“It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” – Samuel Adams
(LifeSiteNews) — In a recent opinion piece for the Federalist, Lauren Muzyka of Sidewalk Advocates For Life seemingly condemned the brave pro-life activists who were imprisoned for doing sit-ins at abortuaries. Although I am grateful for her work and all the work of sidewalk advocates, I am extremely upset by her views and condemnation.
Recently in Tennessee, six pro-life activists were convicted for participating in a “traditional rescue” where they blocked abortuary doors, defying the FACE Act and facing up to 11 years in prison. Did the rescuers take extreme risks? In my opinion, No. But to Lauren Muzyka and her “lawyer hat,” it was “shocking” and required a much “gentler” approach.
Two weeks ago, while sidewalk counseling outside of Las Vegas’s largest all-trimester abortuary, I watched a woman climb out of her car with what appeared to be a third-trimester baby bump.
“Please don’t do this, your child’s heart is beating!” I yelled. “Whatever your reason is, I am here to help! I’ll pay your rent! Whatever you need!”
I pleaded and pleaded, yet no matter how much I pleaded, no matter how hard I prayed, it didn’t stop her from ignoring me, walking through the doors of the abortuary, and murdering her child. Hours later, she emerged, physically and emotionally shattered. Her legs shook as tears ran down her face. She struggled to stand, let alone walk, and her baby bump… gone. I witnessed a murder that day. Actually, I witnessed 30 murders that day. So much for a “gentler” approach.
The death of God
“Silence in the face of Evil is itself Evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak IS to speak. Not to act IS to act.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Over the last two years, I have been arrested 9 times fighting for the unborn. I’ve spent my nights in urine-filled jail cells, cold, hungry, and isolated, yet my suffering is nothing compared to the suffering of the little ones. I often compare what is happening today to the Holocaust of the 1940s, but by numerical body count, what is happening today is much worse than the Holocaust of the 1940s.
In America alone, there have been over 70 million babies murdered since 1972, not including chemical abortions, which account for over 50 percent. Just like the 1940s, those professing to be Christians have been overwhelmingly silent. We’ve been lied to by the religious Pharisees of our day and told to “Sing a Little Louder,” but sadly no song can drown out the silent screams.
READ: Powerful new pro-life short film sheds light on our modern day Holocaust: get it here
Before the “death of God,” the saints of early Christendom understood the power of faith. Souls bought for a price. They travelled the world spreading the Gospel and performing acts of charity for the most vulnerable at any cost. Many were beaten. Many were stoned. Many were imprisoned, and all but one apostle was martyred, setting the example for saints thereafter. “Good Soldiers of Christ” is what we were set apart to be.
Where are the martyrs today, where are the saints? Today, the “church” has transitioned from an army of truth into nothing more than a “Self-Help Book Club.” Pastors are no longer generals who join the ranks of Paul and Peter. No. Today, pastors are performers, smoke machine technicians, and therapists who exist to help you cope with whatever trauma or insecurities that seem to be troubling you. The Truth has been watered down, the Gospel has been neutered, and the salt has lost its saltiness.
The pro-life movement, as a reflection of this “church”, has been hijacked by neutered pastors/priests, risk-averse lawyers, politicians, and marketing firms who seek to maximize donations, votes, public perception, and, of course, seats in the pews. Truth has become a foreign idea, and those who stand against the movement’s watering down are now chastised as “radicals.”
The current failure of the pro-life movement lies in its inconsistency, persisting in advocating for philosophically invalid and unsound solutions to extremely strong claims. If faced with the scenario of your neighbor drowning your own child in his pool, you would surely intervene physically. But why don’t we physically intervene to save the unborn? Is it because we love our own wealth more than we love God? Is it because we love our own freedom more than we love God? Do we truly worship the God of the Bible? This may sound harsh, but every time we stand idle as a pregnant woman murders her child and ignores our “gentle” calls, we commit the sin of omission. Are we not therefore complicit in the abortionist’s act? Do we not carry a special guilt, in that unlike the abortionist, we at least claim to worship God?
READ: Pro-life rescuers are very effective in saving lives despite the risk of jail: here’s why
Where has our courage gone?
“In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea,
With the glory in his bosom that transfigured you and me.
As he died to make man holy, let us die to make man free.” – The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Our nation’s history is filled with examples of courage in the face of injustice. Most people forget that our country was founded by men who were willing to start a war with the largest imperial army the world had ever seen over a simple stamp tax.
Armed with squirrel guns, the revolutionaries marched into their deaths over the idea of freedom. Today, America’s men are so cowardly they are too fearful to even risk arrest or inconvenience, let alone death, in the attempt to stop the literal mass genocide of the nation’s most vulnerable. The same people who praise God in church on Sunday and thank him for the gift of eternal life have forgotten that they have it. Maybe that’s because they don’t. If we claim that abortion is murder, we need to act like it.
The path to victory
Muzyka claimed, “We don’t win when an abortion facility closes for an hour.”
I agree. Although there was a baby saved as a direct result of the rescue in Tennessee – something which she had omitted from her factually incorrect portrayal, based on the farcical police report – rescue represents something much more than closing down an abortion clinic for an hour.
It doesn’t represent “gentleness” falling on deaf ears.
It represents revival and sacrifice. Without conversion and sacrifice, we cannot end abortion once and for all. No victory ever in the history of humanity has been accomplished through “gentleness.” Our founding fathers understood that. The troops that defeated Hitler understood that, and both the Apostles and Jesus Christ himself understood that.
The “gentle” approach might save babies temporarily, but if the pro-life movement is serious about ending child murder once and for all, it needs to start looking towards making serious sacrifices like rescue that spark revival and treat abortion like murder.
READ: Veteran pro-life activist Monica Miller answers several common objections to rescues
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:11-13
The world will not take the pro-life movement seriously if we stop believing the words we say when they become inconvenient.
I pray not for the release of the Tennessee rescuers, but that their sacrifice will spark a greater movement.
But until then, “Lonely are the Brave.” The would-be saints. The remnant.
Lonely are those who fear God instead of cost, and lonely are those who value the lives of the unborn over their own.
Maison Des Champs is better known as “The Pro-Life Spiderman.”