Felix Culpa
Late last year, I read a book by Eric Metaxas entitled Amazing Grace. It’s the story of William Wilberforce, and his quest to abolish slavery. Earlier this year, I read a book heavily endorsed by Eric Metaxas and written by Karen Swallow Prior, entitled Fierce Convictions. It’s the story of Hannah More, a companion and fellow warrior, if you will, of William Wilberforce. Together and with others, they fought for decades in a battle of moral conflict to end the atrocity of human slavery in England.
Slavery was indeed abolished, four days before Wilberforce’s death.
These books have had a profound effect on me. The lives of Wilberforce and More have convinced me that no act is too small in fighting a just war for human lives. The methods they used to abolish slavery were prayer, legislation, the written word, relentlessly loving others with the truth, and sheer determination – all while risking looking like fools to the world, and battling their own life-altering illnesses. On many days, it undoubtedly seemed as though their efforts would be futile, too small, and fruitless. But they were stubborn and continued to take countless baby steps toward their goal. They refused to give up, and their efforts eventually proved worthwhile.
The end result of their quest has caused me to get serious about praying, doing what I can legislatively, and writing pointedly about the current atrocity in the (not so) United States: the killing of innocent babies and the harvesting and selling of baby body parts.
Where abortion is concerned, most of us are merely onlookers, rather than warriors. We are cozy in our healthy bodies and lifestyles. We are not angry enough or free enough (time wise) to fight for those whose bodies are being torn limb from limb, because we’re wrapped up in managing our day job, our family, our housework, our workout, our organic grocery shopping, and lobbying for the things that really matter in this life: the abolition of GMO’s.
Who has time or energy to hear the cries of unseen victims? Who has time to abolish the chopping of human babies when we’ve got home-grown spinach and eggplant to chop?
Well, I do. And I hope at some point (immediately, if not sooner), you will, too. I can’t claim I will ever accomplish anywhere near what Wilberforce and More accomplished, but I will say that in my pathetic little efforts, I’ve noticed something: to pro-choicers, any semblance of pro-life activism is seen as what Douglas Wilson calls battle joy. In short, “battle joy” is what happens when evil is exposed. Those who are against the evil rise up in support of the exposure, while vehemently, courageously, relentlessly, and yes, joyously opposing the evil — all at the cost of looking like war hungry, finger-pointing tattle tellers who have nothing better to do than wage war on the healthcare of women.
Wilson goes on to expose and comment on the thought process of pro-choicers:
They will say that our “joy” must mean that we are not really concerned with the morality of the war effort, and neither are we gripped by all the deep concerns that lie beneath that effort. We must not care about the human costs. This is like saying that the sailor kissing the girl in Times Square at the end of World War 2 must not have cared about his buddies who had died. It means that they don’t understand the nature of serious moral conflict at all. (emphasis Wilson’s)
Admittedly, I am “guilty” of battle joy. And in that joy, perhaps I have offended those who think despicable acts of violence, murder, and the Jeffrey Dahmer-ism of cutting up people and storing them in freezers shouldn’t be discussed in public. In which case, I don’t care. Shame on them for failing to think through the issues and believing it’s acceptable for wicked to be hidden. I operate on the basis that if we know the truth, the truth will set us free.
Maybe my words have offended those who have had abortions. They are hurt because I insist on hammering on the very thing they are guilt ridden about and my battle joy feels like their condemnation. In which case, I do care. Inflicting hurt is not my intention. Nor is causing anyone to re-live condemnation. Everything I’ve done thus far has been done with the assumption that those who have sought forgiveness live in that forgiveness. Forgiveness entails taking Christ’s righteousness in exchange for filthiness — and never looking back. To look back is to say that Christ’s death on the cross is only good until feelings of guilt take over once more.
But Christ’s death on the cross is once and for all (Rom. 6:10). So if they have indeed repented and asked His forgiveness, it’s theirs. Forever. And nothing I, or anyone else says can possibly snatch that forgiveness away. When they see others exposing their past sins, they should rejoice and consider telling others that though they are legit guilty, they have found forgiveness. As Romans 6:10 says … the death that He died, He died to sin once for all. So by no means should they believe there is any indictment against them. They are free, and as Jesus said, they simply need to “go and sin no more.”
To those who are offended by battle joy and refuse to repent, I care about you as a person, but I don’t care whether the pro-life mission offends you. Killing babies and selling their body parts is the real offense. No amount of so-called scientific gibberish that you or Planned Parenthood lie about will convince me otherwise. A baby is a baby is a baby. My hope for every pro-choice person is that they repent of their actions, refocus on Christ, and replace their wickedness with righteousness.
As a side note … something to be considered is that we could be on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade. How do I figure? The exposure of the gruesome videos has something to do with it, of course. But in addition to that, Joe Carter, co-author of How to Argue Like Jesus, has noted that four Supreme Justices (Scalia, Kennedy, Ginsburg, and Bryer) will soon be age 78. This means their terms are coming to a close. If we elect a pro-life president, he will have the opportunity to elect four (4!!) new justices, which means down the road, the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade will be, in eloquent terms, a thing.
But back to our original subject of battle joy.
In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis says this:
The sword glitters not because the swordsman set out to make it glitter but because he is fighting for his life and therefore moving it very quickly.
The politically correct rule book prefers I not battle at all, but if I must battle, I’m to battle sad. Battle “lovingly.” Battle “tolerantly.” Battle anything but joyously. Well pardon me, but I am glad – giddy, maybe – that the truth is coming out and exposing Planned Parenthood (or Planned Barrenhood, as Wilson calls it). It’s possible my joy will be squelched by defeat, but there will always be the joy that someone by the name of David Daleidon realized silence is not always golden and set out to expose evil. I don’t relish in the evil. Only its exposure. Because without exposure, abolition of the evil is impossible. The truth can only set us free if we know it. Planned Parenthood hiding a lucrative holocaust behind their so called “provision of women’s health care” is deceptive at best and Satanic at worst, and America needs to be privy to their wickedness.
So, yes. I have a case of blatant battle joy. My sword is drawn, glittering, and moving to and fro at the speed of lightning. Not because I’ve set out in pride to make it glitter, but because I’m in the fight for life; for evil to be halted and good to be triumphant. If my sword blinds, stuns, or offends, I will not apologize. I will stick to my fierce convictions, rejoice in the progress being made, the truth being spilled, and the potential of justice being served and innocent life being preserved.
If you do not understand that, you do not understand the nature of serious moral conflict. At all.
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