Breakpoint

Breakpoint A daily look at an ever changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. with a Christian perspective on today’s news and trends.
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Since 1991, Breakpoint—a program of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview—has provided believers around the U.S. Our daily Breakpoint commentaries, co-hosted by Colson Center President John Stonestreet, air on some 1,400 radio outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Its "Breakpoint This Week" counterpart, also hosted by Stonestreet and Shane Morris in

cludes a weekly conversation with leading Christian writers and thinkers on topics ranging from the sanctity of life to marriage, religious liberty, and the restoration of virtue and ethics to public life. Over at Breakpoint.org, Stonestreet is joined by other thoughtful Christian writers through columns and feature articles equipping believers to live and defend the Christian worldview. Check us out online for great worldview content and resources, including book reviews for teens and preteens, need-to-know news headlines and more.

The Signs of Totalitarianism In her book The Origins of Totalitarianism, German-American political theorist Hannah Arend...
10/10/2025

The Signs of Totalitarianism

In her book The Origins of Totalitarianism, German-American political theorist Hannah Arendt documented the rise of the N***s within Germany and the Stalinists within the Soviet Union. Her analysis included identifying the preconditions that make the rise of totalitarianism possible. It is as helpful today as when she wrote it.

For example, the breakdown of traditional social institutions, such as family, community, and churches, precede totalitarian control. The void left when people are rootless and disconnected from one other is often filled by bad ideas and authoritarian leaders that promise to fix everything.

Today, radical individualism is confused as the “American way of life” and is accelerated both by the collapse of these essential institutions and the siloing effect of digital technology. So, the idealized rugged, American individualism has devolved into what is more accurately called Expressive Individualism, in which our identity is determined in active rejection of outside influences.

In this view, autonomy is confused with dignity, in a rejection of the inherent relational realities of God’s design. Smartphones and social media provide the daily liturgies by which to define ourselves but cannot fill the void of connection that so many have. As a result, we have become a nation of activists, in which people attach to an online cause or social contagion. Such conformity is what is required for totalitarianism.

A second prerequisite of totalitarianism is the spread of ideology, often through propaganda. To be clear, an ideology that offers an all-encompassing vision of the world, demands absolute loyalty, and is presented by fearful propaganda rather than reasoned argument and evidence. This is a way to both raise alarm and provide a sense of security. It is even more effective when a particular individual or movement can be portrayed as the only true defender of an ideology. Of course, economic crises such as hyper-inflation and unemployment, and social crises, manufactured or real, fuel distrust in government and create a climate that makes these ideologies plausible.

That same kind of destabilizing propaganda comes in many forms today. Though some of the claims have merit and many of our political institutions are significantly weakened, totalitarianism threatens to fill the void left by public distrust.

Another characteristic of pre-totalitarian states is the steady erosion of personal freedoms, often in the name of public safety. Ideas that do not conform are censored. Mass surveillance is sold as a necessary evil, but is then used to identify and punish dissent. Emergency powers are invoked as temporary but rarely are.

These characteristics are far more evident in Britain and the European Union than here, but we have certainly seen government entities working with tech companies to police thought and increase surveillance. Incidentally, fascism is, by definition, an alliance between government and industry with the government holding the upper hand.

Another characteristic of pre-totalitarian societies is scapegoating, whether of the Jews in N**i Germany or the Kulaks in the Soviet Union. Scapegoating channels social and economic frustration toward a common enemy, props up an ideology by identifying villains, and, when the totalitarian government comes to power, provides a ready excuse for its failures. The most obvious examples today are the villanization of white Christian males, the hatred of all in an opposing political party, and the resurgence of anti-Semitism on both the Right and the Left.

This does not necessarily mean that American totalitarianism is inevitable. However, we ought not think we are somehow immune, either. Even the freest and most successful civilizations in history are vulnerable to decline and revolution. The path to renewal is to resist the allure of ideology, propaganda, and scapegoating, and to instead work recommit to truth. That will require courage to say what is true and to live what is true, despite the social cost.

This is what the new film Truth Rising is all about. In it Os Guinness identifies the ideas that built the west, the great risk we face by abandoning these ideas, and the call to counter false ideology with truth. Watch the film at TruthRising.com

Persecution in Nigeria There may be no better example of Christian faithfulness and courage right now than in Nigeria. E...
09/10/2025

Persecution in Nigeria

There may be no better example of Christian faithfulness and courage right now than in Nigeria. Earlier this week, in response to the appointment of a progressive, pro-abortion Archbishop of Canterbury, the Nigerian Anglican Church broke all ties with the Church of England. Their actions were swift, despite the extensive persecution of Christians in that country.

