The circumstances of your conception cannot change the value of your worth. Life is a precious, precious gift. Whether planned or unplanned, every human life has purpose.

These truths are what Ryan Bomberger, cofounder of the Radiance Foundation, speaks on at Cornerstone Chapel in this wonderfully encouraging video. Bomberger combats the idea that unplanned means unwanted and explains the principles of L.I.F.E. – Love one another, Identify the lie, Fight the lie, Expect the victory.

He illustrates the Radiance Foundation’s application of this in their fight to illuminate, educate and motivate believers. Bomberger, who was himself adopted, also speaks on the blessings of adoption, reminding us that it was God who created adoption so that we could be adopted into His family.

His talk is incredibly encouraging and often humorous, providing a breath of fresh air in a battle that so often focuses only on the negative. Please watch and share. You won’t regret it!

In the wake of SCOTUS decision to strike down Roe v. Wade and the so-called “right” to abortion, we praise God for the dozens of states in the nation that have moved to ban or greatly restrict this heinous practice. In blue states like Illinois however, those who love death are busy establishing new death chambers, expanding to strategic new locations and inviting people over the state line to destroy innocent human life. Illinois State Lawmakers are going out of their way to support an industry committed to ending the lives of innocent pre-born babies.

As we once again recognize Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (January 22, 2023), Christ followers must respond intentionally, bringing both salt and light to this desperate situation. (Click HERE for a bulletin insert.) Here are some suggested deliberate steps we all can take:

Be intentional in prayer. If we truly believe that the fervent prayer of the righteous “avails much” (James 5:16); and if we truly believe that God hates the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17); and if we truly believe that we are called to “deliver those who stumble toward death” (Proverbs 24:11); and if we truly believe that the second great commandment in God’s law is to love our neighbor—born or unborn (Matthew 22:36-40); we should be offering up earnest prayers regularly throughout the day.

We should pray for mothers who are facing an unplanned pregnancy or who are facing threats, abuse, and coercion to end their pregnancy. We should pray for abortion workers to leave their work that enables the “termination” of pre-born life. And we should pray for our local community, elected officials, leaders, and neighbors who do not understand the gruesome truth that abortion takes a human life.

We highly recommend that Christians intentionally participate in 40 Days for Life prayer vigils. If we truly believe that God’s ears are attentive to our cries and that He answers every prayer that aligns with His perfect will (1 John 5:14, Psalm 34:15 and 5:3), we can wait in eager anticipation for His hand to work when the time is right.

• Pray that human life would be cherished at every stage of life, regardless of circumstances.

• Pray for the end of abortion in all states.

• Pray for the pregnancy resource centers that are helping women facing an unplanned pregnancy.

• Pray for political and church leaders, and that they would be willing to stand up for life.

• Pray that God will open the eyes of policymakers and candidates running for office to the sanctity of life. Pray that they will become defenders of innocent human life and not enablers of sexual immorality and death.

• Pray for a softening of hearts and minds. May God give us opportunities to minister to those who are hurting and may our conversations be filled with His grace and love.

Be intentional to educate yourself. Being pro-life is much more than being anti-abortion. Contraception, sterilization, IVF and, on the other end of the spectrum, the so-called “right” to die movement, all foster and promote a culture of death. Read and/or watch experts on these topics to learn how to defend the pro-life position with reasons.

Also, be cognizant of the ways contemporary negative attitudes toward having and raising children undermine the culture of life. Avoid making critical remarks about children being a burden or interfering with your sleep/work, schedule or budget. Start seeing them through God’s eyes, as a blessing and a reward. (Psalm 127:3-5)

Moreover, Bethany Bomberger’s book, Pro-Life Kids, is an excellent resource that reinforces the importance of every human life and Ryan Anderson’s newest book, Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing, discusses the lasting impact that abortion has had on our country.

Be intentional and proactive in your church. Talk to your pastor and church leaders about supporting a local pregnancy center, recognizing and celebrating Sanctity of Life Sunday, and explaining the importance from a biblical view of voting for candidates committed to supporting pro-life legislation. There are a variety of resources that you can share with your community. You can find these at sanctitysunday.com.

