reading

“Brian Fisher’s book Deliver Us from Abortion challenges the church to end abortion in America. The author provides a powerful defense for the children who can’t speak for themselves.”

—Josh McDowell

Best-selling author of 138 books including More Than a Carpenter

“Abortion is the greatest moral crisis of our generation, yet far too many churches have remained silent. In Deliver Us from Abortion, Brian Fisher offers a blueprint for the American church that is both instructive and encouraging. I pray that we can all hear and accept his challenge.”

—Dr. Tony Evans

President, The Urban Alternative;

senior pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship

“Dr. Bernard Nathanson, whom I knew personally, and who was a key architect of the abortion industry, said he succeeded only because the Church was asleep. To end abortion, the Church must awaken, and that’s why this book is so important.”

—Fr. Frank Pavone

National Director, Priests for Life;

president, National Pro-life Religious Council

“Growing up in the King family during the Civil Rights era, I know what the church can accomplish. I am so glad Brian has written this book. May it challenge and equip the church to end the abortion holocaust in America.”

—Dr. Alveda King

Director of African-American Outreach, Priests for Life

“Could it be possible that we could actually be within reach of reversing the greatest evil of our generation? Many think so, myself included, and Brian Fisher lays out the landscape in this very important book. And he’s right: it will only happen when the church addresses abortion with all the fervor, clarity, love, and compassion it can muster by God’s grace and power.”

—John Stonestreet

The Colson Center for Christian Worldview, The Point Radio

“The church in America has snoozed for too long. It’s time to wake up. Brian Fisher has written an alarming wake-up call that every Christian needs to read. It is a no-holds-barred State of the Union on abortion in America. Fisher is clear, well-researched, and timely. After reading this book, you will be faced with a decision. Turning a blind eye will not be an option.”

—Clint Patronella

Groups pastor, The Village Church, Dallas Northway Campus

“Brian Fisher gets it. To end abortion in America, we must not only say we oppose the unjust taking of human life; we must act like we oppose it. And action is exactly what Brian is calling us to in this book. Each chapter engages the heart and the mind, giving the church a blueprint for applying pro-life truth to a culture awash in moral relativism. Make no mistake: Brian didn’t just scribble out a book. He lives what he teaches, leaving a successful business career to help pro-lifers think strategically about reaching the very women most at risk for abortion. May God grant us many more just like him.”

—Scott Klusendorf

author of The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture

“Silence is our enemy’s most profitable playground. This is why God commands us to raise our voices in defense of the defenseless. Deliver Us from Abortion is the rallying call to the church today: raise up your voice! Thank you, Brian, for this thorough work. I pray it will stir the hearts of our church leaders and laypeople to embrace the call to defend—through both word and deed—God’s most vulnerable image-bearers.”

—Shadia Hrichi

pro-life speaker and author of Worthy of Love: Finding Hope after Abortion,
a Bible study for post-abortion healing

“Deliver Us from Abortion is a powerful, heartfelt, and candid look at abortion and the church. Brian Fisher articulates the deeply ingrained impact of abortion on the American family, and then clearly shows how the Bible calls the church to protect innocent children and mothers from this evil epidemic.”

—Bishop Wellington Boone

Chief Prelate, Fellowship of International Churches;

founder, Wellington Boone Ministries

“Brian Fisher’s new book, Deliver Us from Abortion, is a priceless gift to American Christianity. Not only does he detail with laser-like focus the tragically inadequate initial response of evangelical Christians to the challenge of Roe v. Wade, but he also gives Christians in every segment of our society a blueprint for how to engage and win the war for the legal protection of every human life from conception onward. His seven steps to ending abortion provide the marching orders for all disciples of our Savior: ‘Learn, Pray, Heal, Rescue, Teach, Give, and Disciple.’ Amen!”

—Richard Land

President, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina

Acknowledgments

To John Aman and Kari Buddenberg, for your research, ideas, editing, reviews, candor, and input: this book would not have been completed without you and is a far better work because of your dedication to its message.

