A Voice for the Voiceless
The Church: A Voice for the Voiceless
Amazing Grace,
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Slave trader and brawler, John Newton, penned these timeless words after having a personal, life-altering experience with the God of the Bible. Not only did he write “Amazing Grace,” but John Newton also helped spark a movement that mobilized Christians to be a voice for the voiceless in his day, and to ultimately abolish the slave trade in England during the 18th century.
God used a former slave trader to help end slavery.
Isn’t that God’s way? Using Saul, a persecutor of God’s people, to later pen the epistles, or a wretched sinning woman, like Rahab, to help save her family and her community…
Today God continues to use broken yet yielded vessels, this time to address our generation’s holocaust, abortion.
Abortion is an uncomfortable subject within the church. So many have been affected by it, having had abortions, paid for them, encouraged them, or been silent in addressing those who have had them. In fact, anytime I mention abortion from the pulpit, I am quick to acknowledge those who have been complicit in it, and how God even uses that sin as a goad to lead them to Christ. I point out that many who have been beaten down by the guilt of abortion have found lasting grace and forgiveness in Christ, and are in turn helping rescue others caught in abortion’s trap.
Still, many struggle with addressing abortion because they feel Christians should be more focused on sharing the Gospel and striking at the root of sin, rather than being distracted by sin’s symptoms (even a symptom as significant as abortion).
But if the main role of the believer is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings forgiveness from sin and restoration to God, then what greater a welcome will the Gospel have than in the aftermath of guilt and brokenness caused by abortion? “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,” (Roman 5:20).
The church is God’s messenger of grace, and also His arms, offering restoration to those whose lives have been destroyed by abortion. The church was on the front lines of ending slavery and restoring slaves. So must the church be today, to those trapped in the dark and deceptive abortion industry.
We are seeing this happening in a number of churches that have strong pro-life ministries, which often consist of those who have suffered from abortion and have experienced forgiveness in Christ. These faithful men and women do not want to waste their former sorrow and often come to the aid of those struggling with the temptation to abort their child. They are involved in crisis pregnancy centers and sidewalk counseling, and many offer a listening ear to young women and their counterparts in a difficult time in their lives.
But sadly, many more churches see this as a divisive and controversial issue, and thus avoid this type of pro-life ministry. As a result we are missing a critical opportunity to make an impact with the Gospel, and to save lives, both physically and eternally.
I am personally involved in helping with the production of a Biblically-based film, called Voiceless, created by the leader of our pro-life ministry and an elder of our church, Stuart Migdon. Voiceless is focused on motivating the church to speak for the little ones, to be a voice for the voiceless. It is presently in the beginning stages of filming, which is taking place in the Kensington region of inner city Philadelphia.
But why a film? The medium of film has had a dramatic impact on the development of American culture. Not only has watching movies become one of America’s most popular past-times, but it has also become one of society’s most powerful pulpits. You don’t have to look far to see the commanding influence that Hollywood has had, on those both inside and outside of the church.
Pro-life movies have been shown in theaters before. What’s different about this one? Voiceless doesn’t talk about the politics of Roe vs. Wade, or even discuss the scientific proof that the unborn child is a real human being. Rather, it encourages people to get involved, speaking more directly to the body of Christ and their obligation to speak up against abortion. The film aims to help many come to grips with this sin, to bring the Gospel, and to prayerfully rescue unborn children in the process.
The hope is that Voiceless will be in theaters everywhere and then eventually on DVD, but our prayer is that pastors and churches will help get the word out about the film and mobilize those who are passionate about ending our present-day holocaust.
To learn more and get involved, please go to www.voicelessthemovie.com and take a couple of quick steps:
Watch the two, 5-minute videos on the homepage. These share the vision of the film.
Click the “Get Involved” link. Once you do that, you’ll be asked to fill out some information to help you get started.
Additionally, spread the word on Facebook! www.facebook.com/voicelessthemovie
Many of us were once like John Newton, or Saul the persecutor, or Rahab the harlot. Who can tell how God will use each of us, like He used them, to reach souls for Christ and to give a voice to the voiceless?
