Abortion has likely been the most contentious and consistent conversation in American politics over my 45 years. As a pastor, I’ve never endorsed a candidate, and I’d imagine things would need to be either incredibly good or incredibly bad for me to consider doing so. Still, we have a responsibility to bless the cities we live in, and at times that requires us to speak out on moral issues like abortion, political as they may be. I’ve walked with women (and men) as they wrestled through all the emotions that come both before and after an abortion. My church in Orlando shares Maitland Avenue with an abortion clinic. Abortion isn’t merely an academic or political discussion for me but one that hits close to home. With that said, Florida’s proposed Amendment 4 to potentially legalize full-term abortion without parental consent is as deceptive in its presentation as it is wrong in its ethic. The Presentation The title of the proposed amendment claims to “limit government interference with abortion,” but it essentially divests the government of its role to protect both the lives of the unborn and the health of the pregnant mothers. Florida amendments, with their short, attractive titles and brief descriptions, are notoriously easy to pass but hard to repeal. So let’s look at the brief description as it appears on the ballot. “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion . . .” Not only will this allow full-term abortions, but it presumably lifts basic safety regulations that currently protect the women getting abortions. “. . . before viability . . .” Conveniently, “viability” isn’t defined. Again, this opens the door to abortions up until birth. “. . . or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, . . .” What constitutes the patient’s health? Does mental stress, financial stress, or anxiety create a health issue that warrants late-term abortion? “. . . as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”  This isn’t necessarily a doctor but simply a healthcare provider. Again, this puts women at increased risk of dangerous procedures. “This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.” That sounds good on the surface. Parents will still be notified, but they aren’t required to consent in any way. Imagine being told your underage daughter is having an abortion, but unlike with every other medical procedure, you wouldn’t need to give your consent. But doesn’t a woman have the right to choose what happens to her body? Yes, to an extent. But none of us can legally do whatever we want with our bodies. U.S. laws prevent organ sales, public nudity, and prostitution. We also aren’t only talking about the mother’s body. We’re talking about the baby’s body inside the mother. This amendment threatens the lives of both babies and mothers while hiding this truth behind a misleading presentation. The Ethic Abortion isn’t a progressive or new idea. It’s a return to an archaic practice. Abortion and infanticide were common in the Roman Empire during the rise of Christianity. In the Epistle to Diognetus, a second-century letter explaining Christianity, the author wrote, “[Christians] marry and have children, but they do not kill unwanted babies.” The Didache, the earliest nonscriptural Christian writing, explicitly says, “You shall not abort a child or commit infanticide.” Doesn’t a woman have the right to choose what happens to her body? Yes, to an extent. But none of us can legally do whatever we want with our bodies. Christianity holds the progressive view on abortion, and for thousands of years, Christians have consistently protected the lives of unborn babies. The pro-choice movement advocates a return to barbaric practices. Pro-abortion laws in the United States have made our obligation to protect vulnerable life a gray issue. Under Roe v. Wade, 38 states had fetal homicide laws but also allowed abortion. So in those states, a woman could have an abortion, but if she were hit by a drunk driver on her way to the procedure and her unborn baby died as a result, it was manslaughter. Science shows that babies in the womb hear, feel pain, suck their thumbs, and possibly even dream. But even as science brings greater clarity to this discussion, we must acknowledge this is still a philosophical question with significant moral implications. Historically, those in power have decided what constitutes “humanness” while the weak suffer. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the United States decided humanness applied to the white population, allowing them to kidnap and enslave Africans. In the 20th century, Nazi Germany decided humanness applied to the Aryan race, allowing them to slaughter Jews. Iceland recently decided those with a typical genetic code have the right to life, and they’ve virtually eradicated babies with Down syndrome. But a person’s value isn’t attached to his or her skin color, ethnicity, religion, genetic code, or age. All humans have value because we’re made in God’s image—all of us. If passed, Amendment 4 will secure Florida as a destination graveyard. What the Gospel Demands While we should vote “no” to this amendment, we can’t stop there. There are real social issues that contribute to people feeling abortion is their best or only option. The opportunities to bless our cities go well beyond voting. If passed, Amendment 4 will secure Florida as a destination graveyard. Many abortions could be prevented if the parents had better access to medical care, financial resources, adoptions, and stable communities. These are historically some of the church’s greatest strengths as we were the impetus and backbone of hospitals, orphanages, and education in the Western world. We cannot simply vote and wash our hands of the issue. The gospel demands more. The preservation of life is at the gospel’s heart. God cares about us so much that he came to earth so we might have eternal and abundant life. Jesus gave his life to save ours. All who are recipients of that abundant and eternal life now have a responsibility to champion the life of all.

