A Culture of Life
A CULTURE OF LIFE
MIKE CUNNINGHAM
MAY 19, 2013
Among the many amazing events that took place in Bethlehem twenty one hundred years ago when Jesus was born, is the fact that He came and lived in a society which could accurately be described as being a culture of death. That truth was evidenced by what has been referred to throughout church history as being the slaughter of the innocents. Allow me to explain.
Matthew 2:16-18 (TLB) 16 Herod was furious when he learned that the astrologers [wise men] had disobeyed him. Sending soldiers to Bethlehem, he ordered them to kill every baby boy two years old and under, both in the town and on the nearby farms, for the astrologers [wise men] had told him the star first appeared to them two years before. 17 This brutal action of Herod’s fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah, 18 “Screams of anguish come from Ramah, Weeping unrestrained; Rachel weeping for her children, Uncomforted—For they are dead.”
“Herod was a past master of the art of assassination. He had no sooner come to the throne than he began by annihilating the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews. Later he slaughtered three hundred court officers out of hand. Later he murdered his wife Mariamne and her mother Alexandra, his eldest son Antipater and two other sons, Alexander and Aristobulus. And in the hour of his death he arranged for the slaughter of the notable men of Jerusalem.”
“It was not to be expected that Herod would calmly accept the news that a child had been born who was going to be king. We have read how he had carefully inquired of the wise men when they had seen the star. Even then he was craftily working out the age of the child so that he might take steps towards murder, and now he put his plans into swift and savage action. He gave orders that every child under two years of age in Bethlehem and the surrounding district should be slaughtered. Bethlehem was not a large town, and the number of the children would not exceed from twenty to thirty babies.” [1].
“Herod’s fierce rage, inflamed by the dim suspicion that those crafty Easterners had gone away laughing in their sleeves at having tricked him, and by the dread that they may be stirring up armed defenders of the infant King, is in full accord with all that we know of him.” “The fate of those few infants is a strange one. In their brief lives they have won immortal fame. They died for the Christ whom they never knew. These lambs were slain for the sake of the Lamb who lived while they died that by His death they might live forever.” [2]
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” So goes an old saying. But when the early Christians arrived in Rome from Jerusalem and parts of Asia Minor, they did not do as the pagan Romans did. They defied the entire system of Rome’s morality. The low view of human life among the Romans was one of their pagan depravities.”
“The low view of life among the Romans was a shocking affront to the early Christians, who came to Rome with an exalted view of human life. Like their Jewish ancestors, they saw human beings as the crown of God’s creation; they believed that man was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Although that image was tarnished by man’s fall into sin, they nevertheless believed the words of the psalmist to be true: “You made him [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). They also knew that God so honored human life the he himself assumed it by becoming incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son (John 1:14). Thus, unlike the Romans, Christians did not hold human life to be cheap and expendable. It was to be honored and protected at all costs, regardless of its form or quality. By doing so, they countered many depravities that depreciated human life.”
“One way that Christians underscored the sanctity of human life was its consistent and active opposition to the widespread pagan practice of infanticide-killing newborn infants, usually soon after birth. Frederick Farrar has noted that “infanticide was infamously universal” among the Greeks and Romans during the early years of Christianity. Infants were killed for various reasons. Those born deformed or physically frail were especially prone to being willfully killed, often by drowning.” [3].
“The low view of human life among the Greco-Romans also showed itself in widespread abortion practices. Ignoring this factor, historians and anthropologists tend to cite poverty or food shortage as the primary reason for their prevalence. However, historical data indicate that poverty was not the primary cause of the high abortion rates among the Romans in the century preceding and during the early Christian era. At this time in history the Roman honor and respect for marriage had virtually become extinct. Roman “marriage, deprived of all moral character,” as one historian had noted, “was no longer a sacred bond and alliance of souls.” Juvenal apparently was not exaggerating when he said that a chaste wife was almost nonexistent. And Seneca, the Roman moralist, called unchastely “the greatest evil of our time.” In light of this pronounced deterioration of marriage, countless Roman women engaged in adulterous sex, and when they became pregnant, they destroyed the evidence of their sexual indiscretions, thus adding to Rome’s widespread abortions.”
