Cultivating A Culture of Life

For all of the violence, death, disease, and destruction that is a daily aspect of existence for billions, it is refreshing to find in some circles a renewed focus on life. January 22nd marked the 35th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Yet despite the defense that this law gets from the left and its media allies, there are a few brave souls who are willing to bring an opposing view into the mainstream of society.

An evidence of this can be found in a recent trend in movies. Films such as Bella, Knocked-Up, Waitress, Juno, and August Rush all have depicted young women as carrying babies to term and either raising them or putting them up for adoption. What used to be derided as antiquated and backward is now being characterised as noble and self-sacrificing. Now while I might not recommend these movies on other grounds, the shift that they represent is highly noteworthy.

Evangelical christians need to seize on such cultural enlightenment and add to it the savory, preserving, salt of truth that comes from living according to God's word. In Genesis 2:15, it states, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of eden to work and keep it." The two Hebrew verbs mentioned in this verse also imply worship and praise. In other words, the very reason for the existence of all life is for the praise and worship of God. When life is snuffed out in the womb, in the test tube, or in the nursing home it robs God of a vessel that He created for His glory. This gives us a sacred context for the sanctity of life and behooves us to preserve it at all costs.

As we contemplate the dreadful, murderous legacy of arguably the worst supreme court decision ever, let us seek to raise the awareness of the dignity of all life. This may mean volunteering at a local crisis pregnancy center for some. For others it may mean sitting with an elderly person who is near death but desperate for company. These are but a couple of ways that we as believers can demonstrate to a watching world that we are serious about cultivating a culture of life.