Below is an article by Christine Fidler the CEO of Image in Manchester .
Christine
Fidler
Breaking the silence
Author Jonathan Jeffes comments, “Christians can be reluctant to engage with the issue of abortion because they do not want to appear judgmental or bigoted, thus a powerful silence has grown up around the subject in the church. Two generations of Christians have grown up with little or no understanding of church tradition or theology in this area. At a recent student event with over 500 in the audience, I asked how many had heard abortion talked about in a Christian context and fewer than 20 hands went up.
“What is not understood is that one in three women in our culture will have an abortion in their lifetime and our churches have many women (and men) who feel trapped by the silence and unable to talk about their past personal experience of abortion. The place they can find themselves is one of real darkness and pain. The silence is unhelpful to them and stops the church from becoming the natural place of healing and reconciliation that it should be.
“My own view of abortion has been formed through leading a post-abortion recovery group in London for over 20 years. People come to us because they have made an unwelcome connection with a past abortion that they are unable to resolve on their own. On the course we help people find and connect with their child lost through the abortion. To those who have not thought about this before, this may sound strange, but it is what brings healing and reconciliation. In the same way that we help individuals make that connection, I believe that by reflecting the experience of those on our courses, our ministry can help society make the same connection which appears to be missing in the worldview of so many - the fact that abortion ends the life of a child.
“This is where the church could begin to make a real impact. ...... If we can start to change the culture of our churches so that women and men who have been through abortion feel welcomed and able to unburden themselves, then perhaps we can start to influence and change the worldview of the surrounding culture.”
Please pray
: that church leaders would be equipped and motivated to present Christian teaching about abortion with truth and compassion,
: that there would be a breaking of the silence that surrounds abortion in the church so that the issue would be more clearly understood by all Christians,
:for those in the church who have been touched by abortion that they would be able to receive forgiveness and healing.
Ref : http://www.imagenet.org.uk/Prayer%20points%202015.pdf
To see more about what Image does , please see : http://www.imagenet.org.uk/about_image.html
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