Encourage your church to host meetings throughout the year to highlight the battle for the right-to-life. These can include documentary film screenings, special speakers, right-to-life apologetics, and Bible studies on God’s view of every human life.

Encourage your church to have a ministry that reaches out to post-abortive women who, like all of us, need to know that Jesus paid for all of our sins on the cross and that His love, mercy, and forgiveness are available and sufficient. The local church can be a place for these women to start healing.

Be intentional to be an advocate. Whether with a large audience or just your family, start a conversation about life and its value.  Need help talking about abortion? Check out the pro-life apologetics organization Life Training Institute. They have been equipping Christians to defend their unborn neighbors since 2004.

You can also attend the Annual SpeakOut Illinois pro-life conference. This year’s event will be held in Oakbrook Terrace on February 25th. For more information, click HERE.

Additionally, we encourage you to join us for the annual IFI Worldview Conference on March 18th at the Village Church of Barrington. This year we are featuring three well-respected Pro-Life Christian leaders who will help us better understand, debate and persuade people in our spheres of influence to the sanctity of human life. Learn more HERE.

Promote, help, donate to, and fundraise for your local crisis pregnancy center and/or local pro-life group. Attend a Hike for Life fundraiser or banquet.

Speak out against pro-abortion legislation. Most people have absolutely no idea what bills are being decided in Springfield or Washington, D. C. It is vital to get alerts from IFI and other pro-life groups who will let you know when to speak out on specific pending legislation.

Visit your local lawmakers to thank them for their service and to see how you can pray for them. Let them know how important the life issue is to you and to our culture. Urge them to become a champion for the pre-born.

Make sure you are subscribed to Illinois Family Institute’s emails and Action Alerts to stay involved about bills affecting the unborn! As responsible citizens that love their community, use this information to contact your representatives. Hold them accountable to protect human beings at all stages of life, from conception to natural death.

Be intentional to celebrate life. It is tragic to realize that we are immersed in a culture that does not value life. Many babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the womb are aborted. Other potential disabilities and/or genetic conditions are targeted as well. Women use abortion as a means of birth control. Senior citizens who need assisted living or who live in nursing homes are frequently mistreated, ignored, or forgotten.

Celebrating the people you know who have challenging conditions can set an example to others not only how to treat “the least of these” with respect and dignity, but to think about them as equally worthy of life as those of us blessed with good health.

Be intentional to promote and support pro-life candidates. In every election cycle we have opportunities to promote pro-life candidates running for local, state, or federal office. You should pick a candidate or two to support in word, with your time, and, if possible, with your finances. They are the ones voting to pass laws that either expand or limit ending precious pre-born human life.

You should make your pro-life views known to your community during election time.

“It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn.” ~ George Washington

Additionally, you can support pro-life candidates by putting up yard signs, making phone calls, distributing literature, going door-to-door with the candidate, hosting a meet-and-greet in your home, using social media, attending rallies, and marching in parades.

Go one step further and identify your local pro-life elected officials and write them a letter of encouragement and thanks.

Conclusion

Scripture is clear, God is infuriated with the shedding of innocent blood (Psalm 106:38; Proverbs 6:16-17) and the apathy of so many Christians who remain on the sidelines in the face of evil (Ezekiel 12:2; James 1:22-25). Make no mistake, He sees what is going on in Illinois and in the rest of the world. But God gives us insight into why it appears He may have overlooked this grave evil.

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3:9

God wants us to repent, and He is sovereign. He wants to work through us to change everything–even the hearts of those who work inside these clinics. Let’s not forget that God specializes in cases that look surmountable. (Jeremiah 32:37; Luke 1:37; Ephesians 3:20; Luke 18:27)

God wants us to repent, and He is sovereign. He wants to work through us to change everything–even the hearts of those who work inside these clinics. Let’s not forget that God specializes in hard cases. (Jeremiah 32:37; Luke 1:37; Ephesians 3:20; Luke 18:27)

We are to pray for one another too (Ephesians 6:18; James 5:16), because we tend to grow weary and discouraged. Therefore, we should be praying for the strength and resolve of those who are on the frontlines of this battle as we also pray that God would remove all fear and timidity from Christians who have not yet engaged in the battle for truth, righteousness, and the sanctity of human life.

