Rss

  • youtube

Oh!? It’s a matter of sanitation and not murder – The Gosnell Movie

In recognition of the national release of Gosnell – the Movie chronicling the discovery, prosecution, and incarceration of America’s biggest serial killer, this is the second article reposted which was originally published May 10, 2013 on culturewarror.net.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell was the west Philadelphia abortionist whose clinic was described in a 2011 Grand Jury report as a “house of horrors.”

The 281-page report described how Gosnell and his staff regularly delivered full-term babies whom they then killed by “snipping” their spinal cords with scissors. Hundreds of infants were dispatched in this way. Despite numerous complaints to the state health department about the clinic conditions, Gosnell’s filthy abortion mill went without an inspection for sixteen years.[1]

Following the Grand Jury’s findings, Gosnell was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder (reduced to 4 counts at trial) and one count of third-degree murder, as well as infanticide (dismissed at trial). The non-murder charges included 24 counts of violating Pennsylvania’s Abortion Act by performing illegal third-trimester abortions, 227 counts of violating a 24-hour waiting-period requirement, failing to counsel patients, and racketeering. On May 13, 2013, (three days after “Oh!? It’s only a matter of sanitation and not murder” was published), Gosnell was given three life sentences without possibility of parole.

Along the way, the story became about more than Gosnell himself. It became about the media blackout of his trial. A famous photo of the courtroom was circulated that showed rows of seats reserved for the press, empty. Apparently, the trial of an abortionist who had murdered born-alive infants wasn’t a story newsrooms wanted to cover—at least until they were guilted into it. All of this is why this movie is so important. And wait till you hear how it was funded. Almost 30,000 people donated to the Indiegogo campaign to make the film. In total, the producers raised over $2.3 million, making it the most successful campaign in Indiegogo’s history.

But, the project has faced serious opposition. The film’s distributors faced a libel lawsuit in 2015 that delayed its release for three years. Finally, five years after Gosnell was sentenced, the movie is hitting theaters.[2]

This article is also written in memory of the nameless millions of aborted babies known only to God.

Oh!? It’s a matter of sanitation and not murder – May 10, 2013

You may have followed the information (if you were able to find it in main stream media) flowing from the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion clinic operator accused of murdering a woman and seven babies born alive. I first wrote about Gosnell and Planned Parenthood on April 12, 2013 (See Archives: “Postcard from Hell”[3]). In that article I referred to the testimony of Alisa LaPolt Snow, the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates lobbyist, regarding a bill before the Florida legislature that would require abortionists to provide medical care to an infant who survives an abortion. In response to being asked what would Planned Parenthood do if a live baby were born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, Snow replied, “We believe that any decision that’s made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician.”[4] With regard to her callus comment I said that, “Apart from lack of sanitation and improper licensing, Planned Parenthood would have little to no issues with Dr. Gosnell’s methods and decision-making process with regard to killing a live baby.” [emphasis added]

Referring to the heart-breaking and disturbing facts that occurred at the Philadelphia abortion clinic, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) attempted to have the Senate pass a sense of the Senate resolution that would have condemned illegal abortion practices. The resolution stated:

Congress has the responsibility to investigate and conduct hearings on abortions performed near, at, or after viability in the United States, public policies regarding such, and evaluate the extent to which such abortions involve violations of the natural right to life of infants who are born alive or are capable of being born alive, and therefore are entitled to equal protection under the law.[5]

Given the facts coming out of the Philadelphia trial, it would appear that no reasonable person could object to Senator Lee’s resolution. However, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have found a way. A favorite ploy of Congressional Democrats is to resort to obfuscation in blocking solutions for problems when those solutions are in conflict with their interests and agenda and those of their allies. The issue is effectively muddled by enlarging the problem and then seeking “comprehensive” solutions instead of addressing the pressing issue of the moment. One example of this Democratic obfuscation is illegal immigration in which securing America’s borders is ignored or marginalized in favor of making it a part of a larger solution in dealing with “undocumented aliens.”[6]

Senator Blumenthal employed this tactic to defeat Senator Lee’s resolution and propose his own resolution which states that all “incidents of abusive, unsanitary, or illegal health care practices should be condemned and prevented and the perpetrators should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”[7]

Senator Lee sees clearly that the problem is immediate and of such compelling nature as to require Congressional action…it is about murdering born alive babies. But Notice Blumenthal’s subtle footwork. For the Senator, it is not about murder but “abusive, unsanitary, or illegal health care practices.” Yes, murder is abusive and illegal, but it can never be labeled a health care practice. It appears that Congressional Democrats, like their ally Planned Parenthood, cannot distinguish between abusive, unsanitary, or illegal health care practices and murder of born alive babies. While Congressional Democrats obfuscate and dither, little human beings are being killed.

