The following article is a letter from the elders regarding the Supreme Court’s decision.
Dear Church Family,
As many of you have learned, a Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, was handed down that effectively overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. As a result of the Dobbs decision, it now appears that state governments are free to enforce regulations restricting abortion. What does this mean for us? Likely, this means that performing an abortion in Texas will soon be a criminal and civil offense, except if the mother's life is in danger.
Before shining a light on some of the ways we can respond as a church, let's take a step back. How should we think about this issue? As Christians, we believe every child born and unborn is fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator (Psalm 139:14) and that every child bears the very image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1). Because we desire to be a people who rightly love what God loves, we are convinced that we must cherish, defend, and advocate for the unborn.
Some people in our community are profoundly upset by the Dobbs decision. How will we respond? As people who have received mercy from our God and have been redeemed, we have a unique opportunity to heed the Apostle Paul's words to the Romans and "let our love be genuine, abhor what is evil, and hold fast to what is good" (Romans 12:9). As we share with others the truths that every life is precious to God and every person bears His image, let’s not forget that those truths also apply to those we disagree with.
We not only have an opportunity to faithfully proclaim God’s kindness and love through our words, but also our deeds. Now more than ever, we must step forward to care for mothers and children in crisis. Each congregation has partnered with a pregnancy resource center or clinic to provide material support and regular volunteers for women in crisis. We encourage you to learn about and participate in your congregation’s opportunities and to investigate other ways that you can serve mothers in crisis and give to organizations that support them.
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In closing, let’s go humbly to our Father in prayer. Let's pray that He would do an amazing work of redemption in our midst, awaken hearts around the world to the value of unborn life, give women strength and courage in the midst of unplanned pregnancies, and inspire the church to faithfully provide care to these women and their children.
Grace & Peace,
Elders of The Austin Stone