Written by Ryan Scott Bomberger

I’m half white and half black. My melanin doesn’t change my worth or my propensity to sin. Yet we live in a culture where we are told that our skin color confers upon us a status that is fixed, assigned by an elite class of humans who call themselves “scholars.” They want us to see everything through the broken lens of “race”—a human construct that has only served to dehumanize us throughout history. As a person with brown skin, I reject my assigned “status” and refuse to see everything through that distorted prism.

It leads to blindness.

Instead, I choose to see through the breakthrough filter of Scripture that opens our eyes to the truth of our identity, the perfect bond of love, our oneness through Christ, and the freedom of forgiveness. Our human condition, and the frailty that marks us, can never be illuminated by the darkness of tattered theories.

And that’s exactly what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is.

How can a theory derived from anti-Semites who were virulent racists hell-bent on abolishing the family and religion bring healing to the sin of racism? Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels saw Christianity as an impediment to their socialist ideology. How can a godless theory be used as an “analytical tool” to address issues needing a Godly solution?

I’m particularly irked by Christians who don’t want the struggle of wrestling with solutions but simply hop aboard the latest bandwagon sponsored by an insanely profitable victimhood industry. Racism is evil as is every other sin known to humankind. Sin diminishes and destroys us. It is a brokenness that cannot be remedied by more brokenness. But for many, the goal is not to offer a solution but a continual subscription.

Famed educator and leader Booker T. Washington, a former slave, explained this industry well on page 144 of his book “My Larger Education”:

“There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.”

Today, that class of people is of varying hues and NY Times bestsellers capitalize on a form of activism that seeks to divide us, erase equality, and offer forced redistribution in the form of “equity”. Dr. Carol Swain, the brilliant former (black) professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University, offers a helpful definition of Critical Race Theory:

“Critical race theory is an analytical framework to analyze institutions and culture. Its purpose is to divide the world into white oppressors and non-white victims. Instead of traditional forms of knowledge, it holds up personal narratives of marginalized minority “victim” groups (blacks, Hispanics, Asians) as evidence (considered irrefutably by its nature) of the dishonesty of their mostly white heterosexual oppressors.”

As someone who is “biracial,” I’m both the “oppressed” and the “oppressor.” Through no fault of my own, since no one controls the circumstances of his or her conception, I’m foisted into perpetual perplexity simply based on the sins or the sufferings of my lineage. Just to further illustrate the absurdity of this deeply prejudiced CRT approach to classification, I can simply highlight my own origin story. I was conceived in rape. So, am I responsible for my (black) biological father’s heinous act? Of course not. Interestingly, my white father—who chose to adopt and love ten children (of varying beautiful hues) that other men abandoned—is branded as part of the “white supremacist patriarchy” that is guilty of every negative outcome of black Americans. My dad, Henry Bomberger, recently passed away. The only legacy he left behind was one of unconditional love and self-sacrifice. His devotion to us proved that it’s not color that binds us; it’s love.

Despite Scripture’s insistence on the unity of believers and how Christ makes us one (Galatians 3:28), CRT diabolically separates us using the deeply flawed human construct of race. Ironically, in a culture that rejects the science of binary gender the progressive priests of CRT demand we can only be the “oppressed” or the “oppressors”. How nihilistic. It also preaches perpetual “guilt” and undeserved “privilege” based solely on one’s skin color.

Fake guilt will never erase real problems.

As Christians, we are all privileged to know and worship a God who could’ve merely condemned us but chose to redeem and rescue us (John 3:16-17). We are privileged to no longer be slaves to sin (Romans 6:6). We are privileged, through Christ’s strength, to be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

The Bible tells us to no longer conform to the pattern of this world in Romans 12:2, yet this is exactly what we do when we embrace the warped worldliness of CRT. Blame, Deceive, Repeat. This destructive pattern is recognizable throughout Scripture. Satan is the accuser, and he constantly coaxes us to embrace the lie instead of the Light.