“Long before the birth of Christ, faithful Jews, contrary to the pagan societies around them, held to the sanctity of human life, including life in the womb.” [4].
Some of you folks may be wondering where I’m headed with this information-so let’s fast-forward to an article which appeared in last Wednesday’s edition of the Burlington (Vermont) Free Press.
“A Philadelphia abortion doctor convicted of killing three babies who were born alive in his grimy clinic agreed Tuesday to give up his right to an appeal and faces life in prison but will be spared a death sentence.”
“Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, was convicted Monday of first- degree murder in the deaths of the babies who were delivered alive and killed with scissors. In a case that became a flashpoint in the nation’s abortion debate, former clinic employees testified that Gosnell routinely performed illegal abortions past Pennsylvania’s 24-week limit, that he delivered babies who were still moving, whimpering or breathing, and that he and his assistants dispatched the newborns by “snipping” their spines, as he referred to it.”
“Prosecutors agreed to two life sentences without parole, and Gosnell was to be sentenced today in the death of the third baby, an involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of a patient and hundreds of lesser counts. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty because Gosnell killed more than one person, and his victims were especially vulnerable given their age. But Gosnell’s own advanced age had made it unlikely he would ever be executed before his appeals ran out. “
“The gruesome details of Gosnell’s operation came out more than two years ago during a grand jury investigation of prescription drug trafficking. Authorities raiding Gosnell’s clinic for drugs instead found bags and bottles of fetuses,”… “along with blood-stained furniture, dirty medical instruments and cats roaming the premises.”
“Partisans on both sides of the nation’s abortion debate were quick to weigh in after the verdict. Abortion foes said the case helped to illustrate the disturbing reality of abortion. This has helped more people realize what abortion is really about,” said David O’Steen, executive director of the National Right to Life Committee. He said he hopes the case results in more states passing bills that prohibit abortion “once the unborn child can feel pain.”
“Supporters of legalized abortion said the case offered a preview of what poor, desperate young women could face if abortion is driven underground with more restrictive laws.” “Kermit Gosnell has been found guilty and will get what he deserves. Now let’s make sure these women are vindicated by delivering what all women deserve: access to the full range of health services including safe, high-quality and legal abortion care,” said Ilyse G. Hogue, president of NARAL Pro Choice America.” [5].
“The arrest of Dr. Gosnell in 2011 brought a wave of news coverage that was not the case with his trial-at least not until public outrage demanded that the press pay more attention. The mainstream media largely ignored the trial, and national attention came only after a concerted effort in social media and on the internet made inattention to the story almost impossible.” [6].
King Herod and Dr. Gosnell were far from being as successful in killing babies as was achieved by the people in the very lucrative abortion industry. Since the founding of NARAL by Dr. Bernard Nathanson and a couple of other abortion advocates. David Kupelian in his outstanding book, ”The Marketing of Evil,” which was published in 2005 explains that,
“During the tumultuous 1960s, after centuries of legal prohibition and moral condemnation, a handful of dedicated activists launched an unprecedented marketing campaign. Their aim was twofold: first, to capture the news media and thus public opinion, and then to change the nation’s abortion laws. Their success was rapid and total-resulting in abortion being legalized in all fifty states for virtually any reason and throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Since the Supreme Court’s controversial Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, American doctors have performed well over forty million (now fifty five million and counting) abortions.”
“In marketing wars, the party that frames the terms of the debate almost always wins. And the early abortion marketers brilliantly succeeded in doing exactly that.-diverting attention from the core issues of exactly what abortion does to both the unborn child and the mother, and focusing the debate instead on a newly created issue: choice. No longer was the reality of killing the unborn an issue, but rather “who decides.” The original abortion-rights slogans from the early ‘70s-they remain virtual articles of faith and rallying cries of the “pro choice” movement to this day-were “Freedom of choice” and “Women must have control over their own bodies.”