For the last decade or more, almost like clockwork, Muslim extremists in Nigeria have attacked Christians in church each Christmas and Easter. In recent years, these attacks have happened more and more frequently. This year, the slaughter of Nigerian Christians has hit an unprecedented level. On June 13, at least 200 Christians were killed in a single day in the village of Yelwata before their homes were burned. According to a Newsweek report, over 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria during the first 220 days of 2025, an average of 35 killings a day.

In his speech before the UN General Assembly on September 23, President Trump said to world leaders, “Let us protect religious liberty, including for the most persecuted religion on the planet today—it’s called Christianity.” Like the one in seven Christians around the world who suffer severe persecution, that part of Trump’s speech was largely ignored by mainstream news outlets. That is now what’s to be expected. The West has largely turned away from one of the most significant human rights crises of the day, prioritizing others instead.

Reacting to these horrific Nigerian killings, Dr. Anthony Bradley asked in an X post, “Where is the ‘Free Nigeria Campaign’ and why are the free Palestine protestors also not passionately protesting Muslims in Nigeria?” Even avowed atheist and liberal Bill Maher recently questioned the lack of global interest on his show Real Time:

This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza. They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country! [The corporate media isn’t covering it] because the Jews aren’t involved. That’s why.

The scale of the persecution in Nigeria is rivaled by how long it has endured. According to the Nigerian NGO InterSociety,

Jihadists killed 185,009 defenseless Nigerians since 2009 (16 Years), including 125,009 Christians and 60,000 liberal Muslims—during which 19,100 churches were razed, more than 1,100 Christian communities sacked, their 20,000 square miles of lands taken over, and over 600 Christian clerics abducted, including abduction of 250 Catholic priests and 350 pastors and killing of dozens.

Even if this is the wrong persecuted group for the professional protesting class, any persecution of Christians should drive us to our knees. It should also drive us to ask hard questions, especially about the cause of this surge of spiritual terror. Recently, historian and Colson Center senior fellow Dr. Glenn Sunshine pointed out that Philip Jenkins, in his book The Next Christendom, predicted that the center of gravity in the Church would move from the West to the Global South, especially to Nigeria.

The shift he predicted has largely happened, at least in terms of overall numbers. Nigeria is the sixth or seventh largest populated nation in the world, with about 46% of the country identifying as Christian. Perhaps a reason the church in Nigeria is facing so much persecution is that the Enemy knows how important it is for the future of the Church. Muslim extremists seem to know. In addition to Nigeria, Christians are being targeted in many African countries.

The most important thing we can do for our brothers and sisters in peril is to appeal to heaven on their behalf. Pray for justice, pray for mercy, and pray for the grace these brothers and sisters need to endure this terrible time.

We should also learn more. Global Christian Relief provides a “Red List” on Christian persecution worldwide. There are also groups like Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs who provide aid for suffering Christians. Also, most denominations are present in these nations and offer support through their Missions agencies.

At the very least, we must break the silence about the targeting of Christians in Nigeria. Talk about it to friends, at church, and to elected officials. I’ve joined a group of religious leaders appealing that Nigeria be identified by the United States as a Country of Particular Concern. In July, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended this to the State department because it makes additional international pressure possible. Please contact your elected officials and ask them to pressure the State Department to take this important step.

SCOTUS Decides Whether Christian Counselors Will Be Able to Help ChildrenYesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral argumen...
08/10/2025

SCOTUS Decides Whether Christian Counselors Will Be Able to Help Children

Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case with profound implications for free speech rights, as well as for those with gender dysphoria. Kaley Chiles is a licensed counselor in Colorado. Represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, she sued the state of Colorado over its counseling censorship law, which prohibits counselors from helping clients, specifically children, reconcile their identity with their s*x through talk therapy. As the law stands, counselors like Chiles face fines up to $5,000 for each violation.

Chiles claims that she has patients who want to discuss issues that “implicate Christian values about human s*xuality and the treatment of their own body” while avoiding harmful drugs and questionable medical procedures. Though Chiles does not guarantee to clients that issues relating to gender identity, gender roles, and s*xual attraction will be fully resolved, “she believes clients can accept the bodies that God has given them and find peace.” Chiles contends that Colorado’s law amounts to censorship and violates her First Amendment rights by muzzling her right to speak from her deeply held beliefs. It restricts her from having conversations that her clients want to have about their struggles with s*xuality and identity.