CRT is a debilitating disease. Its malignancy in the body of Christ is spread by pastors who don’t believe the Word is enough. Some of these leaders apparently think the World has the answers to the temporal and eternal devastation of sin.

Mainstream media gave voice to a handful of black pastors who support using CRT and several who left a major denomination over it. Pastor Charlie Dates, of the Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, exited the Southern Baptist Convention over SBC Seminary presidents’ rejection of Critical Race Theory, despite their clear denouncements of the sin of racism. I thoroughly agree with their statement. I’m not a Southern Baptist, so I have no interest in defending a denomination but merely want to uphold the Truth. Pastor Dates, who embraces unbiblical Black Liberation Theology and the Black Lives Matter movement, issued a defiant (and historically challenged) OpEd sharply condemning those who oppose CRT. He claims the rejection of CRT is due to “fear of liberalism.” I don’t fear liberalism. I wholeheartedly disagree with it because of its dependence on deception and division. Dates strangely then attributed certain social movements to “liberalism” (aka the Democrat Party) such as abolition, women’s suffrage, and civil rights. On all three, Republicans led the fight. But CRT and its advocates value feelings far more than facts.

I don’t think there’s any more eloquent a pastor speaking about cultural issues and Biblical authority than Pastor Voddie Baucham. As a black adoptive father, he embodies what many Christians should aspire toward—Godly character and critical thinking. He exposes and denounces CRT—not with emotionalism (like Pastor Charlie Dates) but with factualism.

Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, credited as a co-founder of “Critical Race Theory” (of course, derived from Marxist Critical Theory) is a leading proponent of this poison. Never mind this accomplished black woman was the recipient of Ivy League education at Cornell and Harvard Law School. But, you know, systemic racism. She sees it in everything…well except the abortion industry which massively and disproportionately kills black lives. Crenshaw, who is radically pro-abortion, pro-LGBT, anti-nuclear family and denies the clearly evident consequences of fatherlessness, blames racism for everything that victimizes black people and other “marginalized” groups. Her organization, the African American Policy Council, is holding an event on April 29th featuring Crenshaw, Brad Sears (Executive Director of UCLA’s dubious and radically pro-LGBT The Williams Institute) and Planned Parenthood’s President, Alexis McGill Johnson, as keynote speakers.

But sure, let’s use Critical Race Theory—an ideology that is hostile to Christianity in countless ways—as a means by which Christians should see the world. CRT activists claim to fight for justice but regularly reject truth and morality. Psalm 89:14 says: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Mercy and truth go before Your face.” You cannot have justice without mercy (the compassion or forgiveness toward an offender) and truth. To ignore this is to welcome a cancer instead of the cure.

This article was originally published at TheRadianceFoundation.org.

Join us in Collinsville on Saturday, May 22nd for an IFI Worldview Conference about CRT!

Ryan Bomberger, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, recently spoke, by invitation, at an on-campus event hosted by the Wheaton College Republicans. In a presentation entitled Black Lives Matter In and Out of the Womb, Mr. Bomberger shares his compelling personal story and addresses the connection between race and abortion by utilizing video clips and fact-based graphics to illustrate this social injustice that specifically and disproportionately targets the black community.

As a self-proclaimed factivist, Bomberger speaks the truth – informed by Scripture and biblical principles – regarding the hypocritical alliance between Black Lives Matter leadership and Planned Parenthood executives; the fallacy of abortion as a constitutional or human right; black genocide; reproductive justice; the unholy trinity of Planned Parenthood, American eugenics and the Guttmacher Institute, and much more.

The video concludes with a Q&A session with program attendees. Please watch this fascinating presentation:

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Anyone browsing social media or watching network news is likely to be familiar with #BlackLivesMatter, #ICantBreathe or #HandsupWalkOut. They are terms that express the angst fueling a continuing clash between minority protesters and law enforcement after the tragic deaths of Florida’s Trayvon Martin, Ferguson’s Michael Brown and New York City’s Eric Garner.