“I remember laughing when we made those slogans up,” recalls Bernard Nathanson, M. D. cofounder of the pro abortion vanguard group, NARAL, reminiscing about the early days of the abortion rights movement in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. “We were looking for some sexy, catchy slogans to capture public opinion. They were very cynical slogans then, just as all those slogans today are very cynical.”
“In 1968 I met Lawrence Lader,” says Nathanson. “Lader had just finished a book called Abortion, and in it had made the audacious demand that abortion should be legalized throughout the country. I had just finished a residency in obstetrics and gynecology and was impressed with the number of women who were coming into our clinics, wards and hospitals suffering from illegal, infected, botched abortions. “Lader and I were perfect for each other. We sat down and plotted out the organization now known as NARAL. With Beverly Friedan, we set up this organization and began working on the strategy.”
“We persuaded the media that the cause of permissive abortion was a liberal, enlightened, sophisticated one,” recalls the movement’s co-founder. “Knowing that if a true poll were taken, we would be soundly defeated, we simply fabricated the results of fictional polls. We announced to the media that we had taken polls and that 60 percent of Americans were in favor of permissive abortion. This is the tactic of the self-fulfilling lie. Few people care to be in the minority. We aroused enough sympathy to sell our program of permissive abortion by fabricating the number of illegal abortions done annually in the U. S. The actual figure was approaching 100,000, but the figure we gave to the media repeatedly was one million.”
“Repeating the big lie often enough convinces the public. The number of women dying from illegal abortions was around 200-250 annually. The figure we constantly fed to the media was 10,000. These false figures took root in the consciousness of Americans, convincing many that we needed to crack the abortion law. Another myth we fed to the public through the media was that legalizing abortion would only mean that the abortions taking place illegally would then be done legally. In fact, of course, abortion is now being used as a primary method of birth control in the U. S. and the annual number of abortions has increased by 1,500 percent since legalization. NARAL’s brilliantly deceitful marketing campaign, bolstered by fraudulent research, was uncannily successful.” [7].
“We were inundated with applications for abortion,” says Nathanson. “To that end, I set up a clinic, the Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health (CRASH), which operated in the east side of Manhattan. It had 10 operating rooms, 35 doctors, 85 nurses. It operated seven days a week, from 8 a. m. to midnight. We did 120 abortions every day in that clinic. At the end of two years that I was the director, we had done 60,000 abortions. I myself, with my own hands, have done 5,000 abortions. I have supervised another 10,000 that residents have done under my direction. So I have 75,000 abortions in my life. Those are pretty good credentials to speak on the subject of abortion.”
“After two years, Nathanson resigned from CRASH and became chief of the obstetrical service at St. Luke’s hospital in New York City, a major teaching center for Columbia University Medical School. At that time, in 1973, a raft of new technologies and apparatuses had just become available, all designed to afford physicians a “window into the womb.” “Nathanson recalls the dazzling array of cutting-edge technologies back then: Real-time ultrasound, Electronic fetal heart monitoring, Fetoscopy, Cordocentesis.”
“Anyway,” says Nathanson, “as a result of all of this technology-looking at this baby, examining it, investigating it, watching its metabolic functions, watching it urinate, swallow, move and sleep, watching it dream, which you could see by its rapid eye movements via ultrasound, treating it, operating on it-I finally came to the conviction that this was my patient. This was a person! I was a physician, pledged to save my patients lives, not to destroy them. So I changed my mind on the subject of abortion.” “There was nothing religious about it,” he hastens to add. “This was purely a change of mind as a result of this fantastic technology, and the new insights and perceptions I had into the nature of the unborn child.” [8].
“Many doctors who perform abortions cite the same contributory factors to their getting started-the media, woman’s rights groups, and their medical training itself. In addition, doing abortions makes for a very lucrative practice.” “Joseph Randall, M. D., of Atlanta, Georgia, frankly admits that he was attracted to the large income potential that abortions offered. Over the ten years that he did abortions, Randal estimates that he performed thirty-two thousand.”