Colorado claims that its ban on so-called “conversion therapy” is based on “overwhelming evidence that efforts to change a child’s s*xual orientation or gender identity are unsafe and ineffective.” In making this claim, the state relies on studies with little follow-up on the subjects of their research and which are based on self-reporting, which can be problematic. In contrast, the U.K’s Cass Review and a review from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have exposed the overall lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of gender dysphoria “treatments,” such as cross-s*x hormones, puberty blockers, and surgical removal of healthy body parts.

According to ADF Chief Legal Counsel Jim Campbell, who argued the case before the Supreme Court yesterday,

There is a growing consensus around the world that adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria need love and an opportunity to talk through their struggles and feelings. Colorado’s law harms these young people by depriving them of caring and compassionate conversations with a counselor who helps them pursue the goals they desire.

In other words, Colorado only permits counselors to have conversations with children that affirm the state’s view of “gender identity” and which serve “gender affirmation.” For Colorado, “affirming” means encouraging a child to “transition” away from his or her God-given s*x through chemicals, hormones, and surgery, which can leave permanent damage. Yet Colorado bans counselors from helping children who want to become comfortable with their bodies, calling it “conversion therapy.” In effect, Colorado is co-opting professional counseling conversations to impose gender ideology on therapists.

This case will determine whether Christian counselors can continue to help individuals, including children, who are struggling with their identity as male or female. More than 50 friend-of-the-court briefs were filed with the Supreme Court for this case, from federal and state officials, counseling groups, people who have “de-transitioned,” mental-health researchers, and families who rely on counseling to help their children.

Free speech advocates also weighed in, given the implications of this case for interpreting the First Amendment. As Campbell insists, “The government has no business censoring private conversations between clients and counselors.” That’s exactly what this law does.

It’s always dangerous to predict how the Supreme Court will decide a particular case, but most of the Justices seem poised to rule against Colorado and in defense of free speech. At the center of the debate is whether professional speech can be, as Colorado wishes, walled off from the First Amendment. In fact, strictly speaking, this case is not about medical treatments.

The talk therapy that Chiles provides consists of voluntary conversations between her and her patients. In other words, this is not about conduct, which states often have more leeway to regulate. It is about pure speech. Professional speech is no less protected by the First Amendment than other kinds of speech. On this ground alone, the Supreme Court should reject Colorado’s attempt to control and co-opt voluntary professional conversations.

Deciding for Colorado would not only require overturning precedent about speech rights but would also turn professional speech into a government playground for censorship. Thankfully, the justices do not seem to be willing to take that risk. Let’s hope and pray as much.

Prayers for Peace in Gaza Two years ago, on October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists entered Israel and attacked ...
07/10/2025

Prayers for Peace in Gaza

Two years ago, on October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists entered Israel and attacked civilians, killing nearly 1,200 Jews. It was the largest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. In what seemed like a throwback to some distant, barbaric past of human history, the Islamic terror group targeted civilians with horrific violence, including beheading children, s*xually assaulting women, and kidnapping the elderly. Among those killed were soldiers and civilians, men and women, children and adults. Of the 250 hostages taken that day, officials estimate at least 83 have been killed and at least 48 remain captive.

In the two years since the attack, Hamas has been largely devastated by Israel. Much of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to rubble and its population displaced. Many noncombatants have been killed in the crossfire, though it’s impossible to know how many. Hamas is notorious for exaggerating civilian losses, and Western news agencies are quick to report whatever numbers they claim. Despite Israel’s well-known precision, thousands are dead and millions are suffering. The world is weary of this war and hopeful for the peace talks being conducted this week in Egypt. The “key components” of President Trump’s plan for peace in the region, which has been accepted by Israel and a large number of Arab states, include the release of all living and dead hostages in Gaza, a requirement for Hamas to lay down its arms, a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory, the delivery of humanitarian aid and the installation of a civilian governing authority for Palestinians. The proposal came with an ultimatum. To walk away from this deal means, the president said, “complete obliteration” for Hamas.

Clearly, the Israelis are intent on putting an end to the threats they face from all sides. To summarize all that has happened in the region over the past two years would be impossible—from an amazingly coordinated pager attack, which incapacitated hundreds of Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, to a series of “decapitation strikes” that wiped out the leadership of that Iran-backed terrorist group, to a massive Israeli retaliation against Iran for its largely ineffective missile attack.