To the staff and volunteers at Online for Life: thank you for your day-in, day-out commitment to the unborn and their families. Your optimism, courage, compassion, and resilience are a continual inspiration to me. You make it easy to come to work each day. Well, most days.

To the Online for Life board of directors: I’m deeply grateful for your service, prayers, wisdom, and counsel. It is a joy to labor with you in this work.

To Milli, Jason, Chesle, and the rest of the great team at Brown Books and Brown Christian Press: thanks for your fantastic work on this project and your passion for life.

To Dr. Tim Boswell for your thoughtful, precise editing: your personal insights and professional pen were just what this book needed.

To Jessica, Caleb, and Zach: I never really wanted to write a book, but it seems God had other plans, as this is number four. Thanks for your love, patience, and support through the necessary struggles in writing books.

This work contains a large amount of biblical material, study, and contemplation. Though I’ve been a follower of Christ my entire life, I am a layman and, as such, sought input and counsel from a wide range of theologians, church leaders, and academicians. I’m deeply indebted to each of the following co-laborers for their time, constructive criticism, biblical input, and insightful questions. Thank you for improving this book greatly from its original manuscript:

Rev. Geoff Ashley, groups pastor, The Village

Shadia Hrichi, pro-life speaker and author of Worthy of Love: Finding Hope after Abortion

Rev. Dean Nelson, founding member of the National Black Pro-Life Coalition and national outreach director of Online for Life

Rev. Clint Patronella, groups pastor at The Village Church, Dallas Northway Campus

Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life and president of National Pro-Life Religious Council

Rev. Jamie Peterson, associate pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA), Oxford, Mississippi

Dr. Larry Pettegrew, dean and professor of theology, Shepherds Theological Seminary

Dave Sterrett, national director of church outreach, Online for Life

Dr. Anthony Vento, public outreach associate for Priests for Life

To Richard Fisher, my father: though I’m thankful for your careful review of this book (twice), I’m particularly grateful for your consistent encouragement. And to my mother, Janice Fisher, for your faithful prayers.

Introduction

“If you are slack in the day of distress, your strength is limited. Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back!

If you say, ‘See, we did not know this,’ does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?”

—Proverbs 24:10-12

On a cool, bright evening in October 1999, I sat in Magee-Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, holding my newborn son.

The last few months of his journey to birth had been challenging. His mother, my wife, had been to the hospital six times in the previous few weeks for problems related to preeclampsia. Her blood pressure had to be taken several times a day, and whenever it spiked, another trip to Magee ensued. Those trips resulted in tests, tests, and more tests; concerned looks and furtive discussions among doctors and nurses; poking and prodding; and instructions for limited activity, bed rest, and fluids.

Just a day before, the hospital had attempted to induce labor but failed. My wife struggled through ten hours of labor pains but, because of a miscommunication between doctors, her water wasn’t broken, and our little boy remained safely tucked away in her womb.

The second attempt on October 28 was successful, but two successive labors had taken a toll on my wife, and she lay in bed exhausted.

I wasn’t really a “kid person.” I was in my mid-twenties and hadn’t given a second thought to infants for the past two decades. I avoided nurseries (too much crying and strange smells), thought kids were messy, and quickly moved on when I passed a screaming toddler at the mall. I had never changed a diaper and never wanted to. I thought babysitting was for teenage girls and naptime was for Sunday afternoon post-lunch football games.

So I sat there, holding this little baby, wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into.

His mother smiled softly from her hospital bed. My son, Caleb, slept quietly in my arms. And me?

I was terrified.

Men often say that their child’s birth is the happiest day of their lives. Not me. What I had just witnessed was beyond my imagination and not particularly pleasant.

When the moment for our special delivery came, every other baby in the hospital decided to come at the same time. Our delivery room was short a few key nurses, so I was recruited to “help” in ways a new father should never have to help.

I had a firsthand, close-up, in-depth perspective of the delivery of a newborn child, and I could only marvel at the messy, bizarre process God designed to bring a life into the world. Surely He could have created a cleaner way to spring forth a new human being.