Triage is a medical term. It means the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims to reflect the urgency of the patient’s need in order to maximize the number of survivors. The culture wars rage and both born and unborn babies are battle victims dying in America’s abortion mills. Senator Lee’s proposal pointed to the urgency of the need in order to maximize the number of survivors. But for Congressional Democrats, murdering born alive babies does not rise to the level requiring triage. It is part of a larger problem that must be investigated, mulled, discussed, considered…ad infinitum. Meanwhile, millions of little babies will never see their first birthday.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] John Stonestreet, “Gosnell – The Movie,” Breakpoint Daily from the Colson Center, October 10, 2018. https://mail.yahoo.com/d/search/keyword=gosnell/messages/70843 (accessed 10-12-18).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Larry G. Johnson, “Oh!? It’s a matter of sanitation and not murder,” culturewarrior.net, May 10, 2013. https://www.culturewarrior.net/2013/04/12/postcard-from-hell/
[4] John McCormack, “Video: Planned Parenthood Official Argues for Right to Post-Birth Abortion,” Weekly Standard.com. https://www.weeklystandard.com/john-mccormack/video-planned-parenthood-official-argues-for-right-to-post-birth-abortion (accessed October 13, 2018). [The original source was no longer available.]
[5] Dr. Susan Berry, “Sen. Mike Lee resolves to address “Gosnell-type” abortion crime,” Brietbart News, May 6, 2013 http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/06/Sen-Mike-Lee-Resolves-To-Address-Gosnell-Type-Abortion-Crime (accessed May 10, 2013).
[6] “Blumenthal Delivers Floor Speech Objecting To Senator Lee’s Abortion Resolution, Introduces Broader Resolution Condemning Criminal Acts And Malpractice In All Health Care Settings” Richard Blumenthal, United States Senator – Connecticut, May 8, 2013.
http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-delivers-floor-speech-objecting-to-senator-lees-abortion-resolution-introduces-broader-resolution-condemning-criminal-acts-and-malpractice-in-all-health-care-settings (accessed May 10, 2013).
[7] Ibid.

Postcard from Hell – The Gosnell Movie

In recognition of the national release of Gosnell – the Movie chronicling the discovery, prosecution, and incarceration of America’s biggest serial killer, the article posted April 12, 2013 on culturewarror.net is being posted again.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell was the west Philadelphia abortionist whose clinic was described in a 2011 Grand Jury report as a “house of horrors.”

The 281-page report described how Gosnell and his staff regularly delivered full-term babies whom they then killed by “snipping” their spinal cords with scissors. Hundreds of infants were dispatched in this way. Despite numerous complaints to the state health department about the clinic conditions, Gosnell’s filthy abortion mill went without an inspection for sixteen years.[1]

Following the Grand Jury’s findings, Gosnell was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder (reduced to 4 counts at trial) and one count of third-degree murder, as well as infanticide (dismissed at trial). The non-murder charges included 24 counts of violating Pennsylvania’s Abortion Act by performing illegal third-trimester abortions, 227 counts of violating a 24-hour waiting-period requirement, failing to counsel patients, and racketeering. On May 13, 2013, thirty-one days after the following article was written, Gosnell was given three life sentences without possibility of parole.

Along the way, the story became about more than Gosnell himself. It became about the media blackout of his trial. A famous photo of the courtroom was circulated that showed rows of seats reserved for the press, empty. Apparently, the trial of an abortionist who had murdered born-alive infants wasn’t a story newsrooms wanted to cover—at least until they were guilted into it. All of this is why this movie is so important. And wait till you hear how it was funded. Almost 30,000 people donated to the Indiegogo campaign to make the film. In total, the producers raised over $2.3 million, making it the most successful campaign in Indiegogo’s history.

But, the project has faced serious opposition. The film’s distributors faced a libel lawsuit in 2015 that delayed its release for three years. Finally, five years after Gosnell was sentenced, the movie is hitting theaters.[2]

This article is also written in memory of the nameless millions of aborted babies known only to God.

