Megachurch pastor David Platt has not always been a vocal advocate for unborn babies.
The pastor of McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, Platt gave the closing prayer at the March for Life in front of hundreds of thousands of people Jan. 24 in Washington, D.C. But he recently confessed to The Christian Post that he used to avoid talking about abortion from the pulpit.
“There was a point as a pastor when I just kind of stayed away from abortion [because I’d think] that’s a political issue,” the 41-year-old said. “But I got really convicted. Far before it is any kind of political issue, it is a biblical issue that God speaks really clear about the value of life.”
Platt said he had to “repent” for avoiding the subject, and now he tries to both speak about abortion and demonstrate how to be a pro-life Christian.
“It’s not just saying, ‘Here is what God says about life.’ But it is showing without lives how we are caring for mothers with unwanted pregnancies,” he said.
His family is actively involved in pro-life outreach, and they have adopted three children, according to the report. He said he encourages Christians to show compassion and grace to women in need, especially those who have had abortions.
“We have many women in our church who have had abortions,” he said. “We have outlets where we are doing ministry with them as they walk through a healing process from having an abortion. We have got to make sure we are addressing this issue holistically and not just saying, ‘OK, let me make this political statement’ and move on. There is so much more.”
Platt said they are stepping up their efforts as a church to help children and families who are struggling.
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“How do we care for kids in the foster care system and caring for kids in need of adoption? We should be leading the way in not just saying ‘give birth to a child’ but ‘we will be there to help you in the process and if you come to the conclusion you can’t care for this child, we’ll be there to care for this child,’” he said.
Some pastors are strong advocates for life who lead their congregation in pro-life educational outreach, assistance to pregnant and parenting families, post-abortion healing ministries and more.
But research indicates that many church-goers never hear the life issue being preached from the pulpit. A 2016 Barna Group survey of pastors and priests found that just 1 in 10 mainline Protestant pastors has preached on pro-life issues in the last six months. That same year, a Pew Research Center poll found that 29 percent of church-goers said their clergy member spoke about abortion during a service. Most said their clergy spoke out against abortion (22 percent), while a few (3 percent) said their clergy spoke in support of abortion.
The Bible clearly teaches that human beings are valuable because they are created in the image of God, and destroying an innocent human being is evil.
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Author: Micaiah Bilger
