Making the Case for Life Post-Roe

Years from now, by God’s grace, the world may look back with horror on the abortion holocaust that engulfed our nation and much of the world. When they do, people will discuss the movement that helped make this injustice unthinkable for civilized people. Part of that conversation will be how the movement recruited champions, especially young people, and equipped them to defend the preborn. One of the sage champions for the unborn has been Scott Klusendorf, who is also the president of Life Training Institute.

With tireless effort over decades now, Scott has continued to make the case for life to thousands and thousands. He’s made the issue simple, focused, and clear. His formulation has come to be one of the definitive articulations of what it means to be pro-life.

Fifteen years ago, Scott wrote his instrumental pro-life book The Case for Life. At the time, Roe v. Wade legally subverted the conversation about restrictions on abortion. In 2022, the Dobbs decision brought a long-prayed-for end to Roe. However, in the time since that victory, we’ve gotten a much better idea of where the American public is on the question of abortion. Simply put, they might not like it themselves, but they’re squeamish about denying it to others. We must continue to make the case for life.

In response to the unfortunate revelations of the last few years, Scott has released a comprehensively revised and expanded edition of The Case for Life. This second edition features eight new chapters and a thorough revision of ten others.

In his expanded version, Klusendorf masterfully informs and equips us to respond to the latest pro-abortion arguments. Often, so-called “experts” get away with misinformation and false representations. But Klusendorf takes the strongest pro-abortion thinkers and pro-abortion arguments head-on: for instance, the young law lecturer at Oxford who claims that while the preborn are human, they are not persons. Klusendorf points out that these distinctions based on consciousness and sentience are arbitrary and open to abuse.

He also clarifies five key objectives of every effective pro-life advocate, which make up the five sections of the book. First, we must clarify the debate by showing what the abortion debate is ultimately about. Second, we must highlight underlying worldview questions and assumptions that underpin the arguments for and against abortion. Third, anyone wanting to be effective must identify, understand, and respond to leading pro-abortion voices and their views on conception, personhood, and rights. Fourth, pro-lifers must persuasively answer objections to pro-life arguments, including women’s safety, religious tolerance, and cases of rape. Finally, we must be committed to teaching, equipping, and collaborating with other pro-lifers.

Klusendorf’s new chapter on worldview is a must-read. There he explains the influence of Critical Theory on the pro-abortion movement, especially the claim that the pro-life stance is oppressive. The ironic truth, of course, is that pro-abortion advocates are the ones oppressing vulnerable preborn babies who cannot speak for themselves. This chapter helps pro-lifers engage pro-abortion neighbors at the level of their worldview assumptions, challenging their misguided ideas and pointing them to the Christian worldview, which is the strongest foundation for universal human dignity.

These arguments are not abstractions. Recently, President Biden announced that promoting abortion “rights” would be the top priority of his reelection campaign. I am confident that this new edition of The Case for Life will help Christians engage the abortion debate with confidence for such a time as this.

God has grace to help us live as Christians in this cultural moment. This updated, expanded, and timely edition of The Case for Life is one such means of grace to help us courageously contend for life in the place God has called us. This month, you can secure your copy through a donation of any amount to the Colson Center at colsoncenter.org/caseforlife.

Be equipped as if lives depend on it. Because they do.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Jared Hayden. For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, go to breakpoint.org.

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.

BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.

John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.