Postcard from Hell – April 12, 2013

“It would rain fetuses. Fetuses and blood all over the place…I felt like a fireman in hell. I couldn’t put out all the fires.” [emphasis added] These are the words of Steven Massof, one of the employees in an abortion clinic operated by Dr. Kermit Gosnell, describing the busy times when the women were given drugs to induce contractions all at once. Gosnell is on trial this week for killing seven children and a young mother in a filthy, blood-splattered clinic near Philadelphia.[3]

The babies had the misfortune to be born live in Gosnell’s clinic staffed in part by teenagers posing as licensed anesthetists. The bodies of the tiny victims were stored in a freezer in the basement of the clinic. Massof admitted that killing babies born alive was standard procedure at the clinic. He estimated that at least 100 babies were born alive in the clinic and had their necks snipped, but the beheadings were so routine that no one could determine the exact number.[4]

Generally, such stories of horrific tragedies would be meat for the media grinder. However, you probably have not heard much if any reports from the great majority of news media. But thanks to the Family Research Council and other conservative organizations and leaders, the story which the media have ignored or censored is gaining some attention.

Sherry West was another long-time employee of the clinic. She testified that she called the babies specimens “because it was easier to deal with mentally.” West recalled one incident of a “screaming baby that really freaked me out…I can’t describe it. It sounded like a little alien.” She estimated the baby to have been between 18 and 24 inches long, one of the largest she had seen during abortion procedures at the Women’s Medical Society clinic operated by Dr. Gosnell at that time.[5]

Perhaps you will recall President Clinton’s statement that abortions in America should be “safe, legal, and rare.” But his statement is just political sop to pacify the squeamish. The same sop to hide abortion’s grisly reality was used by Alisa LaPolt Snow, the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates lobbyist, in her testimony regarding a bill before the Florida legislature that would require abortionists to provide medical care to an infant who survives an abortion. In response to being asked what would Planned Parenthood do if a live baby were born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, Snow replied, “We believe that any decision that’s made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician.”[6]

Effectively, Planned Parenthood would leave the life or death decisions to the Dr. Gosnells of the world with regard to babies born alive after a botched abortion. Certainly the mother is in no emotional or physical shape to make a thoughtful and rational decision, and it is extremely unlikely that the doctor would consult the mother’s family (generally not present anyway) as the baby is lying on the table and struggling for life. Apart from lack of sanitation and improper licensing, Planned Parenthood would have little to no issues with Dr. Gosnell’s methods and decision-making process with regard to killing a live baby.

After January 22, 1973, the lives of unborn babies were no longer sacrosanct in America but placed in the hands of the deciders following the dictates of man’s law. It is estimated that over fifty two million abortions have fallen victim to man’s law in America from January 1973 through the end of 2008. These estimates came from direct surveys of abortionists by the Guttmacher Institute, once a research affiliate of Planned Parenthood. The number of abortions per day, if an average were calculated for the entire thirty-six year period, is over 3,900. This average number of abortions per day exceeds by over one thousand the number of lives lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.[7]

Numbers and statistics are sterile things and do not convey the horror of a single abortion as shown above. Euphemisms, platitudes, and legal arguments about rights, privacy, and choice attempt to soften the picture or divert our attention from the horror surrounding the abortion of an unborn child.

Legalized abortion was the wedge used to split open the historic Western commitment to the dignity of human life.[8] Now the humanist defenders of abortion continue attempts to drive the wedge deeper by sanctioning the taking of innocent life which effectively dispenses with concerns as to when human life begins. Thus, the abortionists’ coveted right of choice is attempting to move across the line from abortion to infanticide. Doubters only need to listen to the testimony of Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Alisa LaPolt Snow.

Many scientists and academics would not stop at aborting babies born alive as the result of a botched abortion. Some such as Francis Crick, Nobel Prize winner for discovering the double helix in DNA, support screening newborns. For Crick, those that fail to meet certain health standards would be euthanized. Peter Singer, Princeton’s DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, believes that parents ought to be allowed to kill their disabled children. His reasoning is “…that they are ‘nonpersons’ until they are rational and self-conscious.” Singer extends his reasoning to the “…killing of incompetent persons of any age if their families decide their lives are ‘not worth living’.” Some would scoff that Crick’s and Singer’s opinions are extreme and would never gain cultural acceptance. However, legalized abortion in America was also once thought extreme by most Americans.[9]

Under the aegis of a majority of nine people on the United States Supreme Court, abortion became a choice in 1973, and unborn babies suddenly became mere fetal tissue with potentiality for human life. Contrast the Supreme Court’s decision and humanism’s convoluted defenses of abortion through fictitious rights and irrational moralizing about choice with the words of the Psalmist:

