric application at all times and in all places. The gospel is applicable to all manner of injustice and should applied consistently regardless if the focus is abortion or not.
You are not compromising if you stand next to others, even others who may be politically different from you, in order to fight for the life and dignity of black Image Bearers. Standing next to a person isn’t the same thing as partnering with them in ministry. You are not compromising if you apply what you know of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the dignity of life, and justice and mercy to this particular social evil.
The first Christian ministers and activists historically known as abolitionists fought for their black brothers and sisters. They fought for all blacks who were dehumanized. They fought against tyranny whether it was in DC, Richmond, or a plantation. The symbol of the abolitionist movement wasn’t an image of a group of diverse people reading “aren’t we all men and brothers” but rather an image of a black man reading “am I not a man and brother.” That is our heritage. It is not only okay, but sometimes necessary to revisit our history and again fight for the dignity of our brothers and sisters. Because he IS a man. And she IS a woman. And they are our brother and sister. Still.
These abolitionists of the past were called “Jacobins” and “atheists” by the religious elite and even the leaders of compromised moderate anti-slavery societies. Jacobins of that day were the far left anti-royalists of the French Revolution. In that day, to be called a “Jacobin” was like being called a “SJW” or a “Marxist.” Pay attention to this dynamic. Every age has its injustices, every age has its abolitionists, and every age has its religious leaders that will call fighting for justice “Marxist” or some other pejorative.
Today, abortion abolitionists have an opportunity to show that they are Kingdom focused instead of abortion focused. Today, God fearing and gospel preaching abolitionists have the opportunity to show the world that when we say that “it’s not about abortion, it’s about the Gospel” that we mean it. Today, abortion abolitionists have an opportunity to reach back to our anti-racist roots and again affirm the Image of God in our black neighbors. Today, those who chant “defy tyrants” have an opportunity to fight against widespread systemic tyranny.
Today is not the day to purposely incite the wrath of rightfully emotional protesters. Today is not the day to do your best to “stick it to the libs” so you can have some rowdy GoPro footage to post to your Facebook wall. Today is not the day to make it about yourself. Today is not the day to make it all about abortion. Today is not the day to co-opt a righteous message and make it about another righteous message.
Today, if you decide to not be driven by our righteous anti-abortion cause and you instead, for a time or for the duration of a particular event, chose to apply the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the dehumanization of black people and the statist tyranny of police brutality, you may be called a Marxist, a liberal, or a leftist. You will be in good company. Like our historical brothers and sisters of slavery abolitionism, you will be slandered by Church leaders and you will be slandered by even other anti-abortion leaders. Some who may even call themselves abolitionist.
Church, we have an opportunity to display to the world what we have been saying for several years. Abolitionism is about serving a King, not a cause.
“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
1 Corinthians 9:19-23