I am also pro-pro-choice. I believe people who are pro-choice are created in the image of God and worthy of respect as those whom God loves, even if we don’t agree.

I am also pro-Muslim. I believe that Muslims are created in the image of God and therefore are valuable in his sight, even if we don’t agree on many important things.

I found the following excerpt from Sam Crabtree’s book, Practicing Affirmation, very helpful in thinking about how we talk with those with whom we disagree. I repost it in order to help both Muslims and Christians grow in our ability to affirm others even when we disagree.

Sam Crabtree:

On a very cold Minnesota winter morning I was bundled thick against the icy Canadian wind as I marched with several thousand others to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The march route was adorned by occasional pro-choice protesters with large placards chiding our pro-life efforts as being antiwoman. The setting was cold not only meteorologically speaking, but the air was chilled with icy looks and cold shoulders. In one part of the march a shouting match had erupted and it was ugly. It seemed to me that the pro-life marcher did a particularly poor job of winning friends and influencing people, and a pretty good job of making all of us marching with him appear to be angry, rude ruffians.

Continuing the march and seeing one particularly large and provocative placard, I felt the impulse to ask its guardians about it, but thought it would only erupt into a charged argument, and so I walked on by. Ten minutes or so later, I thought, “No. I’m going to speak with them,” and so I returned to the placard’s double guards, one of whom would not look at me or acknowledge my presence in any way. He looked off in the distance, literally stiff-necked. It had to be pretty hard work for him to ignore me and avoid me. And hard work it is when affirmation runs thin in relationships.

“May I ask about your placard?” I queried with a genuinely respectful tone, for these were human beings made in the image of God. There is more than one good way to jump-start an awkward relationship, and “May I ask you a question?” is one good way. Like a British Royal Guard, the one continued not to make eye contact with me and didn’t even twitch; to him I did not exist except as a threat to his placard and mission. But the second fella said, “Well, what?” (meaning, what’s your question?).

I took it as an invitation to continue. In strained relationships it can be very important to not proceed without an invitation, like playing “Captain, May I?” or “Simon Says.” Show deference to the captain and heedful respect to Simon. “I’m noticing your placard, here. I don’t know who designed it, but its graphics are strikingly attractive and its message is powerful.” There were no words on it, just a huge rendering of a coat hanger encircled with a slash through it. It was a graphic not hastily thrown together by some amateur, but was colorful and simple, and though we were on opposite sides of a controversial issue, I could affirm the graphic skill. So I did.

And then I took another figurative step forward, “I take your poster to mean that you oppose self-inflicted coat hanger abortions, am I right?” In tense situations, it can be good to not jump to conclusions, even when you’re pretty sure you already understand what the other side means. Slowing down to confirm the other party’s meaning is another way of affirming them as human beings who might like the opportunity to correct me if I have misunderstood. I am not beyond the possibility of misunderstanding, a healthy and humble admission to make.

“Right,” he replied, meaning that his poster was explicitly against coat hanger abortions.

Proceeding I said, “Well, I think we have something that you and I can enthusiastically agree on.” He looked at me as though I had forgotten which side of the issue I was marching on. “We both are in favor of the safety of women. We are men, and the safety of women is important to us, even though we aren’t women ourselves. I appreciate your willingness to come out here on a very cold day, seeking to protect women from a procedure that will never threaten you personally. That seems altruistic to me.” I’m not sure that he understood the word altruistic, but I am sure he took it as a compliment, which it was.

“May I ask another question?” While his sidekick still stood stiff as a poker, this man was opening up to me. By asking permission to pose another question instead of just charging forward, the conversation was kept from shutting down, like the shouting match that had erupted elsewhere on the march route.

“Sure,” he replied. The first time I asked permission to ask a question, he gave me a tentative “well, what?” because he was uncertain about what I might do. In response to my second request to interview him further, he replied casually with a “sure.” The cold was thawing. The door was opening.

So I asked my next question: “Could you tell me how many women have been injured by coat hanger abortions? Do you have that information, or could you point me to somebody who does?”

His stammering response was something like, “Hmm . . . nooo . . . no, I don’t.” His pokerfaced partner offered nothing, not even a flinch. “I suppose you could check at the library or somewhere,” was the best he could do. He wanted to help me do my research and get the facts. He was warming up.

On to my next question, “Well, can you tell me now many women have been injured by legal abortions in medical facilities?”

Same answer: “Hmm . . . nooo . . . no, I don’t, uh, have that information. I would think you might be able to get it at a library, or you could try to go online.”

He’s conversant now, and I moved on to my last question: “What do you say to the person who does have that information—the person who knows approximately how many women have been injured by coat hanger abortions in the United States and how many young women have been injured by legal abortions—what do you say to the person who has that information and knows that the number of woman inured by coat hanger abortions is less than one percent of the women who have been injured by legal abortions?” Checkmate. He looked embarrassed, which is appropriate.

He hung his head and looked at the ground. But he wasn’t angry, not with me. That is, he didn’t see me as his opponent; he saw the data as his opponent. He was awakening. Do you see how affirmation—looking for something to commend—opened the door to talk about the issue that divided us? And he was backing away from his hard stance. His partner walked off, having never said a word; we won’t win them all, and the practice of affirmation is no ironclad guarantee. Our conversation ended when the public address system fired up and the rally program began.