“The media were very active early on,” recalls Randall. “They were probably one of the major influences on us, telling us that abortion was not only legal, but that it was to serve women. It was to give women a choice; more or less give them a freedom to grow and to take their rightful place in society where they had been kind of pushed down prior to that. We also believed the lie that there were tens of thousands of women being maimed, and killed from illegal abortions prior to the legalization of abortion law.”
“Remember, as Nathanson admits, the number of women dying from illegal abortions was only a tiny fraction of what the marketers claimed. As part of our medical training,” added Randall, “abortions became a necessary procedure, according to the chief of my department. This was in 1971, before the law had changed in the country, but it had changed in New York a few years before. We needed to serve women, we needed to know all the procedures that we had to do for women, and we had to know how to do them well. Otherwise we weren’t considered effectively trained. Our chief said that if we didn’t do abortions, we might as well get out of obstetrics and gynecology because we just wouldn’t be complete physicians.” [9].
“Ultrasound, the great awakener of Bernard Nathanson, is routinely employed today to check on the progress of developing babies. In an ironic and shadowy parallel, ultrasound is also used to aid in abortions. Joseph Randall observed: “The nurses had to look at the ultrasound picture to gauge how far along the baby is for an abortion, because the larger the pregnancy, the more you get paid. It was very important for us to do that. But the turnover definitely got greater when we started using ultrasound. We lost two nurses-they couldn’t take looking at it. Some of the other staff left also.”
“What about the women having the abortions? Do they see the ultrasound? “They are never allowed to look at the ultrasound because we knew that if they so much as heard the heartbeat, they wouldn’t want to have the abortion,” said Randall. “A peculiar problem in the abortion clinic is fetal disposal. “We basically put them down the garbage disposal if they were small enough,” said Nita Whitten. “We hardly ever sent anything to the laboratory for pathology unless there was something weird going on and the doctor wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t get sued.” “Every year in the United States more than a million abortions are performed-including tens of thousands of late-term abortions (after the twelfth week).” [10].
“As the current climate of our culture moves further and further away from morality and truth, it takes average people engaged in their area of influence to make any great strides toward change.” [11].
That concludes today’s sermon. I urge each of you folks to please make the time to seriously think about it and do everything you possibly can to change our society and bring about A Culture of Life.
Lord willing, next week….
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[1]. The Gospel of Matthew, volume 1, by William Barclay, P. 36-37.
[2]. Exposition of Holy Scripture, Volume 1, by Alexander Maclaren, p. 32-33.
[3]. Under the Influence, by Alvin Schmidt, p. 48-49.
[4]. Ibid, p. 55-56.
[5]. Mary Claire Dale of the Associated Press; cited in the Burlington Free Press, Wednesday, May 15, 2013.
[6]. Posted on Dr. Albert Mohler’s blog on May 14, 2013.
[7]. The Marketing of Evil, by David Kupelian P. 189-191.
[8]. Ibid. p. 192-193.
[9]. Ibid. p. 197.
[10]. Ibid. p. 199
[11]. By Alan Terwilleger, President of The Chuck Colson Center For Christian Worldview, May 18th.
Growing up, my parents tried to protect me (some would say shelter me) from the cruel truths of this world. Though I disagree with the extent of which they did it at times, I respect the fact they lived out what they thought to be right.
The world isn’t all unicorns and rainbows, and I don’t think anyone, including little children are naive to that fact.
However, to speak so graphically about something so disgusting and cruel, important as it is to know about, you not only violated these parents’ rights to protect them from knowledge of a very adult subject, but also turned what should be a joyous sabbath into utter gloom.
It’s embarrassing to say that I stared at the floor the entire service, but I did. I absolutely love our church body, and I love you, but I absolutely can not tolerate a sermon like this.
I’m not pastor, but my belief is that a sermon is either to uplift ones spirits, or bring to light something in our own hearts that we need to change in order to be Christ-like.
