We’ve had quite a number of folks commenting in on episode 299, my interview with Dr. Jerry Wierwille, called “Does the Bible Support Abortion“. That episode was very limited to focusing on a couple of texts relevant to building a Christian perspective on abortion. Essentially, we concluded, as on several previous episodes, that abortion-on-demand doesn’t fit with the biblical worldview. However, this is just one aspect of what the bible teaches about bodies. In fact there is much more to say on the subject. So I thought it would be good this week to play out my presentation from a theological conference last year called, “Biblical Somatology.”
My aim for this research project was to mine the scriptures for information on the body, both how we should think about our bodies as well as the boundaries God has placed on what we should and shouldn’t do with our bodies. Then by contrasting the biblical approach with our own social issues related to bodies and sexuality, we can glimpse just a small bit of how genius God’s boundaries are as well as how they unleash human flourishing.
Now there is also a video version of this talk you can access as well as a much more comprehensive paper with all the references and footnotes in it. So I encourage you to check those out if you are interested.
—— Links ——
- See my Biblical Somatology paper and the YouTube video
- More podcasts and posts related to God’s boundaries to enable human flourishing
- For the comments at the end of this episode see episode 299 Does the Bible Support Abortion with Jerry Wierwille
- For information about attending the 2020 Theological Conference, visit theologicalconference.org
- Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library
Sean, pursuant to the Ex 21 abortion comments you read at the end, as you well know there was no death penalty under Torah for accidental deaths.
Furthermore, the word Moses uses for “harm” does not indicate the child or the mother. It is left indefinite. If it was meant to apply exclusively to the mother, a feminine pronoun would have accompanied it. Moses uses the normal Hebrew word for “children” and the normal Hebrew word for “birth.” There is no reason to think this refers to a miscarriage. And to borrow Pastor Hughes’ conclusion: “The fact that this is the only place in all of the Bible where the death penalty is required for accidental death is significant. It shows us the value God places on both mothers and their unborn children. The death of either the mother or her child by accident would bring with it the death penalty!”
https://abort73.com/abortion/exodus_2122_25/
In part two of your presentation on God’s design for our body you discuss cohabitation and those who have affairs. However, what is glaring in its omission is Jesus’s teaching on divorce:
Matthew 5:31-32
31 “And it was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; 32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. NASB
And:
Luke 16:18
18 “Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery. NASB
If we take the time to research the number of divorces in America between 1981 and 2017 (per https://www.statista.com/statistics/195939/number-of-divorces-in-the-united-states-since-1981/ ), the number of new adulterers in that 36 year period is about 36 million. Per BARNA, 33% of Christians have been divorced, https://www.barna.com/research/new-marriage-and-divorce-statistics-released/ and 76% of Americans profess to be Christians, which translates to about 82 million Christians who are adulterers per Jesus. Gallop polls tells us that 4.5% of Americans identify as LGBT, which equates to 14.7 million individuals of which 48% profess to be Christian. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/26/lesbian-gay-and-bisexual-americans-differ-from-general-public-in-their-religious-affiliations/
Jesus is clear in Matthew 7 that we should not judge and we are to treat others as we want to be treated. Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler — not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. NASB
In other words, there are more Christian adulterers (which includes Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell) than LGBT individuals in this nation, and if you are going to focus on social issues vs what Jesus taught, your focus needs to be on those who profess to be Christians not those who reject Christianity.
Then there is the social issue of the poor and homeless. Jesus said:
Luke 6:20-26
20 And turning His gaze on His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 “Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets. NASB
Perhaps you can explain why conservative Christians support the political party that is more concerned with corporate profits and low taxes for the rich, than lifting up the poor? James wrote that when Christians favor the rich over the poor it is sin to them, Paul wrote that in the end times evil times will come as men will be lovers of money instead of lovers of God (2 Timothy 3). Are conservatives fulfilling this prophesy?
Would love to hear a debate on this topic. I understand Dale Tuggy has a interesting perspective on this topic and I wouldn’t mind at least hearing both sides.