Speaking of Humanity

Word from the Center
Written By LCRL Staff

Help support our efforts to contend for the freedom to proclaim the faith.
Click here to learn more or to donate.

As a new mother, I once had a friend and her daughter over for a playdate. After we set our babies down on a bright red and blue blanket I had spread on the floor, she commented, “I love this quilt. It’s so stimulating!” The comment arrested me. I suddenly felt as though my child were one of the microscopic crustaceans from my college physiology lab to be plied with caffeine so we could observe its heart rate.

It has become commonplace for parenting books to describe infants’ need for stimulation, but the language has always seemed inhuman to me. A brightly-colored quilt might be beautiful or cheerful or even engaging, but to speak of it primarily as stimulating implies — however unintentionally — that the child is nothing more than a human animal, a physical being reacting by instinct to its environment.

The words we use matter, and in many subtle ways the vocabulary of the world erodes the dignity and fullness of our created humanity. As Christians, we should choose words that edify our view of humanity. We need to speak in a way that confesses our nature as beings of both body and soul, created to live in relation with other humans and eternally with God.

Human from conception

Those engaged in abortion debates have long recognized the power of language in defining humanity. It makes a great difference whether we speak of a baby in the womb of his mother or a fetus in the uterus of a woman. One confesses the humanity of both woman and child while the other intentionally turns our thoughts to physical matter and away from any aspects of life, soul and human interdependence.

Or take a step further back in the beginning-of-life discussion. The phrase reproductive rights has become popular with those who wish to promote unlimited abortion and birth control. Consider the analogy we are actually drawing when we speak of human reproduction. This is the language of manufacturing. If the generating of children is likened to an assembly-line process, of course we can start and stop it at will, throwing away products we consider inferior or unwanted.

By contrast, the term procreation ties our humanity to God. If the act of begetting children is procreation, it flows from the abundant fruitfulness that God spoke into being. Can you imagine a discussion about procreative rights? The phrase jars the ear precisely because an act of creation cannot be a right; it is a blessing. Click here to read more on service, relationship, body, and soul.

Heather Smith is the wife of the Rev. Sean Smith and homemaker for their family in northern Iowa. This article is reprinted from and with permission of The Lutheran Witness.

Be Informed

Learn more about the health risks of chemical abortion and the increase in Texas’ fertility rate with Dr. Michael New of the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

Be Equipped

“All congregations should be involved in life ministry, which is not just an opportunity to save babies. In the church, these discarded women learn they are dearly loved and deeply valuable.” Discover how the church is actively helping women in crisis pregnancy situations.

Be Encouraged

“Please rejoice in knowing prayer works and keep praying for the states who still haven’t banned abortions and for those states trying to ward off those who want to bring it back. We are not done praying and never will be. God is on our side, and He has a plan. We need to stand firm and with faith never give up praying. God controls the power of prayer, and He is amazing.” –Virginia Flo

See Also
Caring, not killing, in a throwaway society by Tom Eggebrecht
Caring, not killing, in a throwaway society by Tom Eggebrecht

In his younger days, Bob Barker, former host of the television show, “The Price is Right,” hosted another show called “Truth or Consequences.” On this program contestants were asked questions and if they gave incorrect answers, there were consequences. There was a penalty for getting things “wrong.” Now the consequences weren’t life threatening. They involved comical stunts which may have been a bit embarrassing, but were endured as good-natured fun. At the close of every program, Barker signed off saying, “Good night, hoping all your consequences are happy ones.” It was an instant and enduring hit from the 1940s through Barker’s time with the show in the 1960s.

More Josephs, Please
More Josephs, Please

"What is the leading indicator of just about everything bad? The lack of a father, that is to say a Joseph, in the home." Learn why the Rev. Dr. Peter Scaer says the world needs more Josephs!

Wanted: The Perfect Family, Part 2
Wanted: The Perfect Family, Part 2

Thanks be to God, "There is only One who truly loves us 'no matter what' — only one family that will never fail us." Read more from Cheryl Magness.

Wanted: The Perfect Family, Part 1
Wanted: The Perfect Family, Part 1

Was the nuclear family a mistake? Cheryl Magness--in this two-part series--explains why it's the exact opposite.