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book! [Psalm 139:13-16. Living Bible]

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:
[1] John Stonestreet, “Gosnell – The Movie,” Breakpoint Daily from the Colson Center, October 10, 2018. https://mail.yahoo.com/d/search/keyword=gosnell/messages/70843 (accessed 10-12-18).
[2] Ibid.
[3] “At Gosnell trial, Del. woman testifies scene ‘freaked me out,” delawareonline.com, April 9, 2013. http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130409/NEWS/304070067/ (accessed April 10, 2013). [The archives of this source as if the date of republication of this article are presently accessible only with a paid subscription.]
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] John McCormack,” Video: Planned Parenthood Official Argues for Right to Post-Birth Abortion,” Weekly Standard.com. https://www.weeklystandard.com/john-mccormack/video-planned-parenthood-official-argues-for-right-to-post-birth-abortion (accessed October 13, 2018).
[7] Larry G. Johnson, Ye shall be as gods – Humanism and Christianity – The Battle for Supremacy in the American Cultural Vision, (Owasso, Oklahoma: Anvil House Publishers, 2011), p. 344.
[8] Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey, How Now Shall We Live? (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
1999), p 120.
[9] Johnson, Ye shall be as gods, pp. 350-351.

Take heed that no man deceive you – Part V

The apostasy of the liberal Protestant churches in the early part of the twentieth century has now entered much of the evangelical church. The fundamentalist churches of that era that stayed true to the fundamentals of New Testament Christianity were demeaned and marginalized in a society that was becoming increasingly secular and humanistic. By the 1940s the fundamentalists emerged as neo-evangelicals and once again engaged the culture with the inerrant truth of God’s word. But as America progressed through the remainder of the century and into the twenty-first century, a large portion of the evangelical church had succumbed to the spirit of the age and slid into apostasy.

The apostasy of Pope Francis described in Parts II through IV of this series centered on the great flashpoints of conflict between the Christian and humanist worldviews. In Part II, the Pope presented salvation as a matter of works, something to be achieved by man on terms that are acceptable to him, be he a Christian or atheist. In Part III, the Pope stated that Christians and Muslims essentially worshipped the same God. In Part IV we saw that the Pope’s words contradict the Bible and the church’s traditional stance that homosexuality was a sin. The extent to which this escalating apostasy has grown is evident in many quarters of the modern evangelical church, and much of this apostasy centers on the teachings of the Church Growth movement and its evangelization through preaching a new cross.

The cross upon which the Son of God was crucified stands at the crossroads of history and the story of mankind. Its stark and demanding message is an irritant in the soul of sinful man. For many its message is too confrontational, an agitant, inconvenient, an offense, something to be mocked or shunned. In modern times the way in which the cross is perceived by many who profess allegiance to Christ has also changed. The message of the cross has been muted if not altogether silenced to minimize its offensiveness in churches filled with people trying to decide if Christianity is right for them. Others have rewritten its message to smooth its abrasiveness and soften its demands by making it a thing of comfort and beauty instead of and instrument of death to self and hope of life eternal. The old message, having been modernized and adapted, seamlessly blends with the world’s fascination with humanistic concepts of self-esteem instead of the reality of the fallen nature of man. The new cross at its core rests on ego and selfishness and is the great enemy of the old cross of Christ.[1]

But preaching a new cross and trying to fit into an increasingly hostile world can make for strange bedfellows. On August 11-12, 2016, the Global Leadership Summit was broadcast by live telecast around the world. Advertisements in print and on the Internet invited people to “join an expected 305,000 leaders from 126 countries who are committed to transforming their communities.” The Global Leadership Summit is an annual event sponsored by the Willow Creek Association (WCA) founded in 1992 by Bill Hybels and Willow Creek Church with the stated goal of serving “…pioneering pastors and leaders through world-class leadership experiences and resources” so that Christian leaders can be inspired, encouraged, and equipped [to] create thriving local churches that redeem their communities for Christ.[2] WCA’s website explains how this is to be accomplished.