To speak of R rated things (worse than R, really…) that neither uplifted our spirits nor taught us to be Christ-like to me seemed like a wasted opportunity to reach out to a congregation that had more people than usual, including some that only show up once a year.
Please know, like I said when I was leaving your house today, that this is not a personal attack. You are one of the most loved people I know. This is entirely because you affected your congregation in BIG ways today, and you are always to ask for feedback – good or bad…so here it is.
Wow!
Today’s sermon was not pretty. I think I would not like to have been in church to hear it. However, I will bet that people are talking about abortion tonight.
Things have not changed much in 2000 + years have they? They were killing babies in Herod’s time and still doing it today.
Question: Where was God 2000 years ago when they were killing babies and each other? And where is God today when we are still killing babies and each other?
God is not to blame. God gave people the free will to choose. Some people choose to committ this horrible sin of killing babies. God is weeping for these children just as we are. So sad…………
To answer Peg’s question…God is right where he has always been, right on his throne. God is not doing these horrible things, people are. And where is Satan? Right here in our midst,his evil infecting the hearts and the actions of men and women. He roams about, devouring. He is evil, alive and well. Just look at what happened in Montpelier this last week. Just read that sermon again. Pure evil.
In response to your sermon, I have agonized over so many babies being killed for years, Mike. But my eyes widened when I read that people have put babies down garbage disposals if they are small enough, to dispose of the child. I had to reread that sentence to make sure I had read correctly. Chilling, and shameful. For money? How can anyone do that. No conscience. God did not create us to murder our own, our most innocent. I always think, “God forgive us” but I know he can’t. Not for killing innocent children. I am ashamed of being part of the human race when I read things like this. But thank you for making sure we know the truth, Mike. It’s important to be informed, even about the ugliest stuff in the world. And we’re sure not going to hear anything negative about abortion anywhere else in Vermont, other than church. I think of you and pray for you often Mike. Big birthday coming up, eh? I don’t forget the most important dates!
Dorothy
Dear grandpa,
Today’s sermon was great and I personally believe it’s what people need to hear. Was it graphic? Yes. But that will only help people understand how bad it really is. Thank you for doing this for me. It means a lot.
Love,
Amanda
This was a very good sermon that needed to be preached. There will always be people that hate hearing topics like this but too bad for them. If God speaks of this in scripture then we should be speaking of it in public. There are two groups of people that would be the most offended by a sermon like this. The non Christian or one of the 55 million murdering mother’s that are having a hard time living with themselves. What a shame that the doctors go to jail but the murdering mother’s are still free. Unless these mother’s repent of their murdering sin they have no hope in entering the kingdom of Heaven. This is what I teach my kids because this is what God teaches in scripture. I find it interesting that people still talk about the life lost on 911 or the Boston bombing or the school shootings. But the same people never talk about the 55 million baby’s killed in America over the last 40 years. The reason for this is the people involved in these mass killings have either been killed or put in jail. Most of the killer’s of the 55 million baby’s are still on the loose. What a blessing it was to have the older people at the church all praise Pastor Mike on a great sermon that needed to be preached. Even an older couple just visiting praised Pastor Mike for the sermon. The world is changing and not for the better. The school’s have corrupted the minds of our children and having them believe that God is wrong and people are right. The kids now think bad is good and good is bad. Was it not our Father in Heaven that said it would be this way? My fear is a lot of people that think they are Christians are fooling themselves. These people have been brainwashed by bad parents, bad teachers and false teacher’s behind many pulpits. If we don’t live for Christ we will die and go to Hell. If we don’t speak against the evil’s of this world then how can we say we are living for Christ? The out of site out of mind attitude of this world just does not fly with Christ. There are baby’s being killed all over the world. There are men and women and young girls and boy’s being raped all over the world. People are being sold for sex and body parts all over the world. People are starving and have no food all over the world. People are being killed for their beliefs all over the world. There are people dying all over the world from all sorts of health issues. There are parents greving over the lose of there child while other (should be parents ) are killing their unborn baby’s because of selfishness. If we want to close our ear’s and eye’s to all this (because it’s to hard to handle) then we better prepare ourselves for the pit’s of Hell we will soon enter.