Peace in Storms, Courage in Chaos
Peace in Storms, Courage in Chaos

Jesus is risen; He is risen indeed! But there’s more good news for those who believe in Him. He clearly says, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). Wow! What a statement. It calls believers to a confident hope that comes from knowing that even death itself has been conquered by the one who created and redeemed us.

The Lasting Solution
The Lasting Solution

For Christians around the world, it’s Good Friday today. I know that it sounds strange to say that the day when Jesus died on the cross is “good,” but it is. The real, lasting solution to the problems in every human heart, even the very problems of the whole world, is the sinless son of God, Jesus, exchanging His perfect life and His innocent death as a substitute for our sinful life. In His death and resurrection, eternal justice is served, enduring mercy is offered, and real, eternal life is possible again for us, for all. The God who created us is the only one who can also redeem us.

Faux Repentance and Contrition
Faux Repentance and Contrition

After reviewing what was said at their Baptisms, LCMS confirmands affirm their intention “to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it” (LSB p. 273). Nevertheless, confirmation is often the last time we see some of these young people in church. When they become adults, some children return, but many do not.

Children Stay in the Faith When Both Parents Teach Them
Children Stay in the Faith When Both Parents Teach Them

After reviewing what was said at their Baptisms, LCMS confirmands affirm their intention “to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it” (LSB p. 273). Nevertheless, confirmation is often the last time we see some of these young people in church. When they become adults, some children return, but many do not.

Speaking of Humanity
Speaking of Humanity

As a new mother, I once had a friend and her daughter over for a playdate. After we set our babies down on a bright red and blue blanket I had spread on the floor, she commented, “I love this quilt. It’s so stimulating!” The comment arrested me. I suddenly felt as though my child were one of the microscopic crustaceans from my college physiology lab to be plied with caffeine so we could observe its heart rate.

Teach Them How to Think, Not What to Think
Teach Them How to Think, Not What to Think

Teach them how to think, not what to think. That's what Senator Braun's commercial says we need. And in that, he's typical of much of the conservative movement. But scratch the surface of that phrase, and you end up in a world of hurt. Our kids need to be taught goodness, must be inculcated in the natural law, must be formed in an education that is value laden. Education always includes moral formation.

WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE GOVERMENT ANYWAY?
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE GOVERMENT ANYWAY?

What is your responsibility to the government—the state? What do you owe the state? While you are contemplating that question, ask yourself this: What is your responsibility to God—the church? What do you owe the church?

THE CHURCH DOES WELL TO LISTEN
THE CHURCH DOES WELL TO LISTEN

When we look at our nation, it is easy to get quite discouraged. For example, we are up to 33 trillion dollars in debt as a nation. House prices are through the roof, eating up over a 1/3 of people’s monthly income. Real inflation with some goods and services is upwards of 10 percent. Socially, things are also chaotic; you can’t turn the television on without getting blindsided by woke ideology. And to make things worse, we indirectly have our fingers in the war in Ukraine and have political connections to a war in Israel.

THE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND THE CHALLENGE TO RE-AWAKEN PUBLIC VIRTUE IN AMERICA
THE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND THE CHALLENGE TO RE-AWAKEN PUBLIC VIRTUE IN AMERICA

In his book, The Death of Character, James Davison Hunter says,

When Newsweek poses the question, “How Do We Restore a Sense of Right and Wrong” on its cover, it tacitly acknowledges that our “sense of right and wrong” is less and less present to the living memory of our entire culture . . .

THINGS ARE NOT AS BAD AS THEY SEEM
THINGS ARE NOT AS BAD AS THEY SEEM

When we look at our nation, it is easy to get quite discouraged. For example, we are up to 33 trillion dollars in debt as a nation. House prices are through the roof, eating up over a 1/3 of people’s monthly income. Real inflation with some goods and services is upwards of 10 percent. Socially, things are also chaotic; you can’t turn the television on without getting blindsided by woke ideology. And to make things worse, we indirectly have our fingers in the war in Ukraine and have political connections to a war in Israel.

TO HUSBANDS AND TO WIVES
TO HUSBANDS AND TO WIVES

We live in a very strange world. It is world that says men and women are the same. In fact, they are so much the same, that a man can decide he is a woman, or a woman can decide she is a man, and everyone around that individual is supposed to act like this is just the way things are. It is asserted that men and women are completely interchangeable, and so marriage can occur between a man and a woman or between two men or between two women.

