Thought of the Day 06.03.09

All of America is discussing Sunday’s murder of Dr. George Tiller, a notorious late-term abortion provider. Although pro-lifers aren’t likely to shed any tears over the death of this man, we must unambiguously condemn the actions of his murderer.

Some may find this tension baffling, but it’s important to recognize the distinction between means and ends. In this case, we certainly can be glad that some babies will not be killed late in pregnancy. Nonetheless, we must condemn both parts of the means used to get there: killing Dr. Tiller and doing so by vigilante action.

Christians ultimately believe that God is sovereign over everything in this world. This means that we can endure the existence of some evil because we know that a much more powerful God does so as well. Also, because we have the example of Christ who died for His enemies rather than killing them, we know that our foremost obligation in this life is to demonstrate the Gospel we claim to believe.