Outrage.

January 22, 2012 marked the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court's judgement in regards to the Roe vs. Wade case. As I have for nearly my entire life, I attended the local prayer for Life on the North Dakota Capital building steps, and march around the Capital mall.

Growing up, my activity in the Pro-Life movement was very limited, and not my own choosing. It wasn't that I didn't believe that abortion is wrong, I was just never interested in being involved. I was often more or less dragged to the annual prayer and march at the Capital, and Teens for Life? Forget it. 

In 2008, I moved from Bismarck, ND, to Charlotte, NC, and was completely uninvolved in anything Pro-Life for the entire time I lived there. But gradually, I became far more aware of the frequency of the act of abortion, and the general attitude of its acceptability, and in the last year, or so, I have become far more passionate about the movement (still gradually, but at a much greater rate than previously).

At the 2012 Prayer for Life event, I noticed that the size of the group had decreased greatly since my last attendance (three to five years, perhaps). I overheard many of the attendees discussing how wonderful it was to see a group this size again. My heart sank to my boots. The president of Bismarck's First Choice Clinic gave a very short speech, and we began our march. 

When I was younger, they had always had multiple speakers (two to four, if I remember correctly): there was always a message from the local Teens for Life group, one or two shorter presentations, and a longer, primary message.

I noted to my mother that the event seemed very short, and she said that they had done away with the longer message a few years earlier. And here began my outrage.

I was furious that the leaders of the local movement had seen fit to shorten the event to such a degree that, along with our small number, our presence was hardly noticeable. We were on the Capital property for hardly 30 minutes, and walked down the block for refreshments. What kind of example do we give when we are not even passionate enough about our cause to brave the cold (and this year, it was mild) for longer than thirty minutes. That's less time than some people drove to be present. People camp out, chain themselves to things, and truly fight for far less important causes. 

As the Priest opened in prayer, I noticed how few people didn't cross themselves (fewer than ten, including myself), and I was, again, outraged. This is not because I find the practice offensive, and it is certainly not because I resent the Roman Catholic presence at the event; in fact, I am thankful for the passion these people show for the fight for human life.

I grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The OPC is known for its passion for theology, and hatred for high-church liturgy, and its members will debate in circles, with an unquenchable fire, the Five Points of Calvinism, known as TULIP, and the utter Grace of God. These are elements I believe very strongly, but there hardly seems to me to be much passion for anything but nitpicking over theology. One thing I have heard repeatedly in the OPC (and many protestant gatherings I've been involved in), is that the Roman Catholic Church is apostate, and no longer adhering to the truth and purity of the Gospel, and that most of its members are not true believers.

As I stood on the Capital steps, I thought "Where are the protestants?" The excuse I have heard from some, "It [National Right to Life] has just become such a Catholic organization," came to my mind.

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." [James 1:27].

What child is more alone, more rejected, more of an orphan than the inconvenient, despised & rejected fetus? What senior is more alone, more rejected, more of a widow(er) than the inconvenient, despised & rejected elderly?
Yes, there are elements of Roman Catholic theology that I utterly disagree with, but I must ask: those afflicted souls – the rejected children, the elderly or paralized who are unable to feed and care for themselves, and need a respirator or feeding tube to survive – who visits them in their affliction? who cries out for them when they cannot cry out for themselves? who more than the Roman Catholic church? So I must also ask: where is the Protestant? why is his stubbornness accepted justification not to practice True Religion? The original protestants were stubborn and headstrong, unwilling to yield – it's in our name, for God's sake (I say that intentionally, not in vain)! We are PROTESTants! Now, we choose not to fight for the weak because the cause has become "too catholic"?! I recognize, our original rebellion, our first protest was against the Roman Catholic church, but now we are more willing to stand beside unbelievers for lesser causes, than beside our own brothers who claim our Christ and practice True Religion as set forth in Scripture; how is this justified? 

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." [John 14:6];

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" [Ephesians 2:8-9]. 

These are passages most commonly quoted by Protestants to prove a lack of true Faith in the Roman Catholic church. But what does the very next verse in Ephesians say? "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Furthermore,

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness' — and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." [James 2:14-26].

Is this not legitimate justification for the emphasis of works in the Roman Catholic faith? True Faith is evidenced in good works, not in arguing circles about theology, and which denominations are legitimately Christian constantly. Theology is important, and we should strive to learn more, and I do believe the teachings of my denomination (with some exceptions), but I am frustrated. Protestants speak mighty words, but do little but debate the seriousness of things.
Additionally, the Roman Catholic church is currently fighting passionately against tyranny, not only for themselves, not only for Christians, but for all living in the United States (I searched for hours for the text of both letters to the President, but could not find them); the Anglican Church in North America has issued a public letter standing with them, as has the North American Baptist Conference of Churches. Why so few?


I say these things with love for my Brothers. We have a responsibility to take action concerning our faith. We must stop speaking and start acting!