We Could've Done More!
Here was a man who'd given everything to save a handful of Jews. He'd bankrupt his factory, gone out of his way to buy and rescue a few of his workers from Auschwitz, and saved at least 1100 as a result of his efforts. Yet Oscar Schindler, as portrayed in the movie Schindler's List wept and refused to accept praise for his deeds.
"I could've done more!" He wailed. "I could've sold my car! This gold pen! I could've saved one more person! Just one more person!"
January 28th will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada decision that gave us abortion on demand through all nine months for any or no reason. The decision that has led to the deaths of over 2 million Canadian children. I've been involved in the pro-life movement for the past decade, and while I can point to a small number of women and children who were spared the sorrow of abortion as a direct result of the work my colleagues and I have done, I too must hang my head in shame and say: "I could've done more!"
How much does it cost to raise a child? Numbers vary depending on the source and how much is deemed necessary for a child (and numbers don't always factor in shared goods/housing costs for multiple occupants) but the rough figure is usually $100,000 over 18 years, or roughly $6000/child/yr. To financially back the majority of the 100,000 women who choose abortion annually, would cost roughly $600,000,000 - a lot of money, yes. But how many children could we save if we really tried? Gregg Cunningham, founder of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform was exactly right when he said that "Abortion is happening today with the permission of the church. God has given us resources more than adequate to stop the killing, but we're taking those resources and spending them everywhere else."
Don't believe that's true? Consider the following: The Christian Music Industry alone generates 4 billion dollars in product sales PER YEAR!! * Annual church building expenses reached $8.3 billion in 2002, in the United States.** (Canadian stat likely comparable per population.) I didn't take time to dig up stats regarding how much identifying Christians spend on 'Christian books' and 'Jesus junk' (t-shirts, stickers, scripture mints, decorations), not to mention how much we spend on secular stuff including music, movies and general entertainment/amusement. I'm sure the numbers would astound us and put us all to shame! Oh yes Gregg! We have the resources!
I'll forever remember the words of the American pastor who gave his church's entire building fund to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. He said, "We decided there was no point in building a church if we weren't willing to BE the church." Indeed, what use is a collective meeting point for people whose lives are never changed to the point where they will do more than just a little to meet the needs of those outside their doors?
Will we find ourselves at some future date weeping like Oscar Schindler over lost lives as we collectively stare at our Michael W Smith and Jars of Clay CD's, at our movie stubs and our DVD collections? Or will we continue to walk down newly carpeted isles stained with innocent blood, and singing songs to God on our static free sound systems that make our worship sound sweet to our ears and ours alone? Will it be said of the church that "These people worshiped me with their lips, but their hearts [were] far from me?" (Matthew 15:8-9)
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* http://osdir.com/ml/redhat.fedora.java/2005-06/msg00049.html
** http://www.churchsolutionsmag.com/articles/637/637_611Feat5.html
http://charlescherry.wordpress.com/category/live-like-jesus/
"I could've done more!" He wailed. "I could've sold my car! This gold pen! I could've saved one more person! Just one more person!"
January 28th will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada decision that gave us abortion on demand through all nine months for any or no reason. The decision that has led to the deaths of over 2 million Canadian children. I've been involved in the pro-life movement for the past decade, and while I can point to a small number of women and children who were spared the sorrow of abortion as a direct result of the work my colleagues and I have done, I too must hang my head in shame and say: "I could've done more!"
How much does it cost to raise a child? Numbers vary depending on the source and how much is deemed necessary for a child (and numbers don't always factor in shared goods/housing costs for multiple occupants) but the rough figure is usually $100,000 over 18 years, or roughly $6000/child/yr. To financially back the majority of the 100,000 women who choose abortion annually, would cost roughly $600,000,000 - a lot of money, yes. But how many children could we save if we really tried? Gregg Cunningham, founder of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform was exactly right when he said that "Abortion is happening today with the permission of the church. God has given us resources more than adequate to stop the killing, but we're taking those resources and spending them everywhere else."
Don't believe that's true? Consider the following: The Christian Music Industry alone generates 4 billion dollars in product sales PER YEAR!! * Annual church building expenses reached $8.3 billion in 2002, in the United States.** (Canadian stat likely comparable per population.) I didn't take time to dig up stats regarding how much identifying Christians spend on 'Christian books' and 'Jesus junk' (t-shirts, stickers, scripture mints, decorations), not to mention how much we spend on secular stuff including music, movies and general entertainment/amusement. I'm sure the numbers would astound us and put us all to shame! Oh yes Gregg! We have the resources!
I'll forever remember the words of the American pastor who gave his church's entire building fund to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. He said, "We decided there was no point in building a church if we weren't willing to BE the church." Indeed, what use is a collective meeting point for people whose lives are never changed to the point where they will do more than just a little to meet the needs of those outside their doors?
Will we find ourselves at some future date weeping like Oscar Schindler over lost lives as we collectively stare at our Michael W Smith and Jars of Clay CD's, at our movie stubs and our DVD collections? Or will we continue to walk down newly carpeted isles stained with innocent blood, and singing songs to God on our static free sound systems that make our worship sound sweet to our ears and ours alone? Will it be said of the church that "These people worshiped me with their lips, but their hearts [were] far from me?" (Matthew 15:8-9)
---
* http://osdir.com/ml/redhat.fedora.java/2005-06/msg00049.html
** http://www.churchsolutionsmag.com/articles/637/637_611Feat5.html
http://charlescherry.wordpress.com/category/live-like-jesus/