Kennystix's podcast
When Is Abortion Racism?
The following message is by Pastor John Piper. More information from Desiring God is available at www.desiringgod.org. Ephesians 5, 6 through 17. Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not associate with them. For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Wock is children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible. For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Look careful then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil, therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Let's pray together. Father, imperfect pastors can only preach imperfect sermons. And so I asked that you would minimize the imperfections of this message. And I pray that hearers would be granted gracious ears and discerning minds, sifting, testing, holding fast to what is good. I pray for humility and that you would kill all pride. I pray that you would put to death in me all unholy anger. And I pray that truth would abound. I pray for compassion at every level and I pray for courage, I pray for clarity. And I pray for a nationwide ripple effect into white, black, Latino, Asian communities concerning abortions horror. So come, I pray and make this a small part of your great purposes of grace for our church and your church around the world and this nation. I ask this in Jesus name, Amen. For the sake of full disclosure, let me tell you one of my chief aims in this message. In the name of Jesus Christ and rooted in the gospel of his death and resurrection for sinners like pastors and abortionists, my aim is to stigmatize abortion by associating it with racism. I would like you to think about abortion and race the same way you think about lynching and race. My aim is that those who abhor racism will abhor abortion, abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good, Paul said. My aim is that abortion would prove to become as culturally taboo as racism is. My aim is to hasten the day when being publicly pro-choice will be as reprehensible as being publicly racist. My aim is to hasten the day when declaring yourself to be pro-choice would be like declaring yourself to be a white supremacist. My aim is that just as once, even though the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case of 1857 held that black slaves were property without any free personal rights, yet today we view that as unthinkable. So also, even though the Supreme Court in 1973 judged that the unborn have no rights as free persons, that too someday would be viewed as unthinkable by the entire culture, racism might result in killing innocent humans. In our history, it did. Around the world it does, but abortion always results in the killing of innocent humans. Between 1882 and 1968, 3,446 black people were lynched in America. Today, more black babies are killed by white abortionists every three days than those lynched in those 86 years. I'm getting ahead of myself. I simply want you to know where I'm going so that no one will say that I made the association between abortion and racism in a sly or subtle or underhanded way. It is not sly. It is not subtle. It is not underhanded. It is open, intentional, and I hope to show justified. May God make the support of abortion in America and around the world as unthinkable as racism. Now, I do not expect to escape misunderstanding. I don't expect to escape criticism, but perhaps I can avoid a few attacks by quoting Randy Alcorn and saying, "I like this," and I agree with this quote. Here's what he said. I think I quoted this last year also. "I do not believe," Randy says, "that most people who support abortion rights are racists. Any more than I believe that there are no racists among pro-lifers. I am simply suggesting that regardless of motives, a closer look at both the history and the present strategies of the pro-choice movement suggests that abortion for the minorities may not serve the cause of equality as much as the cause of the supremacy for the healthy, wealthy, and white." Close quote. So again, my aim, one of them, is to associate abortion and racism, not to equate them. Whether the association is justified, you judge. It's not a biblical declaration. Can't find a sentence in the Bible to say this. It is a cultural observation. So we must look at the Bible to see why a pastor would venture to make such a cultural observation when sermons are to be biblical declarations. So let's go to Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians 5, verse 6, "Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. So mark the term wrath of God. God is very angry and it's coming. It will come someday. The wrath of the Lamb will be such that people would rather have the rocks crush them to death and look upon Him. It is coming." These things is why it's coming. What does these things refer to? Back to verse 5, "You may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or who is covetous, that is, an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." So now we have the two great issues of life in front of us. One is the wrath of God in verse 6 and the other is entering the kingdom of Christ and of God in verse 5. Those are the two great choices. The world really doesn't split between liberals and conservatives and pro-choice and pro-life. The world splits between those who will experience the wrath of God and those who are in the kingdom of Christ and of God. That's what the world splits. That's the main issue tonight. That's the main issue for those of you who are watching this at the North Campus and downtown. Are you in the kingdom of Christ or do you now only have wrath to look forward to when Christ comes back? That's the main issue. So the question is, how should we escape the wrath of God? And the first three chapters of Ephesians are all about that and it's summarized right here in the preceding verses. Let's read verses 32 of chapter 4. That's the last verse of chapter 4 for the next two verses into chapter 5. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Now let's put verse 2 together with verse 32 of chapter 4. First clarify verse 2, Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. Christ died for sinners, including abortionists who've done 10,000 abortions, may be forgiven. That's how valuable Christ is. Or women who've had multiple abortions or boyfriends who twisted their arm of fathers who were shamed and demanded or grandmothers may all be forgiven. That's what's in verse 2. He died for them. Although I've used the word forgiveness and it's not there, that's why I said we should put verse 2 of chapter 5 together with verse 32 of chapter 4 and you see the way it works. Verse 32, God in Christ forgave you. So the how of the forgiveness is in verse 2. He died. He gave himself the what is in verse 32 forgiveness. It's the sweetest word there is for sinners. I forgive you. I forgive you for killing people in my image. I made them and you killed them and I forgive you. Now on the basis of that glorious news comes a calling Ephesians chapter 5 verses 8 to 11. For at that time you were darkness. But now you are light. In other words, if you've received Christ, His blood is covering your sin. The Father's wrath is removed. You're in the light, in the Lord. Walk as children of the light. That's your calling. Walk as children of the light in this dark world. Walk as light. Be light for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. Be that way verse 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful, what a laden word for this issue. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness. But instead, expose them. That's why I'm preaching this sermon. When a person is forgiven, all his sins. When a person has escaped from the fear of the wrath of God ever coming and only has mercy and grace to expect. When a person has entered into the kingdom of Christ and of God, there's a calling on your life. To be light, you have been welcomed out of the darkness of death and guilt and wrath into the kingdom of light and life and hope and joy and mercy and compassion and now walk as children of the light. Shine darkness into light. That's our calling. That's what I'm supposed to do with my mouth and you're supposed to do with your life and your mouth. To be light. This is the light of mine. I'm going to let it shine. This is the light of mine. I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. We sing that. We're supposed to sing shine all over Planned Parenthood. I'm going to let it shine. Shine all over Planned Parenthood. I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Wonderfully, Paul carries this image through in an amazingly hope-filled way. Goodness, righteousness, truth, expose, but they don't damn. They don't condemn. They save, follow his, follow his thinking. He's full of hope here. We should be full of hope. We shouldn't be skeptical that we can't win people to Christ and truth, verse 13 and 14. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes manifest or visible. For anything that becomes visible is light. This is a very hope-filled way of saying it. Therefore, it says, Awake, O sleeper. Rise from the dead. Christ will shine on you. This is hope shining on the dead. Awake, O sleeper. This is like Jesus talking to Lazarus. Awake, Lazarus, come forth from the grave. This is the kind of hope when we walk in the Spirit, when we speak the truth we should have as we get into people's lives with light. We shouldn't think, I'm just going there to condemn. They're never going to believe. They're never going to change. They're never going to be saved. No miracle could happen in their life. It's all going to be damnation, condemnation. Don't have that mindset. Have this mindset. When anything is exposed, it becomes visible and anything that becomes visible is light. Awake, O sleeper. Rise from the dead. Christ will give you light. That's the kind of hope we should speak into people's lives. Awake, awake. Christ will give you life. Rise. He'll forgive you. Paul's aim here is not damnation. It's salvation. Awake, O sleeper. Christ will give you light. He'll shine on you. So that's for pastors, sinner pastors who deserve destruction. It's for abortionists. It's for those of you who've had abortions, those of you who who've pressed for an abortion. It's for us sinners. When anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible. For anything that becomes visible is light. Now you know one of the most amazing illustrations of that in this whole issue, that's tenants. Anything that becomes visible is light, is light. In other words, here was something dark, dead, rebellious, wrong, and you're light of love and truth and courage shown into that dark life. And God gave life and God gave light. And that person becomes light, becomes light. What I have found, and I'm sure you have found this as well, is that some of the most articulate, courageous, compelling, compassionate, effective spokesman for the light of life are women who have had abortions and have awakened by grace to be forgiven and to be courageous. Say so. We have heard some spectacular testimonies in this church from such lights. My son Barnabas said to me today, Barnabas doesn't live here anymore and he's here for our wedding to be in church tomorrow morning probably. He said, "I remember when I was about eight, we were standing outside an abortion clinic at one of our rallies." And he didn't remember who it was and that's just as well. One of the women in our church had the courage to stand up and give a testimony of her abortion standing down there on Main Street outside that clinic. And to these couple hundred