By David Hobbs
An editorial in The Ambassador Christian Newspaper, Dec. 2013
Is it a hard concept to
grasp that God demands accountability for the blood of 55 million innocents
slaughtered in their mothers’ wombs?
In Deuteronomy 21, God gave instructions
on what to do if a person was found murdered in the countryside. They were to
measure the distance from the body to each of the surrounding towns to see
which town was closest to the victim. Then the elders from that town had to
come and make atonement for the shed blood. Though they knew nothing about it,
they still had to take responsibility for it so God could cleanse the land from
the shedding of the innocent blood. (“Bloodshed
pollutes the land”—Num. 35:33)
If the shedding of the
blood from one life demanded such accountability, how can we think to escape
accountability for the blood of 55 million innocent babies shed in this country
since 1973? In the Deuteronomy case, the elders were instructed to wash their
hands over the atoning sacrifice while saying “Our hands did not shed this
blood, neither did our eyes see it done” (Deut. 21:7). How can our leaders
plead such ignorance today? For the past 40 years we all know what’s been done.
Our civic leaders certainly bear their share of the responsibility, but how
much more our spiritual leaders (the pastors) who know how sacred and precious human
life is in the sight of God. And only our pastors have the priestly standing
before God to plead for the corporate forgiveness and cleansing our nation needs. Will
they step forward in this critical hour and attempt to stem the tsunami of
judgment sweeping toward us for such horrendous evil done on our watch, or will
they stand back and hope the church can somehow escape the judgment (via the
rapture?)?
2 Chron 7:14 requires
just such accountability before God—“humble yourselves and pray… turn from your
wicked ways….” One of our wickedest ways is our steadfast refusal to admit we
have any complicity in the killing. One survey found that 70% of the women
going into an abortion clinic for an abortion claimed to be Christian. Yet rarely
will pastors preach against abortion, though many are quick to say they are
“personally against it,” as though that settled the question. If a woman was
being assaulted on the street outside your home and you did nothing to stop it,
even went to a back room so you wouldn’t hear her screams, and then later told
the police that you “were personally against assault, rape and murder”…. How
would that fly?
It’s time for the church
to “man up” and come clean before God while there is still time. And our
pastors need to lead us in this. I am no theologian, but I can’t imagine a holy
God rapturing a church with the blood of 55 million babies on its hands. Is
there anyone out there who can claim like the elders in Deut. 21, “I am
innocent in the shedding of this blood. I did all in my power to stop it: I
preached tirelessly against it, led my congregation in fervent prayer and
picketing, went to jail trying to shut the clinics down; I bear no responsibility
for this atrocity?” If so, let him/her come forward and pray for the rest of
us. If not, pastors, please step forward and lead us in repentance.
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