Still, even Israeli citizens are ready for the war to end. According to a poll conducted last week, 66% believe “the time has come to stop fighting,” up from 53% a year ago. Even if the current proposal holds and peace is achieved, which we can all hope for, scrutiny over Israel’s conduct in waging war and securing Gaza will certainly continue. And it should. How history scrutinizes this matters. It’s clear that Critical Theory has been insufficient and morally bankrupt for this analysis, both as an academic theory and as a cultural mood. The ideas of intersectionality, privilege, and liberation do not accurately describe, much less address, the human condition. Despite all its talk of justice and oppression, Critical Theory has failed to make sense of one of the grossest injustices in human history.

After all, on this dark day two years ago, a religiously intolerant, misogynistic, anti-science, anti-democratic, and violently anti-LGBTQ group massacred men, women, and children. And yet, many progressive activists champion this group according to some crooked intersectional hierarchy of virtues. A moral framework that decides if mass murder is wrong by who is doing the murdering is no moral framework at all.

Some may think that notions of human wickedness are outdated, or that humanity has “evolved” beyond such categories, but the brutality of the October 7 attacks and the death, destruction, starvations, displacement, hatred, and killings since suggest otherwise. Like the similarly shocking events of 9/11, there is no way to square what happened on October 7 and since with the simplistic moral notions of Critical Theory. As French intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy wrote:

"All the strategies of avoidance and containment, all the tricks of conscience, all the conjuring rhetoric that we had been deploying for twenty, fifty, eighty years or more—all of it was pulverized by the Event. Evil was there. Pure evil, plain- faced, gratuitous, senseless. Evil for nothing and for no reason; evil raw and unadorned."

Western societies may have long ago abandoned the Christian vision of the human condition, but horrors like this should lead us to reconsider. Only the Genesis account of the creation of the world grounds the dignity of all people, as well as the moral framework necessary for holding peoples and nations responsible for their actions. Only the biblical description of sin and wickedness can sufficiently explain the moral guilt and the potential for evil we’ve seen on display. Only the Christian story proclaims, with good reason, that evil will not have the last word. Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, once proclaimed, there is a judge of all the earth, and He will do what is right.

Because of Christ, we can appeal to heaven that God will do what is right in this awful situation as well. In fact, if like me you struggle for what to pray about this situation, Jesus gave us the words we need: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Is This Revival?The memorial service for Charlie Kirk was likely the largest evangelistic event in history. Over 70,000 ...
06/10/2025

Is This Revival?

The memorial service for Charlie Kirk was likely the largest evangelistic event in history. Over 70,000 people crowded into the stadium and an estimated 100 to 130 million more watched the service on television and online. Afterwards, on social media posts, people described returning to church, attending for the first time, recommitting their lives to follow Christ, or declaring a long-concealed faith.

Many people are describing the memorial and its aftermaths as an indication of revival. That makes sense, given that church attendance is on the rise, especially among younger Americans. That number has spiked again in recent weeks, rising another 15% since Kirk’s memorial. There is also the “Quiet Revival” of the U.K., public baptisms at colleges and universities (some of them, most notably at the Ohio State University, hosted by the football team), the awakening at Asbury University, and the much discussed “vibe shift” across various aspects of American culture. Is “revival” the correct word for what we are witnessing? If so, what should we be doing? How now shall we live?

Perhaps no figure in history is better suited to advise on these matters than Jonathan Edwards, perhaps America’s greatest intellect and someone who played a critical role in America’s First Great Awakening. Even more, he studied the awakening, sought to understand and describe it, and to discern between revival and its excesses.

As a New England colonial preacher, Edwards was grieved by the spiritual deadness he sensed around him. In response, he spent much time praying and working in expectation that God would eventually bring revival. In 1731, Edwards preached a series of sermons that turned dozens and eventually hundreds to the Lord. He was both witness to this awakening and its most important chronicler, hoping to help the Church recognize signs of the Holy Spirit moving among a people.

In The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, Edwards identified five marks of true revival which can also help us evaluate this current moment. First, Edwards wrote, a true revival is focused on the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Spirit always glorifies Christ, rather than human leaders or emotional experiences. “If the Spirit’s work in the hearts and lives of people brings about greater reverence for Jesus Christ,” wrote Edwards, “then we can rightly say that it is from the Spirit of God.”