people who were gathered to say, "God forgave me." I had power. He remembers this now. What's that probably '88 or '89 that happened almost 20 years ago? What a little eight-year-old boy. That's precious. That's power. So I want you to hear one of these women. I'm going to read from her. Her name is Alveda C. King. Some of you've heard of her, some of you haven't. She's the daughter of Reverend A. D. King, brother of Martin Luther King, Jr. She founded a group called King for America. Her uncle had a dream and now she has a dream and I'll read it to you until I say close quote. These are all her words. "We have been fueled by the fire of women's rights so long that we have become deaf to the outcry of the real victims whose rights are being trampled upon the babies and the mothers. What about the rights of each baby who is artificially breached before coming to terminus mother's womb only to have her skull punctured and feel, yes agonizingly feel the life running out of her before she takes her first breath of freedom? What about the rights of these women who have been called to pioneer the new frontiers of the new millennium only to have their lives snuffed out before the calendar year ever turns? Oh God, what would Martin Luther King, Jr., who dreamed of having his children judged by the content of their characters do if he lived to see the contents of thousands of children's skulls emptied into the bottomless caverns of the abortionist pits? It is time for America perhaps the most blessed nation on earth to lead the world in repentance and in restoration of life. Abortion is at the forefront of our destruction. Partial birth abortion is perhaps the most heinous form of this legal genocide. The only healing and redemption is in the blood of Jesus. Blood willingly said so that we could stand today and cry out for the blood of the unborn that is drenching the land of our children. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said the Negro cannot win as long as he is willing to sacrifice the lives of his children for comfort and safety. How can the dream survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his mother or her mother if the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr., is to live. Our babies must live. Our mothers must choose life. If we refuse to answer the cry of mercy from the unborn and ignore the suffering of the mothers, then we are signing our own death warrants. I too, like Martin Luther King, Jr., have a dream. I have a dream that the men and women, the boys and girls of America will come to their senses and humble ourselves before God Almighty and pray for mercy and receive His healing grace. I pray that this is the day the hour of deliverance. May God have mercy on us all. End of quote. You can read that at kingforamerica.com. She referred to genocide. She said that abortion was genocide in general. Reverend Clenard H. Childress, Jr., founded four Black Americans and by Black Americans, a ministry and a website, the website is called blackgenocide.org. Clenard Childress goes further than she did and calls it black genocide. The lament at that website goes like this. Quote, "The incidence of abortion has resulted in a tremendous loss of life. It has been estimated that since this is written in 2002, it has been estimated that since 1973, Black women have had 10 million abortions. That would be about 13 million today. Michael Novak calculated, quote, "Since the number of current living blacks in the U.S. is 31 million, the missing 10 million represents an enormous loss. For without abortion, America's Black community would now number 41 million persons. It would be 35 percent larger than it is. Abortion has swept through the Black community like a side, cutting down every fourth member." Perhaps the best way I can get at this is by letting John Enzer describe the situation racially, not in the abstract, but in relationship to his ministry. John Enzer was a student of mine at Bethel 30 years ago and went to be a pastor in Boston. After 12 years in the ministry, he was so burdened by this issue, he left his pastorate and founded a woman's concern. Now there are five pro-life crisis pregnancy clinics in Boston under that title. You can see that at their website at womensconcern.org. John has recently become so burdened that the strategy needs to be adjusted geographically and strategically, that he just left Boston a month ago and moved to Miami, Florida. I'll tell you why in just a minute. John's vision to plant pro-life crisis pregnancy centers that helped women before, helped women during, helped women after a pregnancy that is painful and unexpected, that is part of a much wider phenomenon in the Christian community. Are you aware that in the last 35 years, 2,300 crisis pregnancy centers have been started by Christians in this country? That's why you don't hear as often on the streets that you did back when I was doing rescues in '88, '89, '90. You don't hear as often the virulent statement from the pro-choice side saying, "All you ever care about is the unborn white baby. You don't care about the woman. You don't care about the baby after he's born." That's the kind of talk that came out of people's mouths. You don't hear it anymore because it's absolutely not and never was true. There are no unwanted babies in America witness this church. There are so many parents in this church ready to adopt any baby under heaven. That's either going to be adopted or killed. There are no unwanted babies. Period. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America. Margaret Sanger, the founder, lover of eugenics, sponsored her Negro project in the 1930s designed to reduce black births of black children. 