Road Trip

"Based on this historical example, if our passion is to end abortion in our nation, the best way to do so is to circumvent political processes (which, to date, have not proven very effective), and to love our neighbor as Jesus commanded."

Keith Giles ~ Jesus Untangled

Today's show is a mixed bag of talk about reproductive rights, and I'll also take you on a road trip discussion of our continuing series on spiritual formation.

Note: I apologize in advance for the poor sound quality of the road trip portion of the recording.

The right for a woman to choose medical decisions about her own body is a political lightning rod issue in both American politics and religion.

On the surface, this issue is presented as if it's binary. You are either pro-life or pro-choice. Both sides have their narratives and talking points. Yet in the discourse, everyone seems to be vehemently yelling past one another. At the end of the day, it seems all we're left with is the yelling, and that's never helpful.

We see pro-life Christians using the Bible as justification for their stance, but proof-texting scripture is never very fruitful in seeing the heart of God.

The logical way to engage the Bible on a topic like this would be to see how God views personal choice. In the Bible, humanity is depicted as a complex, multi-faceted creature with the ability and responsibility to make decisions and choices. The concept of free will is kind of a big deal in the Bible.

So join us today as we discuss the changing views about abortion and how those views have changed in the minds of Christian over decades. We'll also dig into the political influences behind the Religious Right and how it has used this issue for years to shape politics and fuel the flames of culture wars.

What does any of this have to do with Jesus? How are we missing the point in this issue? How do we move forward?

Tune in and find out.

We'll talk about all that and plenty more snark!