For the past several weeks, those hashtag terms have been splashed on protest signs as part of a nationwide outcry against racial profiling, social injustice and raw bigotry.

But while attention has focused on slain Black males, there has been little attention to the deaths of Chicago’s Tonya Reaves, Cleveland’s Lakisha Wilson or Miami Gardens’ Qualecia James. Reaves and Wilson died after surgical abortions. James and the baby she was carrying both died as a result of gang-related gunfire.

The demise of those young women was also tragic, but for the most part has been ignored, says Ryan Bomberger, founder of TooManyAborted.com.

“No riots. No die-ins. No protests. Absolutely no mainstream media converge,” Bomberger writes on social media with the BlackLivesMatter hashtag included. “The lives of black women, snuffed out by real injustice and violence, are completely ignored and treated with nothing but silence.”

Instead, Planned Parenthood purposely avoids acknowledging the number of Black females – both born and unborn – that have been lost to abortion. Instead, Planned Parenthood ironically tweeted their support for the #BlackLivesMatter.

“We are joining #Ferguson organizers and protesters in DC today – standing in solidarity with you! #HandsUpWalkOut #BlackLivesMatter,” Planned Parenthood tweeted in the heat of the Ferguson unrest.

But do Black lives really matter to Planned Parenthood?

Not only does Planned Parenthood ignore the tragic abortion-related deaths in the Black Community, they cover up the effect abortion has had on diminishing the Black population.

Nearly a thousand Black babies die in America every day at the hands of abortionists like Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. Since 1973, 16 million tiny Black lives have perished in abortion clinics.

The latest U.S. Census figures show that among Illinois residents, 62 percent is white, 16.5 percent Hispanic and 14.7 percent Black.

The CDC reports that nationwide, 36 percent of women obtaining abortions are White, 25 percent are Hispanic and 30 percent are Black. That means Blacks have 60 percent more as many abortions than Whites and Hispanics – exposing them to abortion after-effects and abruptly cutting off the next generation.

Recent Illinois statistics show a steady decline in abortions over the past decade, but Illinois still remains one of the most aborting states in the nation, despite the fact 92 percent of Illinois counties do not have abortion clinics. Chicago is in Cook County, the state’s most populated county, and one that does host abortion clinics.

A comprehensive study by ProtectingBlackLife.org showed that 79 percent of Planned Parenthood’s abortion facilities are located in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

“Planned Parenthood has dominated the urban landscape since its own birth in eugenic racism, but rates of unintended pregnancies, STDs, fatherlessness, and abortion have only increased exponentially since Roe v. Wade,” Bomberger writes.

Still, the #BlackLivesMatter movement says it is focused on stopping unfair treatment by law enforcement. Members of a group calling themselves “We Charge Genocide” released a report that held the Chicago Police Department responsible for a rise in the community’s violence.

They filed that report with the United Nations Committee for Torture, saying although Blacks make up 32.3 percent of Chicago’s population, they account for roughly 75 percent of police shooting victims from 2009 to 2013. The group claims that Black Chicagoans are 10 times more likely than Whites to be shot by the police.

While claiming law enforcement is involved in Black Genocide, these groups also defend abortion rights as “reproductive rights” or “reprojustice.”

“For one’s children to be random, unwitting blood sacrifices to the prejudice of faceless others is not freedom,” wrote Katherine Cross at RH Reality Check. “To have reproductive freedom means, among many other things, that your choice to raise a family will not be revenged upon by collectivized prejudice wielding batons and handguns.”

The media’s cooperation with the Left’s agenda has a lot to do with how the situation is being perceived by the public, a key Black conservative says.

“The liberal media looks the other way on this,” Priests for Life Pastoral Associate and African American Outreach Director Dr. Alveda C. King told MRC Culture.

The niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. called for prayer.

“Pray that people will see right through their propaganda,” she said, “The media has another agenda; if they really thought that Black lives matter they would be protesting abortion on demand.”

With the statistics clearly showing that the real threat to America’s Black community are abortionists much more than law enforcement officers, perhaps it is time for Black leaders to hashtag #DoTheyReally? to be added to “#Black Lives Matter.”

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