Book Briefs: December 1, 1978

The Case Against Abortion

Death Before Life by Harold O. J. Brown (Thomas Nelson, 1977, 168 pp., $5.95). is reviewed by Haven Bradford Gow, Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Brown, who teaches theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, sharply criticizes the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion rulings and provides a theological and philosophical case for the sanctity of human life. The best feature of the book is its trenchant analysis of the basic presuppositions and implications of the Court’s abortion decisions. For example, in Roe v. Wade, the Court said it simply could not resolve the perplexing question of when human life begins. That question, contended the Court, remains an “open question” to medical authorities, legal scholars, and theologians. Yet, the question of when human life begins is not a theological or legal question but a medical or scientific one that must be answered by scientists. They generally agree that life begins at conception. (An editorial in the September, 1970, issue of California Medicine states the “scientific fact” that “human life begins at conception and is continuous, whether intra- or extra-uterine, until death.”)

In its pernicious abortion ruling of January, 1973, the Court also contended that abortion is merely a private matter, which concerns only a woman and her physician. The Court in effect accepted as true the much-used argument of many women that “we have a right to do whatever we want with our own bodies.” Brown acknowledges that, in general, we have a right to control our own bodies, but also observes that that right does not and should not mean we may use our bodies to injure others. For example, we do not have a right to use our bodies to batter people or to rape women. Brown summarizes his position: “The right to control one’s own body, like all other rights, involves a measure of responsibility. Prior to sexual intercourse (except in the case of rape) the woman has the right to refuse intercourse. If intercourse is going to take place, the woman has the option of contraception (as does the man). But if conception has occurred, a new human being has been brought onto the scene and the woman’s right has run up against a new responsibility.”

Furthermore Brown contends that it is untrue to say that the fetus is simply a part of a woman’s body. The cells of any part of a woman’s body—the appendix, for example—carry the same genetic code that is present in every other cell of her body, and so the appendix is undeniably a part of a woman’s body and can be removed. The cells of an unborn baby within a woman, however, have a genetic code totally different from the cells of the woman’s body; in short, the fetus is a separate, growing life.

People who want to examine and discuss the explosive issue of abortion on a rational basis will find Brown’s book valuable. But the problem with too many proabortionists is that they do not want to listen to reason. This timely and informative book will probably fail to convince the people who most need it.

How To Help The Church

The Passion for Life: A Messianic Lifestyle by Jurgen Moltmann (Fortress, 1977, 126 pp., $5.95), Mutual Ministry: New Vitality for the Local Church by James Fenhagen (Seabury, 1977, 141 pp., $7.95), A Church for an Open Future: Biblical Roots and Parish Renewal by Jack Lundin (Fortress, 1977, 125 pp., $4.25 pb.), All That We Are We Give by James Fairfield (Herald, 1977, 166 pp., $3.95 pb.), A Community of Believers: Making Church Membership More Meaningful by Charles Deweese (Judson, 1978, 109 pp., $4.95 pb.), Calling the Church to Discipline: A Scriptural Guide for the Church That Dares to Discipline by Roy Knuteson (Nelson, 1977, 136 pp., $5.95), Why the Local Church?: New Testament Teaching on the Purpose of the Local Church by Lawrence Pote (Master’s, 1976, 105 pp., $2.45 pb.), and Acceptance: Balancing Our Differences in Grace by Lawrence Pote (Master’s, 1977, 54 pp., $1.50 pb.), are reviewed by Philip Siddons, pastor of the Wright’s Corners United Presbyterian Church, Lockport, New York.

In the proliferation of “how-to” books on the church, only a few are genuinely helpful. Most authors either take an aspect of church life and try to make it a panacea for all situations, or they attempt to cover everything and end up saying nothing. There are, however, excellent books that can aid church leaders.

Moltmann in The Passion for Life says that your ability to become involved with other people is the basis of community. In contrast to the tendency of isolationalism, Christians should be a people who not only tolerate others, but befriend them. The key, says Moltmann, is an ability to forget or deny yourself (see my article “Climbing Out of the Existential Ditch” in CHRISTIANITY TODAY, Aug. 12, 1977, p. 8). Because Jesus sacrificed his life for us, we have value, and we ought to help other people understand how important they are. “The basic characteristic of the life of Jesus is not the consolation of the beyond, not even the hope in the future, but his becoming human, becoming flesh, his healing of life, accepting of the oppressed, and making alive the frozen relationships between human beings,” writes Moltmann. Allegiance to Christ means that we should love each other. He uses the German state church as an example. Christians silent in the face of injustice, he says, really cooperate with it. Just as Jesus befriended a diverse group of followers, so should we.

Moltmann includes an interesting discussion on the festive aspects of eucharistic worship. He also comments on the ecumenical movement. We used to talk to all parts of the church, he says, maintaining that all parties should talk not merely about the cross, but should stand under it. Only then will discussions be fruitful. His prison camp experiences in Germany illustrate what he preaches.

Are you and your congregation on a pilgrimage together? If so, says Fenhagen, you’ve got a healthy, growing church. The minister should not be the answer man. Instead he should willingly lead the congregation in his and their pilgrimage. Mutual Ministry provides practical suggestions on bridging the gap between the clergy and the laity. He includes models for handling conflicts and developing relationships. Seminary students, pastors, and leaders need to read this book.

A Church for an Open Future tells the story of an experimental congregation, the Community of Christ the Servant, located just outside Chicago. The church, begun in 1968, risked change, and grew as a result. Lundin raises interesting questions about Sunday school and about education in the family, though he offers few practical suggestions to achieve family-centered religious education.

It is easier to change church structure than your own life. Fairfield in All That We Are We Give applies Christianity to how we live, which, in his case, means living a simple, focused life. He includes helpful discussions on finding your talents, getting out of debt, how to choose a career, and how to set goals. Fairfield urges the local church to help its members plan a life compatible with Christianity.

Baptists, says Deweese, are becoming too secular. The solution in A Community of Believers is to stiffen membership requirements, dropping the “careless admission standards” that he claims exist in Baptist denominations. He wants churches to use covenants, which would raise the ethical standards of parishioners and make the local church accountable for the way its people live. A good idea, but I saw the dark cloud of legalism billowing between his lines.

I sensed a similar legalism in Knuteson’s book, Calling the Church to Discipline. It adopts a hard, get-tough attitude about enforcing biblical morality. Church leaders not only fail to adopt a necessary chain of command, says Knuteson, but they also remain silent about ethics. He urges Christians to separate themselves from the “apostates.” Knuteson peppers the book with numerous, but bland, examples of how discipline helps the church.

Pote in Why the Local Church summarizes the importance of teaching correct doctrine. The local church, he says, should be the religious center in the community. But he writes in generalities only. Reading his book Acceptance is more profitable. He writes it for lay people and would help persons dealing with a rigid traditionalism. Using Jesus’ parables and Paul’s teachings, he reinforces the importance of forgiveness and mature Christian tolerance in a Christian community. Just as we are forgiven by God through Christ, so we should be quick to forgive and accept others. The Bible doesn’t mention every ethical matter, so there is the occasional need to agree to disagree. The local church should first teach biblical principles, rather than a set of rules for living.

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