Mike Jr.
I don’t know Sarah, but respect her words; The issue is as a Pastor it is your job to speak the truth. We may not like the message, but we must hear it. For me, the message is to do what little I can as one person to stop such killing of babies. Sarah is right, this is not about butterflies and rainbows, it about helpless little children who can not protect themselves. Such a message is to uplift us to do something about it.
Mike please don’t back down, the words have to be said and we may not want to listen but if we are a God loving people we must listen.
Let us hope that we get to the day where such killing is not taking place and we indeed have, “A Culture Of Life!
God bless you my friend.
ED
Thanks for speaking about this delicate subject. You’re right Mike we need to speak for these babies, for their suffering since they can’t defend themselves. Such a horrible way to die and to think that some people don’t think of abortion as killing a human being. So sad! You’re absolutely right Mike if those women saw the ultrasound of their babies they would never agree on the aborting their child.
Dear Grandpa,
Your sermon was really good. It helped me understand what’s been happening to unborn children around the world. How awful it is for a mother to kill her baby. My dad say’s all those baby’s are now in Heaven. It’s sad to think most all those mother’s won’t be joining them.
Love,
Cheyenne
Hi Mike,
I have to express my opinion on “A Culture of Life,” and am sorry to say that I am in the minority on this one. I will explain my point of view using positive and negative points, but I just didn’t like the sermon. After reading it many times and also reading the comments of all the other folks, my opinion is still similar to what Sarah expressed. I don’t think that hearing it in church would have made a difference ~ as you know, I was in the nursery with Emma, so I didn’t really hear the sermon as it was preached.
On the positive side, you certainly got people talking and thinking about this emotional issue, which I know is always your goal. Powerful…shocking…informative…sad…all true descriptions. (These words came from my sister and my daughter as we discussed the sermon.) There was so much information (and many statistics) provided, and for this I thank you. I was stricken by the information on the fraudulent research and the lies that were told – how despicable! – but it isn’t surprising, that’s how Satan works! It was also enlightening, and very sad, to read all the details provided by Dr. Nathanson. However, his mindset change when he “…pledged to save his patients’ lives, not destroy them…” was a glimmer of light in a sadly dark sermon.
On the negative side, for me it was just too graphic of a Sunday sermon. I know that gory details (scissors, garbage disposals)are what impressed some people, but as I said, I am apparently in the minority on this. It seemed to me more like a science or ethics lecture than a message leading us in a worship service. Admittedly, I know we need to be reminded (in church and our daily lives) of the evils surrounding us. Unfortunately, we are bombarded with negative, sad news six days a week. My church time on Sunday is when I can experience “the other side” of humanity, so to speak. That is simplifying it, but my time in worship on Sunday can set the tone for my whole week and always seems to pull me closer to Our Heavenly Father. In my case, the ending of a sermon can pull everything together, and it usually sets the tone for my attitude as I leave church and embark on the week ahead.
Perhaps this message would have spoken to me better if, after the abortion details, etc, the sanctity of life concept had been mentioned in closing. Maybe some focus on the hundreds of centers around our country (such as CareNet) who are ministering to women in this situation, or possibly some statistics about abortion plans that have been “aborted” because people cared enough to deal with these (potentially) lost souls with caring, understanding and truth, rather than the garbage the opposition perpetuates. I believe the various CareNet-type websites would have these figures~ although the abortion figures are astounding and sad, there most certainly have been some strides made in the opposite direction as well…
Pastor Mike, you know I love and respect you, and I certainly don’t feel that your aim on Sunday is for “Doris Maynard to leave church feeling ignorantly happy, like the fool on the hill,” but I know that I have just expressed the sentiments of at least SOME people in our Christian family.
We all love you, and Happy #80!!!!!
God Bless You and Yours,
Doris
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Doris!
Your comments are an answer to my prayers!
Pastor Mike