WCA’s passion is to help leaders worldwide—men and women—realize God’s vision for their lives, churches and communities. We share ideas and build partnerships. Through The Global Leadership Summit (TGLS), Partners, and WCA Membership we deliver vision and inspiration to resourced regions; and we bring training and opportunity to under-resourced areas.[3]

In addition to the two-day live telecast, other Summit events are to take place throughout the fall at an additional 675+ sites in 125 countries and 59 languages.[4]

From these brief statements about the WCA’s mission and stated goals in conducting the Global Leadership Summit, there appears to be nothing of concern that would cause alarm among Christians. To the contrary, on the surface it appears to support training of Christians for the work of the Great Commission as commanded by Christ in Matthew 28:19-20. But as one digs a little deeper and learns who some of the headline speakers were at the summit, there is great cause for concern. The Global Leadership Summit for 2016 listed thirteen faculty speakers. The first four shown on the website were as follows:

Bill Hybels – Founder and Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church
Melinda Gates – Co-Chair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Alan Mulally – President and Chief Executive Officer, The Ford Motor Company (2006-2014)
Bishop T. D. Jakes – Founder and Senior Pastor, The Potter’s House

The remaining nine speakers included one other pastor and several authors, professors, business leaders, and consultants. Some of the speakers may be Christians while others may not profess Christ at all. This lineup of speakers was widely advertised on the Summit website and in hundreds of newspaper throughout America and around the world.[5]

But for Christians, the most disturbing member of the faculty was Melinda Gates whose photograph was in the number two position immediately to the right of Bill Hybels. The website biography of Gates reads as follows:

As co-chair of the foundation [the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation], Melinda Gates shapes and approves strategies, reviews results and sets the overall direction of the organization. Her work has led her to focus on empowering women and girls to bring transformational improvements in the health and prosperity of families, communities and societies. After joining Microsoft Corp. in 1987, she helped develop many of the company’s multimedia products. In 1996, Melinda left Microsoft to focus on her philanthropic work and family.[6]

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation endowment is $40.2 billion and provides grants for family planning throughout the United States and in over one hundred countries around the world. From prior to 2009 through 2013, the foundation gave $71 million in grants to the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and numerous other state and local Planned Parenthood organizations.[7] In December 2014, Gates attempted to distance her foundation from abortion by saying that it will now only fund the contraception element of Planned Parenthood. But this is the equivalent of filling the contraception pocket of the abortion provider while her friends fill the abortion pocket. This duplicity is exposed through her foundation’s relationship with Warren Buffett. Through the Sarah Thompson Buffett Foundation named after his late wife, Buffett funneled $231 million to Planned Parenthood between 2010 and 2013. Should it come as a surprise that Buffett is also a Gates Foundation trustee, and “helps ‘shape and develop strategies’ for the Foundation. Buffett is also a large contributor to the Gates Foundation.”[8]

Should Melinda Gates activities, friends, and associates have been of concern to Bill Hybels when he invited her to speak at his leadership conference conducted under the banner of his Christian organization? To say other than a resounding “yes” is to ignore his credulity and lack of common sense. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” [1 John 2:15. KJV]

The “world” is a term that is a frequent reference to the vast system of the age. The term refers to many things. It is not limited to the evil, immoral, and sinful pleasures of the world. The “world” also refers to a rebellious spirit that wars against God and His Word. This spirit exists in all human enterprises and activities. Satan opposes God and His people by using the world’s ideas, morality, and philosophies in all spheres of life including government, culture, education, science, art, medicine, music, economic systems, entertainment, mass media, and religion.[9] The words from Donald Stamps’ Bible commentary leave the discerning Christian little doubt as to the meaning of the world system.

Believers must be aware that behind all human enterprises there is a spirit, force, or power that moves against God and His Word, some to a lesser degree, some to a greater degree. Finally, the “world” also includes all man-made religious systems and all unbiblical, worldly, or lukewarm “Christian” organizations and churches.

Satan has organized the world into political, cultural, economic, and religious systems that are innately hostile toward God and His people…

Loving the world defiles our fellowship with God and leads to spiritual destruction…To love the world means being in intimate fellowship with and devotion to its values, interest, ways, and pleasures…Believers must have no close or intimate fellowship with those who participate in the world’s evil system, must openly condemn their sin, must be salt and light to them, must love them, and must attempt to win them to Christ.[10]

A key phrase in Global Leadership Summit’s promotional materials is, “We share ideas and build partnerships.” The larger problem is that many in the church are looking to the world for ideas and answers which contain the spirit of the world. Why must many Christian leaders rely on the wisdom of the world when they have access to the wisdom of the ages through the Holy Spirit? The Apostle Paul warned about seeking wisdom from the unchurched.

Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So let no one boast of men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s. [1 Corinthians 3:18-23. RSV]

This does not mean that Christians are opposed to education and self-improvement. Rather, the opposite is true, but we should remember that the foundational source of our knowledge is not worldly wisdom. Rather, the world’s wisdom must always be sifted and judged in light of the biblical revelation, prayer, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. And the Christian’s quest for wisdom and accomplishment of the Great Commission certainly does not include partnering with the world. The Apostle Paul’s letter of instruction to the Corinthians is very clear on this matter.

Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God… [2 Corinthians 6:14-16a. RSV] [emphasis added]

One wonders how many Christians among the 305,000 participants at the various Global Leadership Summit locations around the world departed confused or dismayed at the absurdity of having a speaker attempt to teach leadership skills to Christians so they may better do the works commanded by Christ but who personally has funded the deaths of millions of unborn babies.
______

In this series we have looked at specific instances of religious compromisers and false prophets that have risen to leadership within the church during these last days at the end of the age. There are many other instances of apostasy in the modern evangelical church that could be discussed, but time, space, and the reader’s endurance will not permit such discussion. For readers who wish to examine other articles in this website that deal with apostasy, a few of those are listed at the end of this article.

One must ask the question as to why so many evangelical churches have lost their courageous, countercultural, prophetic voice and are no longer confronting a deteriorating culture. Writing almost three quarters of a century ago, the words of A. W. Tozer rightly diagnosed the reasons for the apostate condition of much of American evangelicalism then and now.

Christianity is so entangled with the spirit of the world that millions never guess how radically they have missed the New Testament pattern. Compromise is everywhere. The world is whitewashed just enough to pass inspection by blind men posing as believers, and those same believers are everlastingly seeking to gain acceptance with the world. By mutual concessions men who call themselves Christians manage to get on with men who have for the things of God nothing but contempt.[11]

Larry G. Johnson

Additional articles on apostasy at culturewarrior.net:

Seduction of the American church
Strange Fire – The church’s quest for cultural relevance – Part I,
Strange Fire – The church’s quest for cultural relevance – Part II
Strange Fire – The churches quest for cultural relevance – Part III
Strange Fire – The churches quest for cultural relevance – Part IV
The Separated Church – Part I
The Separated Church – Part II
The Separated Church – Part III
The Separated Church – Part IV
Growing apostasy in the last days – Part I
Growing apostasy in the last days – Part II
Growing Apostasy in the last days – Part III
Growing Apostasy in the last days – Part IV
Pacifist Christians in the culture wars – Part I
Pacifist Christians in the culture wars – Part II

Sources:

[1] Larry G. Johnson, Evangelical Winter – Restoring New Testament Christianity, (Owasso, Oklahoma: Anvil House Publishers, 2016), p. 274.
[2] “About WCA,” Willow Creek Association, https://www.willowcreek.com/about/ (accessed September 16, 2016).
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Faculty,” The Global Leadership Summit, https://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/#about (accessed September 16, 2016).
[6] Ibid.
[7] Susan Berry, “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations says it will no longer fund abortion,” Brietbart, June 12, 2014. http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2014/06/12/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-says-it-will-no-longer-fund-abortion/ (accessed September 16, 2016).
[8]Alatheia Nielsen, “Planned Parenthood’s Biggest Donors Gave $374 Million in Four Years,” mrcNewsBusters, July 31, 2015. http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/alatheia-larsen/2015/07/31/planned-parenthoods-biggest-donors-gave-374-million-four-years (accessed September 16, 2016).
[9] Donald C. Stamps, Study Notes and Articles, The Full Life Study Bible – New Testament, King James Version, gen. ed. Donald C. Stamps, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1990), p. 578.
[10] Ibid., pp. 578-579.
[11] A. W. Tozer, God’s Pursuit of Man, (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania: WingSpread Publishers), p. 116.

Oh!? It’s a matter of sanitation and not murder.

You may have followed the information (if you were able to find it in main stream media) flowing from the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion clinic operator accused of murdering a woman and seven babies born alive. I wrote about Gosnell and Planned Parenthood on April 12, 2013 (See Archives: “Postcard from Hell. In that article I referred to the testimony of Alisa LaPolt Snow, the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates lobbyist, regarding a bill before the Florida legislature that would require abortionists to provide medical care to an infant who survives an abortion. In response to being asked what would Planned Parenthood do if a live baby were born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, Snow replied, “We believe that any decision that’s made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician.” With regard to her callus comment I said that, “Apart from lack of sanitation and improper licensing, Planned Parenthood would have little to no issues with Dr. Gosnell’s methods and decision-making process with regard to killing a live baby.”