78% of Planned Parenthood's clinics are in minority communities. John Enzer has seen this and the crucial challenge it presents to the pro-life movement, namely move to the urban centers. Face off, toe to toe. Let me read you what he writes. Just to give you the ministry context statistics. To date, this is John talking. This is from a website that he just started called heartbeatofmiami.org. To date, the pregnancy center movement has grown mostly in rural and suburban areas. The great challenge all caps now facing us is to respond to the abortion industry's dominant business strategy of abandoning rural and suburban abortion facilities and targeting urban neighborhoods. For example, Planned Parenthood closed 17 abortion facilities in 2004 but sold 20% more abortions. How did they do this by targeting minority neighborhoods in major cities? Currently, 94% of America's abortion facilities are in cities. In African American women who make up 13% of the female population account for 36% of all abortions. Latino American women make up 13% of the female population but account for 20% of all abortions. In other words, the de facto effect. I don't say the main cause. I say the de facto effect of putting abortion clinics in the urban centers is that abortion of Hispanic and Black babies is more than double the percentage of the population they represent. 1,300 Black babies are killed by white abortionists every day. 700 Hispanic babies are killed by white abortionists every day. Call this what you will when the slaughter has an ethnic face, when the percentages are double that of the community, when the killers are all white, something's going on that should make the lovers of racial equality and racial harmony wake up in every ethnic community. John and his wife just moved to Miami. Why? There are four states where most the bulk of abortions in America happened. California, New York, Nevada, Florida. Now here's here's a snapshot of Florida. Florida, 40% of the abortions happen in Miami. There are 40 abortion clinics to provide that service in Miami and one ultrasound equipped crisis pregnancy center. John has noticed this all over the nation so has focus on the family, so has Care Net. They're all teaming up with a new nationwide strategy to move to the cities and establish toe to toe the clinics that offer an alternative. It is incredible the ignorance that's out there. If they could just know there's help, just know there's help, free help before, during, after as long as you need it, we're here to help. That's what the Christian community has been saying for 35 years. It's saying as loud as ever today. It just needs to be heard where the need is most relevant. I close with John's dream, John Enzer. He wrote it like this. The abolition of abortion is in sight. We'll be looked back on by future generations, the way we currently look back on slavery when the pregnancy center movement is established in our cities and is led by the black, Latino, and white Christian community. I'm talking mainly to a white audience, not only in the word spreads, and one person may make all the difference in this room, one person. Oh, that the murderous effect of abortion in the black and Latino community destroying tens of thousands at the hand of white abortionists would explode with the same reprehensible reputation as lynching. May the Lord raise up from the African American churches and the Hispanic American churches a passion to seize the moral high ground against the slaughter of the little ones. Such leadership would sweep the field. The white pro-choice establishment could not stand before it. Such leadership may the Lord make it happen in the name of Christ, for the glory of Christ, for the good of all people, till Jesus comes. Let's pray. Father in heaven, you're going to have to take this word and do with it what I would dream of, but do as much as your sovereign grace can do. I pray for my black brothers and sisters and my Hispanic brothers and sisters and my Asian brothers and sisters that every single ethnic group would rise, seize the moral high ground out of the hands of the pro-choice people, and in the name of Christ and for the glory of Christ, say no more. Will we be cowed into thinking this a white issue? Be pleased, God, to have mercy upon the white, mercy upon the black, mercy upon the brown and yellow and red and every shade in between for we are sinners all. And I glory to come back to the gospel. Christ died for our sins. And here's the place we can stand together at the foot of the cross, pastor sinners, abortionist sinners, aborting women sinners, aborting fathers sinners all. What a gospel we have. What a ground to stand on. What a power to lead us forward to make us coronary Christians and not adrenaline Christians. So God, I plead with you, multiply the effect of your word in Ephesians and this observation from our culture. In Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for listening to this message by John Piper, pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Feel free to make copies of this message to give to others, but please do not charge for those copies or alter the content in any way without permission. We invite you to visit desiring God online at www.desiringGod.org. There you'll find hundreds of sermons, articles, radio broadcasts and much more all available to you at no charge. Our online store carries all of Pastor John's books, audio and video resources. You can also stay up to date on what's new at Desiring God. Again, our website is www.desiringGod.org or call us toll free at 1-888-346-4700. Our mailing address is Desiring God, 2601 East Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55406. Desiring God exists to help you make God your treasure, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. [BLANK_AUDIO]
White abortionists kill more black and Hispanic babies than they do white babies every year. Abortion is a racist institution.