Second, Edwards noted that “(t)he man who has an awakened conscience is the least likely to be deceived of any man in the world.” In other words, true revival always opposes evil, allowing the once blind to recognize Satan’s work more clearly. People are led away from sin and toward righteousness, humility, and godliness. This requires that there is a clear call to repentance.

Third, true revival is grounded in the Bible. In an awakening, people are led to study, believe, and obey Scripture above subjective experiences. As Edwards put it, the Spirit is at work when “God’s Word is highly regarded.”

The fourth mark of revival involves the proclaiming and promotion of sound doctrine and theological depth. According to Edwards, “... (i)f people who cared nothing for sound doctrine now begin to prize it, then we can safely suppose the Spirit of God is responsible for the change.” In other words, strong emotion was not a sufficient sign of revival for Edwards. Interest in doctrine and a willingness to be challenged by it is a mark that the Spirit is leading people to truth.

Finally, Edwards believed that true revival would produce love, humility, and unity among believers, rather than self-aggrandizement or division. In a remarkedly timely sentence written centuries ago, Edwards distinguished between self-love (which he also called counterfeit love) and true love “that arises from the wonderful riches of the free grace and sovereignty of God’s love to us in Jesus Christ . . .”

Many of these marks were evident in the events of the last several weeks, especially at the memorial service. Christ was proclaimed, repentance encouraged, evil was opposed, interest in the Bible and doctrine renewed. For this, we can thank God.

Another interesting parallel with Edwards time, as he detailed in his Faithful Narrative, is the burden he felt for young people to embrace and follow Christ. Edwards told of two untimely deaths that shocked and stirred the youth in his community. In the aftermath, young people began to turn to God in droves. This echoed earlier revivals under Edwards’ grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. Today, we can thank God for moving among high school and college aged students, through the life and death of Charlie Kirk.

Charles Colson wrote about Jonathan Edwards, “The Western church, much of it drifting, enculturated, and infected with cheap grace, desperately needs to hear Jonathan Edwards’s challenge.” We certainly do have much to learn from Edwards, not only how to recognize the hand of God moving in the world around us but to expect the hand of God to move, and to pray and work to that end. We cannot manufacture revival, but that should not keep us from hoping, praying, and working for it.

We can also learn from Edwards to be on guard against excess and ungrounded emotionalism, but also to not succumb to cynicism. We should expect God to bring awakening. What a shame it would be to miss a movement of God because it came in a form we didn’t recognize, expect, or even worse, want.

Jesus had something to say about those unable to see God at work. He also said that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24 ESV). We should pray for fruit, work for it, and expect it.

The Road of Good Intentions Laws raising minimum wage rates are intended to help people in lower income brackets to make...
03/10/2025

The Road of Good Intentions

Laws raising minimum wage rates are intended to help people in lower income brackets to make more money. In practice, particularly with the rise of robotics and AI, it’s more likely that many in this demographic will be edged out of work. Recently, Dr. Anthony Bradley posted on X about a fully-automated McDonalds,

"This is the future of fast food. Raising the minimum wage won’t save these jobs—robots don’t need unions. Prediction: politicians will try to slow automation with new regulations, but it’s coming fast."

The supporters of laws that sound good and seem helpful are often silent when their good intentions don’t pan out. Remember the Cash for Clunkers program from the early years of the Obama administration? The program “fueled a car-buying spree in the summer of 2009.” However, according to an analysis by the Brookings Institute, it “cost $1.4 million for every job it created and did little to reduce carbon emissions.”

The idea of helping should not matter more than actually helping. Nor can any intended good justify ineffectiveness or increased harm. Every parent knows this already. A child saying, “I didn’t mean to,” does not magically change what the child did.

In a classic book on helping the poor, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself, scholars Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert noted:

"Few of us are conscious of having a god-complex, which is part of the problem. We are often deceived by Satan and by our sinful natures. For example, consider this: why do you want to help the poor? Really think about it. What truly motivates you? Do you really love poor people and want to serve them? Or do you have other motives? I confess to you that part of what motivates me to help the poor is my felt need to accomplish something worthwhile with my life, to be a person of significance, to feel like I have pursued a noble cause … to be a bit like God."

Christ warned against making a public show, both in our worship and in how we care for others. The number of clicks and shares do not make a good deed better. In fact, that is a measure that should not matter at all. What matters is to obey God’s command to love our neighbor. Keeping our help private is an important way to avoid common temptations.

One is the desire to be seen as a good person by others. Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23). Jesus commanded that we “not practice our righteousness before men.” It is a good habit to gut-check what is motivating us to help others.