Referring to the heart-breaking and disturbing facts that occurred at the Philadelphia abortion clinic, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) attempted to have the Senate pass a sense of the Senate resolution that would have condemned illegal abortion practices. The resolution stated:

Congress has the responsibility to investigate and conduct hearings on abortions performed near, at, or after viability in the United States, public policies regarding such, and evaluate the extent to which such abortions involve violations of the natural right to life of infants who are born alive or are capable of being born alive, and therefore are entitled to equal protection under the law.

Given the facts coming out of the Philadelphia trial, it would appear that no reasonable person could object to Senator Lee’s resolution. However, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have found a way. A favorite ploy of Congressional Democrats is to resort to obfuscation in blocking solutions for problems when those solutions are in conflict with their interests and agenda and those of their allies. The issue is effectively muddled by enlarging the problem and then seeking “comprehensive” solutions instead of addressing the pressing issue of the moment. One example of this Democratic obfuscation is illegal immigration in which securing America’s borders is ignored or marginalized in favor of making it a part of a larger solution in dealing with “undocumented immigrants.”

Senator Blumenthal employed this tactic to defeat Senator Lee’s resolution and proposed his own resolution which states that all “incidents of abusive, unsanitary, or illegal health care practices should be condemned and prevented and the perpetrators should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Senator Lee sees clearly that the problem is immediate and of such compelling nature as to require Congressional action…it is about murdering born alive babies. But Notice Blumenthal’s subtle footwork. For the Senator, it is not about murder but “abusive, unsanitary, or illegal health care practices.” Yes, murder is abusive and illegal, but it can never be labeled a health care practice. It appears that Congressional Democrats, like their ally Planned Parenthood, cannot distinguish between abusive, unsanitary, or illegal health care practices and murder of born alive babies. While Congressional Democrats obfuscate and dither, little human beings are being killed.

Triage is a medical term. It means the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims to reflect the urgency of the patient’s need in order to maximize the number of survivors. The culture wars rage and both born and unborn babies are battle victims dying in America’s abortion mills. Senator Lee’s proposal pointed to the urgency of the need in order to maximize the number of survivors. But for Congressional Democrats, murdering born alive babies does not rise to the level requiring triage. It is part of a larger health care problem that must be investigated, mulled, discussed, considered…ad infinitum. Meanwhile, millions of little babies will never see their first birthday.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

Larry G. Johnson, “Postcard from Hell,” CultureWarrior.net, April 12, 2013. https://www.culturewarrior.net/2013/04/12/postcard-from-hell/ (accessed May 10, 2013).

Dr. Susan Berry, “Sen. Mike Lee resolves to address “Gosnell-type” abortion crime,” Brietbart News, May 6, 2013 http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/06/Sen-Mike-Lee-Resolves-To-Address-Gosnell-Type-Abortion-Crime (accessed May 10, 2013).

“Blumenthal Delivers Floor Speech Objecting To Senator Lee’s Abortion Resolution, Introduces Broader Resolution Condemning Criminal Acts And Malpractice In All Health Care Settings” Richard Blumenthal, United States Senator – Connecticut, May 8, 2013 http://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-delivers-floor-speech-objecting-to-senator-lees-abortion-resolution-introduces-broader-resolution-condemning-criminal-acts-and-malpractice-in-all-health-care-settings (accessed May 10, 2013).

Postcard from Hell

“It would rain fetuses. Fetuses and blood all over the place…I felt like a fireman in hell. I couldn’t put out all the fires.” These are the words of Steven Massof, one of the employees in an abortion clinic operated by Dr. Kermit Gosnell, describing the busy times when the women were given drugs to induce contractions all at once. Gosnell is on trial this week for killing seven children and a young mother in a filthy, blood-splattered clinic near Philadelphia.

The babies had the misfortune to be born live in Gosnell’s abortion clinic staffed in part by teenagers posing as licensed anesthetists. The bodies of the tiny victims were stored in a freezer in the basement of the clinic. Massof admitted that killing babies born alive was standard procedure at the clinic. He estimated that at least 100 babies were born alive in the clinic and had their necks snipped, but the beheadings were so routine that no one could determine the exact number.

Generally, such stories of horrific tragedies would be meat for the media grinder. However, you probably have not heard much if any reports from the great majority of news media. But thanks to the Family Research Council and other conservative organizations and leaders, the story which the media have ignored or censored is gaining some attention.

Sherry West was another long-time employee of the clinic. She testified that she called the babies specimens “because it was easier to deal with mentally.” West recalled one incident of a “screaming baby that really freaked me out…I can’t describe it. It sounded like a little alien.” She estimated the baby to have been between 18 and 24 inches long, one of the largest she had seen during abortion procedures at the Women’s Medical Society clinic operated by Dr. Gosnell at that time.

Perhaps you will recall President Clinton’s statement that abortions in America should be “safe, legal, and rare.” But his statement is just political sop to pacify the squeamish. The same sop to hide abortion’s grisly reality was used by Alisa LaPolt Snow, the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates lobbyist, in her testimony regarding a bill before the Florida legislature that would require abortionists to provide medical care to an infant who survives an abortion. In response to being asked what would Planned Parenthood do if a live baby were born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, Snow replied, “We believe that any decision that’s made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician.”

Effectively, Planned Parenthood would leave the life or death decisions to the Dr. Gosnells of the world with regard to babies born alive after a botched abortion. Certainly the mother is in no emotional or physical shape to make a thoughtful and rational decision, and it is extremely unlikely that the doctor would consult the mother’s family (generally not present anyway) as the baby is lying on the table and struggling for life. Apart from lack of sanitation and improper licensing, Planned Parenthood would have little to no issues with Dr. Gosnell’s methods and decision-making process with regard to killing a live baby.

After January 22, 1973, the lives of unborn babies were no longer sacrosanct in America but placed in the hands of the deciders following the dictates of man’s law. It is estimated that over fifty two million abortions have fallen victim to man’s law in America from January 1973 through the end of 2008. These estimates came from direct surveys of abortionists by the Guttmacher Institute, once a research affiliate of Planned Parenthood. The number of abortions per day, if an average were calculated for the entire thirty-six year period, is over 3,900. This average number of abortions per day exceeds by over one thousand the number of lives lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Numbers and statistics are sterile things and do not convey the horror of a single abortion as shown above. Euphemisms, platitudes, and legal arguments about rights, privacy, and choice attempt to soften the picture or divert our attention from the horror surrounding the abortion of an unborn child.

Legalized abortion was the wedge used to split open the historic Western commitment to the dignity of human life. Now the humanist defenders of abortion continue attempts to drive the wedge deeper by sanctioning the taking of innocent life which effectively dispenses with concerns as to when human life begins. Thus, the abortionists’ coveted right of choice is attempting to move across the line from abortion to infanticide. Doubters only need to listen to the testimony of Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Alisa LaPolt Snow.

Many scientists and academics would not stop at aborting babies born alive as the result of a botched abortion. Some such as Francis Crick, Nobel Prize winner for discovering the double helix in DNA, support screening newborns. For Crick, those that fail to meet certain health standards would be euthanized. Peter Singer, Princeton’s DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, believes that parents ought to be allowed to kill their disabled children. His reasoning is “…that they are ‘nonpersons’ until they are rational and self-conscious.” Singer extends his reasoning to the “…killing of incompetent persons of any age if their families decide their lives are ‘not worth living’.” Some would scoff that Crick’s and Pinker’s opinions are extreme and would never gain cultural acceptance. However, legalized abortion in America was also once thought extreme by most Americans.

Under the aegis of a majority of nine people on the United States Supreme Court, abortion became a choice in 1973, and unborn babies suddenly became mere fetal tissue with potentiality for human life. Contrast the Supreme Court’s decision and humanism’s convoluted defenses of abortion through fictitious rights and irrational moralizing about choice with the words of the Psalmist:

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book! [Psalm 139:13-16. Living Bible]

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

John Hayward, “Kermit Gosnell’s House of Screams,” Human Events, April 8, 2013. http://www.humanevents.com/2013/04/08/kermit-gosnells-house-of-screams/ (accessed April 10, 2013).

Tony Perkins, “Washington Update,” Family Research Council, April 9, 2013. http://www.frc.org/washingtonupdate/braking-news-media-halts-coverage-of-serial-killer (accessed April 10, 2013).

“At Gosnell trial, Del. woman testifies scene ‘freaked me out,” delawareonline.com, April 9, 2013. http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130409/NEWS/304070067/ (accessed April 10, 2013).

Larry G. Johnson, Ye shall be as gods – Humanism and Christianity – The Battle for Supremacy in the American Cultural Vision, (Owasso, Oklahoma: Anvil House Publishers, 2011), pp. 344, 350-351.