Bob the Tomato takes on abortion
He should have stuck with water buffalo
QUICK NOTE: I’ll be gone on vacation next week. In place of the weekly Memo, Vidcast, and Bible teaching, I’ll be sending our paying subscriber list our second Q&A session – some great (and funny) questions came in this time.
Normal schedule will return the week of Oct 23.
I believe in grace now more than ever. As I continue growing closer to Jesus, I find myself more painfully aware each day of my own shortcomings. By that, I don’t just mean my own sins. I mean that I’m increasingly conscious of my own over-reliance on the flesh. I’ll give you an example.
I just got done preaching a sermon series on “being like Jesus” that went for 9 months. In the intervening few weeks before I do a Christmas-specific series of messages, I’ve opened it up for a series of stand-alone sermons based off of specific questions or concerns congregants have relative to Scripture. This last week I took on one regarding self-defense and whether I am embodying Christlikeness to use lethal force to defend myself.
I had to really catch myself as I started writing the message. Why? Because I already knew the answer. Or, at least, that’s how I went into the writing of it. I knew it was okay to do use lethal force in self defense, and so I dove into the Scriptures to find justification to prove my position correct. And where had my position on the issue originated? From my upbringing, cultural lens, and feelings. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work.
That’s what I mean when I say my over-reliance on the flesh. It wasn’t a conscious decision I was making to trust in my own feelings. It just happened. And when I became aware of it, I couldn’t shake the uncomfortable sense that this type of thing probably happens a lot. Which is why I am once again inexpressibly grateful for the unmerited grace that Christ offers me and my shortcomings. And it also makes me far more hesitant to judge another for their own similar failures.
Obviously that doesn’t mean that I hesitate to passionately engage issues that matter, or contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints. Truth is knowable and it is applicable, and I want to vigorously pursue it and preach it. But if I’m wanting grace and gentleness from Christ for the times I misunderstand or misapply or inaccurately represent His truth – and this week made me aware that there are probably far more instances of this than I would care to admit – I must offer it to others who do the same. If I desire patience and forgiveness from Christ when I allow my cultural biases or personal feelings to alter my proclamation of His truth, I must offer it to others I notice are guilty of the same.
Which brings me to Phil. Phil Vischer was the originator of VeggieTales and the voice of the beloved Bob the Tomato. He’s a Christian whose cultural perspectives and personal feelings recently caused him to offer an unfortunate public defense of abortion in certain circumstances. Engaged in an online discussion, Vischer was asked what kind of abortions he believed were biblically permissible. He responded:
This, obviously, is a very poor analogy. One need not glorify war or celebrate it to recognize that it is, all too often, an unfortunate necessity. War is a near constant, an unavoidable reality in a fallen world. James spoke to that, as did Paul.
The same cannot be said, however, for the intentional taking of a baby’s life in the womb. To my knowledge, there has never been a case (and never could be a case) where it would be necessary or unavoidable. Are there times where the baby’s continued presence in the womb places the mother’s life in jeopardy? Are there times when the baby will not survive because he or she lacks the functioning organs necessary to sustain life? Yes.
But neither of those instances or any other demand the intentional killing, the scalding by saline, the dismemberment with forceps, of abortion. In any and all such extreme medical cases, the baby may be safely removed from the mother at a time deemed reasonable by medical professionals, and then every ounce of our medical and technical expertise be put towards sustaining and saving the child’s life. A baby that dies in the act of attempted rescue, or because we simply lack the technical capabilities to save him or her, is ethical worlds away from intentional slaughter.
Consider also that with as despicable and horrific as war is, there is opportunity in such conflict to exhibit godly, biblical virtues such as courage and self-sacrifice. In what instance are such virtues ever applicable in an abortion?
Vischer’s analogy is poorly constructed, and foolishly promoted. As a Christian, his decision to speak such moral confusion into the public dialogue is reckless and undoubtedly sets up a stumbling block for other believers and non-believers alike. He deserves rebuke and censure. But also patience and forgiveness.
Vischer is uniquely positioned (as we all are) to reach a specific sector of a lost world. There are those who will hear and listen to him that will reject the testimony of other believers before it even escapes their lips or keyboards. In other words, if our objective is ultimately to build the Kingdom of God, rather than to build (1) a Kingdom of Man dominated by our political preferences or (2) a Kingdom of Me where we accumulate followers, fame, and fortune by “owning” others in pomposity, then we must see how Phil Vischer is a useful servant and precious brother in Christ who should be prayed for, encouraged, and loved, even when he must be corrected.
The Lord knows how much I need that grace, and so He gives it to me. May He find me doing the same for my brothers and sisters.
Before I give you some things to do and some additional resources, let me just put in another quick plug for you free subscribers receiving the MEMO this week to consider joining our community of paid subscriptions. Lord willing, it will be a blessing and encouragement to your life. You can do it by upgrading here:
To do:
Pray for Phil Vischer and the purity of his witness.
Pray for our own hearts and minds in knowing how best to rebuke error and issue important correction in love and firmness.
Find ways to support – either financially, prayerfully, or physically through volunteerism – the sanctity of life in the womb. Crisis pregnancy centers are a great place to start.
Study Scripture this week with a mind centered around its infallibility and your own fallibility.
Additional resources that may help us:
One of the most underrated Scriptural instructions we have as believers is “bearing with one another in love.” I think this really applies here, and this article does a great (and quick) job of bringing that out.
Ok, this is two articles from Crossway in a row, but I think this one offers some really good instructions on how to disagree with fellow Christians productively.
For those that struggle with the idea of just war, InterVarsity has a good, scholarly-but-not-too-cerebral write-up on it here.
Well said, good sir. And yes, I'd also enjoy having a water buffalo, fast or slow... Enjoy your vacation!