Another temptation, especially for government entities dependent on constantly increased funding, is to not fix the problem. If our self-worth, employment, or funding is based on being there for those in need, they have to always be there. No one would ever say such a thing out loud, but it is a very real temptation.

Finally, it is tempting to confuse pity and charity. This has everything to do with who we think people are, especially those we are trying to help. Michael Matheson Miller, who leads the Acton Institute’s Center for Social Flourishing, describes this as the temptation to treat the poor as objects of our pity rather than subjects made in the image of God. To be an image bearer is to be an “I,” not merely “one of them.”

Christians have always cared for the poor and always should. Even more, Christians normalized caring for the poor. This is not a question of if, it is a question of how. If the choice is between giving for bad reasons and not giving at all, by all means, give! But righteousness involves both doing the right thing and doing it for the right reasons. Good intentions are necessary but not enough.

Making the Case for Life According to data analyst David Shor, the number of people who favor allowing abortion “for any...
02/10/2025

Making the Case for Life

According to data analyst David Shor, the number of people who favor allowing abortion “for any reason” increased from 42% in 2012 to 57% in 2022. This, and the repeated failures of prolife legislation since the Dobbs decision, reflect the growing number of Americans who oppose legal restrictions on abortion more than it does acceptance of the practice.

At the same time, we now know more about the science of fetal development, the reality of abortion, and the harms of the abortion pill for women than any previous generation. The prolife case has only gotten stronger, but many Christians are still unwilling to make it. My friend Scott Klusendorf has spent a lifetime training pro-lifers that they can (and should!) make the case for life to friends, family members, and neighbors. At the Colson Center National Conference in May, he summarized how to make the case for life to hypothetical “Aunt Betty”:

"I'm pro-life because it’s wrong to intentionally kill innocent human beings. And the science of embryology is clear that from the earliest stages of development, you were a distinct living and whole human being.

You weren't part of another human being. Like skin cells on the back of my hand. You were already a whole living member of the human family, even though you had yet to grow and develop. And you know what else, Aunt Betty? There’s no essential difference between you, the embryo, and you, the adult that would justify killing you back then…"

Klusendorf then repeated his call for all Christians to defend innocent, pre-born life:

"Men and women, all of us as Christians, have to confront our fears. And I'll leave you with this. That's my last point. We have to confront the fear of somehow offending people. This has been talked about a lot here. But you know what I have found in pro-life apologetics? When I present a careful case for the pro-life view, persuasive and graciously, it draws people in to take a closer look at the total biblical worldview we’re espousing. And I'll end with this story.

My colleague, who’s a pastor was set to preach on abortion not long ago. And he was approached just before the service by a couple in the church who said, 'Hey, pastor, don't blow it today. We have a Spanish professor friend of ours here from Madrid. He’s an atheist, but he agreed to come to church. You better not mess it up today.'

And my buddy is thinking, oh no, do I call an audible and change my sermon here and not talk about abortion? No. He talked about it, laid out a biblical case of the philosophic as a scientific case. And when the sermon was over, that Spanish atheist made a beeline for him and said this: 'You sir, have defied every expectation I had today coming to church. I've never met a smart Christian. You just blew out all my stuff. What world did you come from? I haven't seen people like you.'

What was interesting is instead of abortion driving him away from the gospel, that man stayed with that family as he was scheduled to do for a week, and they had dozens of Gospel talks.

The fact that the Christian had an intelligent case to make on the pro-life view believers, let's not be afraid to stand up and make our case persuasively. We should worship the Prince of Peace, not peace. Let's go out there and give him heaven."

Scott Klusendorf’s book The Case for Life remains the best training resource on the topic, and it is appropriate for parents, students, educators, pro-life pregnancy center staff, or anyone who understands the moral crisis of abortion and will join the cause. Christians must know that the truth about who we are as human beings is objective, absolute and knowable. We must also know that there are false ideas about who we are, and that the victims of those bad ideas continue to increase. In this cultural moment, in which so many lives are at stake, every Christian must be prepared to make the case for life.

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The truth is a powerful thing.

We live in a moment of cultural confusion. Fewer and fewer of the things that give meaning to our lives come easily. Family, community, beauty, truth seem to be constantly eroding around us—while our news feeds are full of despair, anger, and division.

How are Christians to make sense of the world around us? How can we make sure we have clarity in our daily lives?

Welcome to BreakPoint. A program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, our commentaries offer incisive content people can’t find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion.