"How did you get involved in pro-life work?"
I get asked that question all the time, but I've never written about it. After three people asked this weekend, it's time to post something. Here's the very short version.
It all began in 1990. While serving as an associate pastor at a Los Angeles area church, I attended a pro-life talk for clergy given by Gregg Cunningham, Executive Director of the Center for Bioethical Reform. Though less than 10 of us attended, Gregg gave a compelling pro-life talk that included a showing of the video Hard Truth, which graphically depicts abortion.
The pictures blew me away. I had always been philosophically pro-life, but truth be told, my behavior didn't match my rhetoric. I felt badly about abortion but did little to stop it. The images changed all that.
Six months later, I left my post at the church and began making pro-life presentations in local venues. I jumped right into the deep end: My first two events were 1) an assembly at a public school--where I showed the abortion pics--and 2) a university debate with a pro-abortion attorney from the ACLU. By the end of that same year, I was working with Gregg as Director of Education for CBR, a position I held until Summer of 1997.
From October of 1997 until December of 2004, I served as Director of bioethics at Stand to Reason. While Gregg Cunningham taught me to debate and speak passionately, Greg Koukl, STR's President, gave me a seven-year clinic in clear thinking. The principles Greg teaches in Tactics in Defending the Faith should be standard issue for Christian apologists, including those defending the unborn.
In January of 2005, Steve Weimar and I launched Life Training Institute. Unlike STR's focus on Christian apologetics from an evangelical perspective, LTI, because it's specifically a pro-life organization, is more ecumenical. While we think theological distinctions between denominations are important and should not be minimized (we're both Protestants), we're glad to help anyone who's concerned about the unjust taking of unborn human life.
Scott,
ReplyDeleteI have known you for a while, but never heard how you really ended up as a pro life apologist. I guess I never really asked. I too just sort of jumped into the deep end of pool in '97 as the issue of partial birth abortion came to the US House and Senate. Actually, I think I was pushed into the pool, but it's been a great swim!
Best, Lori V.
Scott,
ReplyDeleteI have known you for a while now, but never really knew how you ended up as a pro life apologist. I guess I just never really asked. I too jumped into the deep end of the pool in '97 when the issue of partial birth abortion came to the US House and Senate for debate. Actually, I think I was pushed into the pool, but, it's been a great swim! Best, Lori V.