I was mulling over these thoughts that evening in October after the chaos had subsided, replaying what I had just experienced. Because of the confusion, the delivery was a bit of a blur: nurses running in and out, doctors scrambling in preparation, equipment flying all over the room. Orderlies giving me orders—“Stand here,” “Hold this,” “Tell her that,” “Make sure you don’t do that,” “Do you want to see this?” (“No”).

Nine months of pregnancy, multiple doctor visits, seven emergency trips to the hospital, two labors, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment, dozens of doctors and nurses, and two worn-out parents—just to bring a tiny baby into the world.

Caleb was now here, sleeping softly in my arms, oblivious to the miracle of delivery that he had just endured.

He has it easy, I recall thinking. He won’t remember what just happened.

And then, just for a moment, I had another thought.

We abort him.

Those are the exact words that came to my mind. “We,” American men and women, abort “him,” little boys and girls. I was holding a tiny baby, my son, and though he was allowed to be born, I realized that there was no difference between him and the millions of other tiny babies that are aborted in their mothers’ wombs. This was the first time I had held an hours-old child, and for some reason, the reality of abortion hit home.

I had never given abortion much thought until that moment. I knew abortion existed, and I had some faint inclination of what it was. I was a Christian, and I had a strong conviction that abortion was wrong, though I probably couldn’t have articulated why. I didn’t recall abortion being talked about in church very often (if at all), and I assumed the Bible had something to say about it, though I couldn’t have told you what that was.

Sitting there in the hospital, holding this little boy, my son, the reality of abortion hit home. This little baby is what we are killing. I didn’t know how many, I didn’t know how often, but I knew it was happening.

And, as quickly as it came, the thought left. I returned to my new-father state of terror.

Thankfully, all was well with Jessica and Caleb, and a few days later, we went home to start our new adventure as a young family.

Years would pass before I became more aware of what abortion is, how often it occurs, and the impact it has on parents, families, and communities. I became involved with a local crisis pregnancy center and started to educate myself. I was horrified by what I learned. Not only was the abortion surgery a gruesome, barbaric process, but I was astounded by how frequently it occurred.

I assumed the entire American church was intimately, aggressively involved in the effort to defend unborn life and protect families from abortion.

I was wrong.

This book represents a very personal journey for me. I have been a Christian since the age of six, so I have often found myself living in the so-called “Christian bubble.” I grew up in strong, biblical churches. My parents, my brother, and his family are committed Christians. My upbringing was stable, fruitful, and positive. Most of the companies and organizations I have worked for were family-oriented, faith-based, and energetic.

I love Jesus. I love His church. I have experienced the profound blessing of being raised in a godly home and being part of strong Christian communities.

And so it was with surprise, shock, dismay, and even horror that I discovered that the American church, on the whole, is not actively defending and protecting innocent life. And in some cases, the church actually promotes abortion.

In many churches, abortion is never mentioned from the pulpit. If abortion is discussed at all, it is once a year on Sanctity of Life Sunday, the sad reminder of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

It is rare to find post-abortive recovery and healing ministries in churches, and almost all of them are for women. Support for post-abortive men is virtually nonexistent.

Precious few pastors or priests write about abortion, and few will publicly defend the unborn. Most denominations have no organized effort to assist families in a crisis pregnancy.

Though a child dies every twenty-five seconds in America due to abortion, God’s family, the church, appears ambivalent. We talk about evangelism, but we don’t understand the full scope of the gospel. We talk about caring for the poor, but we neglect the frailest members of the human race. We talk about healing, but we ignore the post-abortive, grieving parents sitting next to us in the pews.

I continue to struggle with a haunting question: Why do we, as followers of the Creator God, often refuse to protect His image-bearers?

Why do we, as followers of the God-Man who showed the most precious grace and compassion to women, allow our own wives and girlfriends to be destroyed from the inside out by the deadliest crisis our country has ever faced?

Why do we, as people who say we want to live like the Christ of the Bible, who welcomed children with open arms, permit the arms and legs of our own children to be torn from their tiny bodies in the name of choice?

