Friday, March 25, 2005

The Angriest Pro-Lifer - An Appreciation of Jill Stanek

A little while ago, shortly after writing my post Choose? Life, I e-mailed it to Dave Andrusko of NRLC, a man I respect so heartily for his commitment everyday to shining the light of truth on the darkness of abortion (and other disregardings of the sanctity of life). He was kind enough to e-mail me back that he appreciated my thoughtfulness on the issue of the phrase "choose life," but that the goal was to be gently non-judgmental when confronting prospective aborting women. And that is all well and good, and I can understand his point of view and the way that the NRLC attempts to walk the fine line between effective communication of the horror of abortion and not offending the very people they most want to reach. The NRLC is a wonderful tool for pro-lifers who need resources to fight the genteel fight in the nicest possible way - you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, bless those who curse you, love your enemies, etc.

BUT, sometimes I just get so angry! So very angry with those who willfully destroy life at its most vulnerable stages. I don't want to play Ms. Nice Person; I want to take the gloves off and call those child murderers what they are. I get tired of having endless sympathy for women who abort. I get tired of the new pro-life trend of seeing them as victims as much as the children they hired hit men to kill. I get tired of pro-lifers letting the other side dictate the terms from which any discussion originates. I get so angry I shake. Sometimes, while just sitting there, minding my own business, it hits me that in America today, women are allowed to kill at will their children, and that fact never ceases to stun me, to knock the very breath out of me. It is so opposite of everything that this country was founded upon, and yet it is treated with such a sense of blase. So, when a mood like this overwhelms me, and I simply cannot bear it any longer, I take pleasure in the writings of Jill Stanek - the angriest pro-lifer of all.

Ms. Stanek is wonderful. Her writings are sharp, prickly, full of the moral indignation with which I so fully empathize. She is merciless when it comes to exposing the real bankruptcy of the pro-abortion death-mongers. She pulls no pinpricks, let alone punches. Every aspect of what the reality of legal, on-demand abortion has been in our deluded country is ruthlessly (and often quite wittily - as humorously as possible when the topic is infanticide) examined, and every shadow of our national abortion shame has a flood-light shone upon it. She writes movingly, heart-wrenchingly, concisely, convincingly, and with such refreshing anger and candor. I admire her so greatly. Her writings are such an outlet for my turbulent emotions - she gives a voice to my heart's cries of anguish.

Visit her site and read her columns at www.jillstanek.net.

I do not think that anger in this instance is misplaced. Jesus Himself had appropriate anger - He was angered by all affronts to His Father and religious hypocrisy, and I'll bet He's very much angered by all the people out there playing God today by deciding that they are the ultimate arbiters of life. Of course, Jesus will offer grace and forgiveness to abortionists and women who have had abortions, just as He offers grace and forgiveness to all truly repentant sinners. I do think that God wants us to experience our anger and then make steps toward resolving it, though. Be angry and do not sin: do no let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil (Eph. 4:26-27). So, it is right for me to feel this anger, to let it strengthen my resolve to do all I can to end this atrocity, then to let it go. Ms. Stanek's writings are just such the catalyst I need to vent my darker frustrations, and the NRLC is just the support frame I need to re-arm positively for the battle ahead. God is so gracious to give me and other pro-lifers these tools.

Please, Lord Jesus, forgive our country.

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