By Davis Carlton
Recently several members of Apologia Church, based outside of Phoenix, Arizona, have lobbied the Phoenix city council to outlaw abortion. The church posted several clips of the speeches given by the church’s clergy and members before the council. This brief “highlight” video illustrates the underlying problem of the way that abortion is opposed by most modern Christians. The members of Apologia consistently argue against abortion on egalitarian grounds and perpetuate myths that have become fashionable in pro-life circles. Apologia argues on the basis that women and minorities are the victims of abortion…which has been foisted upon them by the ubiquitous specter of white supremacism.
Marcus Pittman leads out by denouncing the way that the city treats “women and babies.” James White asks the city council to make Phoenix a “sanctuary city” for the unborn. Jeff Durbin states that Roe v. Wade isn’t law, rather “it’s an ignorant, unscientific, and fallacious court opinion from the 1970s created by a group of ignorant white men.” Zachary Conover complained about abortion’s disproportionate impact on Hispanics and other minorities. In other clips abortion is compared with slavery and the city council is encouraged to practice justified civil disobedience of federal statutes commensurate with the way that states like Wisconsin ignored federal fugitive slave laws.
All of the instances of virtue signaling ring hollow. Pittman’s contention that abortion is an attack upon women ignores the fact that women are disproportionately likely to favor abortion rights. Pittman himself acknowledges that this was a surprising discovery that he made in his own documentary on abortion. Pittman found that women were proud of murdering their children. Women who support abortion rights or who have solicited abortionists to kill their children are not victims. Zachary Conover’s complaint about abortion’s impact on non-white minorities is flawed for the same reason. Non-whites vote overwhelmingly in favor of Democrats. While Republicans are notoriously double-tongued on…well everything…it is fair to say that Christians who vote for Republicans who run on pro-life platforms are at least hoping to curtail abortion, albeit without any reasonable expectation for success. It’s impossible to vote for the Democratic Party without endorsing, even if only tacitly, their pro-abortion agenda. Those who vote for pro-abortion policies and politicians are complicit in abortion, and this applies to the majority of non-whites who vote this way whether they profess Christianity or not.
Jeff Durbin attempted to co-opt mainstream hatred of white men by blaming the Roe v. Wade decision on white men. Why stop there? Why not call them cis-gendered, heterosexual white men for maximum effect? Durbin’s comments are stupid for a number of reasons. Thurgood Marshall, the lone black justice on the Supreme Court sided with the majority, while the two dissenters, Byron White and William Rehnquist, were white. Historical inaccuracy aside, Durbin’s comments were aimed at using hatred of white men to portray abortion as “racist.” None of these attempts to convince politicians to reject abortion on egalitarian grounds using the moral language of the Left were successful. Apologia Church fundamentally misunderstands the appeal of abortion in the modern world.
Why does the Left accept and promote abortion when it disproportionately effects non-whites and physically harms women? Is it because the abortion industry is run by a secret cabal of white supremacists who covertly want to destroy non-whites and subjugate women? No. Some proponents of abortion are wicked Satanists who actively pursue the murder of children for its own sake and some see it as a necessary means of population control, but at its root abortion is fundamentally about equality.
Babies are thought to shackle women into traditional roles as wives and mothers and hinder them from furthering themselves in their careers, hobbies, and other ambitions. Making abortion an acceptable option is essential to women’s liberation from domestic responsibilities. The idol of equality has led many to pursue complete autonomy in their lives apart from any God-given responsibilities. Ultimately complete self-ownership is asserted in which no authority outside of the autonomous woman is allowed to restrict her rights over her body. Only women can carry children so no men, including a woman’s husband or the baby’s father should have any say; it’s “her body her choice” after all. The only way to confront abortion is to reject the egalitarian foundation upon which it is based. Blaming “ignorant white men” accomplishes nothing.
No amount of grandstanding about how “racist” abortion is will ever convince its proponents or practitioners to quit their murder. The concept of “racism” is rooted in false guilt that is used as a political weapon to bludgeon whites into accepting the destruction of their homelands and culture and accept the Left’s radical egalitarian agenda. Leftists aren’t going to ponder whether they are applying their pseudo-morality in an equitable way. They don’t care.
Jesus was once accused by the Pharisees of casting out demons by Beelzebub or Satan, the prince of the demons (Matt. 12:24). Jesus’ response is to point out that Satan cannot be divided against himself or else his kingdom would fall. Jesus presupposes that the Devil is smarter than that and that his contemporaries would recognize that as well. Jesus had spoiled Satan’s kingdom as evidenced by his casting out demons and exposing the lies of his enemies. The tragedy of those who oppose abortion on the grounds of social justice is that they are attempting to do the very thing that Jesus was accused of doing; namely, casting out demons by the prince of demons. James White in particular knows that the “woke church” movement is grounded in anti-Christian pseudo-morality. The only solution to abortion is to preach that murder is a violation of God’s Law and that those who practice or encourage murder will be held accountable by God. To be fair, Jeff Durbin and other members of Apologia Church have done this on several occasions, and I applaud these efforts. What I oppose is are false comparisons and virtue signalling in an attempt to curry favor with those who hate God.
Recent polls indicate that 79% of black women oppose repeal of Roe, along with 80% of suburban white women. The true culprits in abortion are women themselves, with feckless black males contributing to the problem. Why doesn’t Apologia lobby to deny the suffrage to these two groups? Legalized abortion would disappear overnight.
Saints from Apologia Church have testified several times in front of this council of magistratesOf this council of this council. During earlier appearances they have boldly cited the Law of God and the duty of God’s deacons to punish evil doers and protect the innocent. This was a second front they opened, during which they were ‘pushing the antithesis,’ using the boards on values against them. They shamelessly employed all the buzzwords and triggering devises the people on the council use. You should have been able to pick up on their tactic.
Jeff Durbin and members of Apologia are committed unapologetically to biblical justice based only on the standard set forth by the Triune God in His Law-Word.
Apologia has been committed to social justice warriorism for many years now. We here at Tribal Theocrat are very familiar with the tactics of nuance. Assuming their intent was as you say, if we failed to pick up on the subtleties of their approach, I can guarantee you we are not the only ones. Being too clever by far is no virtue.
Durbinites are firstly committed to virtue signal. They are soooo cool and edgy! I’m sure a lot of boomers and soy boys are impressed. Their tattoos are overt and deliberate signs of their unapologetic commitment to God’s Law (Lev 19:28). I wonder if they will take God’s prescribed punishment (Lev 20) which they demand of others?
My apologies for the typos. I was dictating to my iPhone while driving in LA.
I spoke with Jeff Durbin last nite, he confirmed my interpretation. They have gone before the Phoenic city council 5 times. For the record, I don’t visit your page or endorse your ideology, but was merely responding after a friend sent me this link.
Thanks for your input Bill. I have several problems with the approach taken by Apologia. If Apologia intended to answer the fool according to his folly as per Prov. 26:5, then they should have made an effort to show how the egalitarian ethos is false and harmful to unwanted unborn babies. Instead, the rhetoric that many (though certainly not all) of the Apologia speakers used implied acceptance of the egalitarian ethos, thus violating the principle of not answering the fool according to his folly, lest you become like him (Prov. 26:4). I certainly appreciate the bold stand that many at Apologia have taken in order to defend the unborn, but I’m not convinced that all the members truly reject the egalitarian ethos to the extent that they should. Thanks again for you interactions Bill.