Questions
How should we think about our relationship with pro-choice advocates?
Summary: Christians are not at war with pro-choice advocates; the struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. That does not mean pro-choice advocates fail to oppose Christian convictions, but it means Christians must engage them as people who do not yet see with eyes that see or hear with ears that hear. The posture is witness rather than combat—patient, truthful, and aimed at the gospel.
We are not at war with anyone. Christians “do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).
That is not to say the women and men do not oppose Christians or advance positions that conflict with Christian convictions. Rather, it means that as we consider our opposition, we need to remember that we are working with people who do not look with eyes that see or listen with ears that hear. Because they do not know Christ they are as we once were:
“And you were dead in our trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of the world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience–among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Eph 2:1–3).
That is not to say that we don’t disagree with pro-choice advocates. Rather, we disagree while, at the same time, remembering the compassion God showed to us by sending Christ to die for us “while we were still sinners” (Rom 5:8).
As Christians, we have an end-goal that transcends political positions. Yes, abortion is a tragedy, but we recognize that protecting the unborn can be done while also seeking to save souls.
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.