On March 1, 2018, the Mississippi State University is hosting Dr. Willie Parker. Dr. Parker is a well-known advocate and supporter of abortion. He has written, Life’s Work: A Moral Argument for Choice, in which he proposes that abortion is morally consistent with his faith in God. Having spent most of the last 12 years living away from MS, I was recently made aware of Dr. Parker through the advertising of the event in Starkville, MS. I found in a Newsweek article printed in April 2017, where he claims to perform at least 1,000 abortions each year with over 10,000 thus far in his career. He claims, “I am doing God’s work. I am protecting women’s rights, their human right to decide their future for themselves, and to live their lives as they see fit.”
Dr. Parker does not see the Bible nor Christianity as consistent, and as a result, He does not see Scripture as an authoritative Word from God. To him, God relates to us in different ways depending on our circumstances. He admits that he has changed his views over time, and has developed a view of God that is more personal than it is Biblical. As reported by Newsweek “He says the God he believes in is flexible and loving enough to accommodate different perspectives on the Bible, the life process is bigger than one woman, and that sacredness comes in an individuals right to choose… or choose not to.” In the same interview, Dr. Parker said: “As a young person my Christian identity was far more important to me than interrogating the inconsistencies of my faith.” He has admitted that he no longer sees himself or others through his identity as a Christian, and yet He is building a career and a legacy of preforming abortions in the name of Christ.
The problem with viewing God from a more personal view than a biblical view is that it impacts our view of humanity. If you don’t see God as He reveals Himself in Scripture, then you will not see people as they are through the lens of Scripture. Unfortunately, the abandonment of Biblical Christianity has opened the door for what he believes is God’s work- the killing of unborn children. As a Christian, and as a pastor, I am grieved that Dr. Parker has associated the name of Christ with the approval of abortion. I believe that there is grace for those who have aborted their babies. I believe that there is grace and forgiveness for the most heinous of sins, which is why our church has openly declared our love for those who have been through the tragedy of abortion. I believe there is forgiveness and grace available to Dr. Parker for performing abortions. But, I do not believe, nor can I be silent while a man claims that God approves of the right to choose to murder children in the womb. As Christians in MS we should not be silent as he comforts women with a false assurance that abortion is moral, and that God is for it, or is glorified in it.
Dr. Parker is right to want justice. He is right to want what is best for people in difficult circumstances. He is right to dedicate his life to the good of others. But, he is wrong to pursue the good of one at the ultimate expense of another. Dr. Parker is wrong in his belief about life. He doesn’t affirm that life begins at conception, and he refuses to commit abortions after 25 weeks. But Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Life begins in the womb, and at the moment of conception, when as the word says we are “unformed” in Psalm 139:16. The creation of life belongs to God. God can do more than we can imagine with the direst and discouraging of circumstances. Dr. Parker’s case for abortion lacks faith in the power and promises of God. His position lacks the belief that God can restore and redeem sinners. Dr. Parker is playing God by giving to others what he thinks best based on the idea that the right to choose is better than to choose what is right.
He is wrong to believe that the best answer for the hardest of circumstances is abortion. I don’t claim that my answers are easy or simple. I believe that if abortion is being considered then it is the last resort for most women. I can’t imagine what that pain and uncertainty feels like, but I do know what is like to raise three precious girls, and the joy God brought to our home through adoption. Psalm 139:16 says, “Your eyes say my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” God has a plan and a purpose for each child in the womb. Even if they were conceived in sin, or conceived in poverty. He has a plan even if the child was conceived as the result of a man’s sin toward a woman. In each case, God’s Word still stands. He created that little life, and He has a plan for that precious child.
God has done much for the sake of His glory out of wretched situations and with the weakest of society. It is not for us to choose what is right and what is wrong. It is not for us to elevate the right to choose over the call to obey. The God-given right to choose carries with it the responsibility to choose what is right in relation to God. I pray that Dr. Parker will choose a different direction. I pray that he will use the rest of life’s work to encourage women to choose life rather than death. I pray that Harrisburg Baptist church and other MS Baptists will graciously open their arms, hearts, and lives to women who are contemplating abortion. I pray that will consider opening our homes and arms to children through adoption rather than simply condemning and pointing fingers.
Unfortunately, I am no longer surprised when institutions such as Mississippi State University open their doors to people who are contradictory to the Bible, that is their right. I wish in this situation that there was an opportunity for the students and faculty of MSU to hear an opposing Christian view on abortion. Even though that has not been offered I am grieved at the silence of Christians, pastors, and organizations on Dr. Parker’s use of Christianity to affirm and approve of abortion.
We recently recognized Sanctity of Life Sunday at Harrisburg Baptist Church on January 21, 2018. To listen to our sermon on God’s call to defend life and show grace to sinners click here.
Thanks Rob, for taking the time to write this. I read the Esquire article from 2014 last night & was sickened by his perspective of helping women. The description of Dr. Parker’s patients’ in the waiting room sounded eerily familiar to those at Parkgate Pregnancy Clinic. Women facing an unplanned pregnancy arrive with all kind of issues, different circumstances, and incredibly hard situations. They are loved in their pain and relax in a non-judgmental environment. Sometimes in the visit at Parkgate, an uncomfortable conversation replaces compromise. Dr Parker says “if those people are getting inside your head and you’re feeling conflicted, if you are not comfortable with what you’re doing, you may be processing this far longer than you need to. There’s nothing immoral about taking care of your health. There’s nothing immoral about making the decision to not become a parent before you want to become one.” Dr Parker is a pawn by the master of manipulation & deceit. The fact that he sees these women the way he does lets me know he has deep hurt in his past. His mission in life is to help others find relief & empowerment in their pain. Much like the deceiver, Dr. Parker is playing a role that only belongs to our Creator. What he will find out one day is that he was wrong. I pray it will be before the end of his days. In the meantime, what a grandiose stage he has given himself to get there. The thing these women crave above all else is unconditional love in their sin. When a woman sees her baby on the ultrasound screen and realizes the truth about that beating heart, it changes her pain. It’s not only about her anymore. We see 85% of the women seeking an abortion break down & surrender, which leads to the ultimate relief. Dr. Parker is only prolonging this moment of truth. I counseled a college student who chose abortion last week because she listened to her friends. They said it was her decision and they would support her in whatever she chose. She is already texting me with feelings of regret and despair. Personal empowerment outside of a biblical view leads to cyclical sin. I believe Dr. Parker is living this everyday and just doesn’t realize it. As he speaks tonight, I pray hearts are pierced to recognize this deception and not confuse it with compassion.