One Flesh in Two Persons: Marriage
One Flesh in Two Persons: Marriage

So, God brought all the animals to him. He named them all one by one. While they were good, something just was not right. Dogs and cats just didn’t do it. So, God made woman from his own bones. Now at last man was just like God—two persons in one flesh. Adam So God brought all the animals to him. He named them all one by one. While they were good, something just was not right. Dogs and cats just didn’t do it. So, God made woman from his own bones. Now at last man was just like God—two persons in one flesh. Adam called her woman—she-man and named her Eve (“life”), because she would be the mother of all people. God’s creation was finally complete. He had made marriage and the family. This was very good..

New Year’s Champions
New Year’s Champions

Most of us never tire of flipping to a new calendar and the new opportunity to begin fresh. There is something about it that feels good. It signals an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, to start anew, and maybe, just maybe, this next year will end better than the one we just put behind us.

We Are All Like Chameleons
We Are All Like Chameleons

And so, it happened among us. Everyone knew, not all that long ago, that marriage was between one man and one woman. Obama said so, and even mentioned God. Hillary Clinton made a speech on the senator floor, invoking time and tradition.

The Statue of Liberty, the Cross, and the Real Hope for the New Year!
The Statue of Liberty, the Cross, and the Real Hope for the New Year!

New Year’s Eve is a time when Americans gather to ceremonially put the past behind them and cast their hopes forward for a blessed New Year.

Fighting to Hear and Share the Message of Christmas Matters!
Fighting to Hear and Share the Message of Christmas Matters!

A blessed Christmas day this weekend as you all hear again that “In the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ, the Lord” (Luke 2:1112).

If Politics Can’t Solve Our Problems, What Will?
If Politics Can’t Solve Our Problems, What Will?

It’s Advent! And those who engage the culture from a two-kingdom perspective are fully aware that human efforts, whether political, economic, philosophic, or even religious, are incapable of bringing the fulfillment in life that humans crave and even strive for. Former Senator turned University of Florida President Ben Sasse wrote a persuasive opinion article several years ago in the Wall Street Journal that described the issue in even more stark terms. It was entitled, “Politics Can’t Solve Our Political Problems.”

INDOCTRINATING YOUR CHILDERN
INDOCTRINATING YOUR CHILDERN

“I won't indoctrinate my children but will let them decide for themselves.” Non-believers boast that their children are free and critical thinkers, taught to be kind and non-judgmental. Remarkably, though, these free-thinking children end up just like their supposedly free-thinking parents.

GOD CREATED, THE DEVIL DESTORYS
GOD CREATED, THE DEVIL DESTORYS

Abortion is tragic, a deadly and heartbreaking deceit. No bond is more sacred, more profound, than that of a mother and child. Life’s journey begins in the womb, given by God as a safe space, a place for shelter, warmth and nurture.

The Power of Thanksgiving: Can We Really Be Thankless and Still Be Free?
The Power of Thanksgiving: Can We Really Be Thankless and Still Be Free?

Blessed Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving if you still allow the practice of giving thanks in your home. Each year in November there seems to be more and more Americans advocating for the eradication of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

The Church Militant: Of Lambs and Lions
The Church Militant: Of Lambs and Lions

Since the twentieth century, Lutherans have spoken about a “two-kingdoms” doctrine to work out the relationship between church and state

Kingdom of the Left
Kingdom of the Left

Since the twentieth century, Lutherans have spoken about a “two-kingdoms” doctrine to work out the relationship between church and state

Rights and Privileges
Rights and Privileges

We have a right, not a privilege, to life. Life is a gift from God, and it may not be unjustly taken from us.

On Being a Man
On Being a Man

Years ago, when my sons were small, we had a delightful friend at church who also had young boys. He often repeated to his sons his own father’s refrain to him: “Be a man!”

Nightcare Providers
Nightcare Providers

We are familiar with the idea of daycare, but perhaps we may be led to adjust our thinking and our language. We call it daycare, because the kids are still our children. But government schools don't see it that way.

The Genesis of Gender
The Genesis of Gender

Abigail Favale's The Genesis of Gender is essential reading for moms and dads, definitely for high school and college students, teachers and pastors for sure, and really for anyone who is trying to understand what's going on in the gender revolution,

LCRL Staff
Previous

GRACE IS NOT A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM!
Next

Pro-Life, Adoption, Foster Care – The Church’s Opportunity for Ministry