I hasten here to say that beautiful graphics should not be used in the service of killing defenseless children. But if I started my conversation there, I suspect our discussion would have quickly gone in the direction of the shouting match. My goal isn’t just to protest, but to persuade.

—Sam Crabtree, Practicing Affirmation (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), pp. 76-79.

HT: Justin Taylor

In the days following the brutal attack on Saints Church in Alexandria, which left 21 dead on New Year’ eve, solidarity between Muslims and Copts has seen an unprecedented peak. Millions of Egyptians changed their Facebook profile pictures to the image of a cross within a crescent – the symbol of an “Egypt for All”. Around the city, banners went up calling for unity, and depicting mosques and churches, crosses and crescents, together as one.

HT: Justin

Killing for what someone says is not Jesus’ way. He said, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). He lived this out. For his enemies who put him on the cross to die he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Aasia Bibi is a Pakistani Christian who was accused of blasphemy in Pakistan and now is condemned to die by hanging. If the courts don’t carry out the hanging, a local cleric offered a reward for anyone who would behead her.

I don’t know what she said, but I know that nothing one says is deserving of death. We should pray for her safety. And we should pray for the people of Pakistan to learn that God desires mercy (I’m not implying that no Pakistanis understand this). God is Al Rahman (the Beneficent) and Al Raheem (the Merciful).

I was helped today when I read the analysis of Rafia Zakaria. She helps us see that the problem with the blasphemy laws goes deeper – into the prejudices many have towards non-Muslims (among other things). Such superiority does not come from a heart of understanding, love and peace.

Aasia Bibi’s case is thus a representation of the triad of terrors: an unjust, ambiguous and discriminatory law that allows for the persecution of minorities based on mere allegations, the socialisation of women to perpetuate prejudice against each other and the collective curse of poverty and illiteracy that ensnares millions of Pakistanis.

Read the whole thing. And be sure to pray for Aasia, her accusers, and her judges.

Muslims in Egypt from all shades of the theological spectrum are speaking out against al-Qaeda in Iraq’s anti-Christian declaration:

“But instead of turning against Christians, calls to protect them echoed from throughout Egypt’s Islamic community.

“‘This is something to be rejected and strongly denounced, and it serves none but those who want to spark discord and target national unity,’ the head of Al-Azhar University, Ahmed al-Tayeb, said.

“Pope Schnouda III, the head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, used his weekly address in Cairo on Wednesday to praise Al-Azhar and the ‘sympathy’ Christians have received from Egyptian newspapers, intellectuals and the ministry of interior, which has posted extra security outside churches.

“Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, an outlawed Islamist group that represents the strongest opposition to Egypt’s ruling political party, also strongly condemned the ISI and its statements.

“‘The Muslim Brotherhood is stressing to all, and primarily Muslims, that the protection of holy places of all monotheistic religions is the mission of the majority of Muslims,’ the group said.”

The devastation seen in these pictures should compel us to cry out for God’s mercy.

Tong Phuoc Phuc noticed that many pregnant women entered the clinic, but then came out without their babies. He asked if he could take the aborted babies and give them a proper burial. He believes rightly that they are human beings, worthy of all the dignity, respect and rights of other human beings. Then pregnant women started coming to him and gave him their babies rather than abort them. He is father to about 50 children!

HT: Jill Stanek

My mom died of breast cancer over 18 years ago. I am thankful for those who seek to find the cure.

Related Post:
Global Pink Hijab Day (2009)

(this is a photo of a child at 10 weeks)

Jennifer Rego:

For myself, the power of the photograph is precisely that it is the reminder that I need that defending the unborn is not simply “a cause”, or an “issue”, because people are not causes or issue, they unique, unrepeatable human beings that I have a relationship with simply because we both share our human dignity, and it is simply because of that, that I have an obligation to defend them.

Read the rest.

I don’t know how much it cost Chile to do all the work necessary to save the lives of the 33 miners trapped in the mine for over two months. But as I watched the video of the first one rescued and looked at the pictures I kept thinking about how valuable human life is and that every penny and every hour spent to save their lives was worth it.

Thanks be to God!

Adoption is certainly not a contentious issue, yet it is viewed very differently within Islam and Christianity. The rightness and beauty of adoption is so obvious to me, not only because it is clearly a biblical concept, but because it so wonderfully demonstrates the love of God for his people.

I am amazed to think that God would actually adopt sinful creatures into his family so that by faith in Jesus Christ we become sons and daughters. Here are a few verses that demonstrate this reality.

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” – Romans 8:14-16

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. – John 1:12-13

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. – 1 John 3:1

Many of our friends have adopted. We have seen them bring children into their families that do not look like them, children that were unwanted and even uncared for. But now everything has changed for these children. They are wanted. They are cared for. They have a mom and a dad who will do anything for them. Many of them have brothers and sisters who love them. These parents made a choice. They chose to bring a child not their own into their families. They chose to love these children as their own. This is a picture of God’s choice. He too chose those who were not his, those who were in fact unlovely and disobedient to him. “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God’” (Romans 9:25-26, quoting the prophet Hosea).

Watch the video below and see this beautiful picture of God’s love for us lived out in the love of these parents for their son Isaiah.

HT: Vitamin Z