This project has, at times, caused me to doubt myself and the strength of my commitment to the unborn. It has caused me to doubt the American church, even my own denomination. I have often wondered about the relevancy of the institution of the church in a culture that is increasingly hostile to it.

Writing this book has forced me to scour the Scriptures, digging into its depths to discover what the Bible does and does not teach about abortion and life in the womb.

I’ve been brought to the point of tears numerous times, realizing that our nation is in the middle of a torrential downpour of death, and those who are called to sacrificially protect life appear oblivious to the raging storm.

Thankfully, there are Christians working hard to stop abortion in America. There are activists, politicians, lobbyists, pregnancy center staff and volunteers, media experts, writers, bloggers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, and counselors doing wonderful work in the areas where God has called them. They work tirelessly to save babies and restore our culture to one that treasures life.

There are those precious pastors and priests who refuse to stay silent, actively engaging in pro-life work. They preach about abortion from the pulpit, and not just on Sanctity of Life Sunday. The John Pipers, Fr. Frank Pavones, Matt Chandlers, Al Mohlers, John Ensors, Tony Evans, Randy Alcorns, and others of this country have my profound gratitude and respect. They understand that abortion permeates all aspects of life in America. They recognize that abortion is, at its core, a spiritual issue, and thus the Christian church is obligated to address it regularly, vigorously, compassionately, and directly. They realize that the solution to abortion is Christ.

By “Christ,” however, I don’t mean some flippant Americanized version of Jesus who saves us from hell and gives us stuff if we live right.

I mean the Christ of the Bible. The incomparable Christ, unequaled in all time and space. The Christ who is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:15–16).

Though the journey of writing this book has been frustrating at times, it has also instilled in me a profound and enduring hope. And while sometimes I have found it difficult to trust the church, I have grown in my trust of Christ. I see the deadly failings of men. I see the conquering power of our LORD. I see parents exercising fatal power over the innocent and frail. I see Jesus Christ, who bade the children come to Him, restoring, renewing, and redeeming people across our country.

And I believe with every fiber of my being that, through Christ, we can see the end of abortion in America in my lifetime.

This book, this personal journey through the Bible and the church, is separated into three sections. The first section is a primer on abortion and its impact on our culture. I believe millions of Christians are uninformed about the basics of the abortion procedure and how its effects ripple through the entirety of American life. In order to confront abortion scripturally, we need to understand what abortion is. The second section presents a simple, three-part logical argument (an apologetic) based on Scripture and showing why all human life is sacred and to be protected. In the third section, I compare and contrast various denominational doctrines and actions with what the Bible clearly teaches. Then I suggest seven crucial ways we can awaken the church together by the power of the Holy Spirit.

My first son’s birthday, October 28, 1999, was the beginning of a long adventure for me. That journey would eventually lead me into full-time, life-affirming work rescuing children and families from abortion. And it has led me to conclude that, without the church, abortion will continue to be a plague on America. But if the church arises, we can work together to end abortion and do so quickly.

I pray that today will be the beginning of your journey, too. I pray the Holy Spirit will awaken your mind and heart to the reality we live in. I pray that He will drive His Word deep in your soul, motivating and urging you to protect and defend the unborn, their families, and the very fabric of American society.

Our nation needs your commitment. Our faith demands it.

Note: I use the term “abortion” in this book as it is culturally accepted, referring exclusively to “elective abortion.” While the generic term “abortion” can also refer to an “unintentional” or “spontaneous” abortion, “miscarriage” is commonly used to describe that type of abortion.

Unless otherwise stated, the term “abortion” in this book refers to the willful killing of an innocent, unborn human life, and does not refer to an unintentional miscarriage.

Also, I generally use the word “church” to describe anyone who has professed faith in Jesus Christ, whether that person is Protestant or Catholic. While I realize there are doctrinal and semantic differences in the way each group uses the word “church,” for simplicity’s sake, I use the term broadly for anyone who follows Christ.