Lawmakers, lawbreakers

Even though churches have lost significant influence over society, they do at least retain authority over their own members. A look at churches that are considering the exercise of discipline over pro-abortion politicians | Gene Edward Veith

I DON'T BELIEVE IN ABORTION myself," goes the line, "but other people should have the right to choose for themselves." Or, in another version, "My religion is against abortion, but I don't have the right to impose my religious beliefs on anyone else."

The assumption is that moral and religious beliefs are nothing more than individual preferences, that they have no reference to objective reality, to a transcendent authority that reigns over everyone. Christianity affirms that its tenets are true—not just a sentiment inside a person's head but a revelation that is universally valid, like it or not.

So what about a member of a church, particularly a church with a strong pro-life theology, who assumes that personal beliefs are not transferable to the real world? A typical pew-sitter who is mixed up about theology may be just in need of teaching, and a member who falls into sin—such as the sin of abortion—needs to be brought by the church to a state of repentance and forgiveness.