Questions
How might Christians respond to the Dobbs v. Jackson decision?
Summary: Christians are right to rejoice that federal policy has moved closer to alignment with God’s established order regarding abortion, but they must resist treating political victory as ultimately important. The primary goal is not to convert people to a pro-life position but to see them proclaim “Jesus is Lord,” and Christians should remember that opponents see the world differently through a different—or absent—faith. Compassion toward opponents and clarity about the gospel’s supremacy over politics must shape the Christian response.
Christians are right to rejoice because our federal government has acted in ways that align our country’s policies regarding abortion more closely with God’s established order. That said, political victories, as important as they are, are not ultimately important, nor does this particular political “win” (a) solve the problem of abortion completely or (b) address the challenges facing those who have unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. As such, the church would do well to recognize that in a post-Roe v. Wade world, our opportunities to provide care and support for those who see babies as a bane rather than a blessing.
We must take care not to defame those who oppose us but to remember that our primary desire is not to convert people to a pro-life perspective but to see them proclaim ‘Jesus is Lord.’ With that in mind, we need to recognize that those who do not know Christ will see the world differently than we do. They need a reorientation that rational argument and ridicule cannot always provide. Christians need to be quicker to listen, less defensive, and more compassionate toward those with whom we disagree, even as we disagree with them. We cannot surrender the truth, but we must express the truth in love.
About the Author — James Spencer, PhD, is a theologian, author, and host of the Thinking Christian podcast, where he writes and speaks on Christian formation, political theology, and technology. He holds a PhD in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an MA in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College. He serves as president of the D. L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, as an Associate Research Fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology, and as adjunct faculty in Wheaton College’s MA in Leadership program. His forthcoming book is Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press). Learn more at thinkingchristian.org.