I hear people describe themselves as Christians. Sometimes I hear people describe themselves as evangelicals. But I don’t hear many people describe themselves any longer as Protestants.  Enter Gavin Ortlund, the prolific YouTube apologist, president of Truth Unites, and theologian-in-residence at Immanuel Nashville in Tennessee. His new book is What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always Reforming Church (Zondervan Reflective). Gavin commends Protestantism as a renewal of the gospel in the church, a return to the authority of Scripture, and a removal of historical accretions. You might wonder if it’s possible to commend Protestantism without inducing great anger, and historically speaking, even violence. Have no fear, as Gavin is an apologist known for his clarity and charity, his willingness to learn from critics even as he offers direct arguments against them. Just like we hope for our fellows with the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, Gavin reaches for the head as well as the heart. In the book he writes, “This is the single greatest contribution of Protestantism to the Christian church: its insight into the gracious heart of God revealed in the gospel, by which God offers to us as a free gift the righteousness we cannot attain through our own efforts.”  Gavin joined me on Gospelbound to discuss the best arguments for and against Protestantism, indulgences, persecution, and more.  

With the much-hyped presidential debate less than 24 hours away the Regime Media’s coverage are converging along similar lines, in a manner not unlike a group of Sunday congregants singing from the same hymnal. Watch as debate co-moderator David Muir of ABC, now documented as the most pro-Harris, delivers his standalone introduction which could be a brief of the broader report: DAVID MUIR: Good evening tonight from Philadelphia. We are here at the National Constitution Center where tomorrow night, ABC News will host the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. The stakes could not be higher, with a new poll just out tonight, showing this race is tied at 49-49. The candidates will meet face-to-face for the first time on this stage with no audience in the room, a very intimate setting. They've never met before. It will be Trump's seventh presidential debate. It will be the first presidential debate for Harris. The Vice President arriving here in Philadelphia a short time ago after spending days in Pittsburgh in debate prep, complete with mock debates and stage lighting. In a new interview that aired today, the Vice President saying former President Trump is, quote, “not burdened by telling the truth”. The former president holding a rally in Wisconsin over the weekend, then meeting with his team, informally, he says, at Mar-a-Lago. But our team learning tonight he is preparing for this debate. Tonight here, the new numbers, where this race stands and the battlegrounds too. Having concluded his minute-long introduction, Muir tosses to Mary Bruce. Bruce then goes into her report, and lays out a set of common themes. Harris landed in Philadelphia, Harris is feeling strong, Harris did extensive rehearsal, Trump said some incendiary thing.  Muir then tosses to Rachel Scott, for more on Trump’s debate prep. Muir then tosses to Rick Klein for poll numbers. And then a lengthy David Muir outro. Over at CBS, Weijia Jiang echoed these same themes. WEIJIA JIANG: Vice President Harris arrived in Philadelphia this afternoon ahead of tomorrow's debate with Donald Trump. A man she's never met in person but said she knows what to expect. Harris spent the past five days holed up in a Pittsburgh hotel doing mock debates, practicing on a stage with lights, sparring with former Hillary Clinton aide Philippe Reines, who is standing in as Trump and even dressing like him. Trump insists he does not need to prepare, but has spent days lowering expectations about his performance. There were also the echoes of debate strategy- Harris’s need to “needle” Trump while not getting “needled”. CBS’s report ran half as long as ABC’s yet touched on the same themes. Finally, there’s Peter Alexander’s entry at NBC: PETER ALEXANDER: Tonight, Vice President Harris touching down in Philadelphia. Her face-to-face with former President Trump just 24 hours away. The report touched on the same old themes except for this one wrinkle: ALEXANDER: But a key challenge for Harris trying to present herself as the change candidate when she's also the incumbent VP. A new poll shows more than 60% of likely voters want a major change from President Biden. More than half of those voters say Trump will bring that change. But only 25% say Harris will.  There is broad consensus that Harris is presenting herself as a change candidate, which is difficult to do while being the incumbent vice president. NBC is the only network to cover this angle. Other than that, the Regime Media continue to sing Kamala Harris’s praises while looking at the same page of the same hymnal.  Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective evening newscasts on Monday, September 9th, 2024: ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT 9/9/24 6:32 PM DAVID MUIR: Good evening tonight from Philadelphia. We are here at the National Constitution Center where tomorrow night, ABC News will host the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. The stakes could not be higher, with a new poll just out tonight, showing this race is tied at 49-49. The candidates will meet face-to-face for the first time on this stage with no audience in the room, a very intimate setting. They've never met before. It will be Trump's seventh presidential debate. It will be the first presidential debate for Harris. The Vice President arriving here in Philadelphia a short time ago after spending days in Pittsburgh in debate prep, complete with mock debates and stage lighting. In a new interview that aired today, the Vice President saying former President Trump is, quote, “not burdened by telling the truth”. The former president holding a rally in Wisconsin over the weekend, then meeting with his team, informally, he says, at Mar-a-Lago. But our team learning tonight he is preparing for this debate. Tonight here, the new numbers, where this race stands and the battlegrounds too. ABC's Mary Bruce leading us off right here in Philadelphia. MARY BRUCE: Tonight, with just 24 hours to go until their highly-anticipated showdown, Vice President Kamala Harris setting off for Philadelphia, where tomorrow, for the first time, she will come face-to-face with former President Donald Trump. How are you feeling? How are you feeling? KAMALA HARRIS: Feeling good. BRUCE: In a new radio interview, Harris says she's ready for whatever Trump throws her way. HARRIS: There's no floor for him in terms of how low he will go, and we should be prepared for that. We should be prepared for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth. BRUCE: For days now, the Vice President has been hunkered down in this Pittsburgh hotel, intensely preparing. Her team even building a stage with full TV lighting to hold mock debates. Harris leaning on several advisers who helped prep Hillary Clinton for her 2016 debate against Trump, including one who played the role of the former president in rehearsals. But Harris also taking breaks to get out in this critical state. In a Pittsburgh spice shop, greeting one voter who was in tears. HARRIS: Come here! What is that about? What is that about? What is that about? WEEPING VOTER: I think you understand. I'm pretty sure you know. HARRIS: Oh. It's going to be good. We're going to be good. We're going to be fine. BRUCE: Harris, perhaps, previewing her message for the debate. HARRIS: Look, it's time to turn the page on the divisiveness. It's time to bring our country together. To chart a new way forward. BRUCE: While Harris has been largely off the trail since Thursday, Trump over the weekend holding a rally in battleground Wisconsin. DONALD TRUMP: She will be the worst president… and Trump is never wrong. I am never, ever wrong. BRUCE: The former president trying to set expectations… TRUMP: Is anybody going to be watching? BRUCE: …and spin the debate before it even happens. TRUMP: You know, if I destroy her in the debate, they'll say “Trump suffered a humiliating defeat tonight”. No matter what. MUIR: So, let's bring in Mary Bruce. She’s live here in Philadelphia. Mary, I know you've been talking to your sources inside the Harris campaign. What’s her strategy heading into this debate tomorrow night on ABC? BRUCE: Well, David, Harris is certainly an experienced debater, but her campaign is quick to note that this is fundamentally different. This will be Trump's seventh presidential debate. It will be Harris' first. Her goal here tomorrow night will be to highlight her positions on the issues and then pivot to put the spotlight on Trump. Reminding voters of his record, to counter what the campaign is describing as Trump amnesia. And, yes, David, she will try to get under his skin. The challenge for Harris, to bait him without being baited herself. David? MUIR: Mary Bruce leading us off here in Philadelphia. Mary, thank you. Let's get right to ABC's Rachel Scott, also here at the National Constitution Center. Rachel, President Trump also says he's not one for formal debate prep, but your sources telling you he is, in fact, preparing. RACHEL SCOTT: Yes, David. I'm told that Donald Trump is taking this very seriously. And that he knows just how consequential this debate, this moment will be. The former president, I'm told, has held nearly a half a dozen informal policy sessions with advisers, including with former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who challenged Harris on the debate stage back in 2019. Also involved in his debate prep, Congressman Matt Gaetz. We are told that Gaetz is firing off questions at Trump on some of the tougher topics including his stance on abortion and also his legal issues. We're also told that the former president has been briefed on Harris' past debates, including one with his own former Vice President Mike Pence, and that notable exchange, where Pence tried interrupting Harris and Harris shut him down, saying, "I'm speaking." I’m told the former president has privately said he won't let that happen to him, David. MUIR: Rachel Scott with us tonight as well, Rachel, thank you. And tonight, with 24 hours to go before this historic debate, the new polls just in. Let's get right to our political director, our Washington bureau chief Rick Klein, also here at the Constitution Center, and Rick, these two new national polls essentially show a dead heat and- what are you seeing? RICK KLEIN: David, recent polls show a tight race is getting even tighter by some measures. The latest poll from Pew among registered voters, an exact tie. 49-49. And a New York Times/Siena poll out just yesterday had a two-point edge among those same registered voters for Donald Trump. This is after weeks of Harris momentum that appears to have dissipated going into the debate. And when you drill down on the battleground states, you see a very close race across the spectrum. The two strongest states for Harris right now, Wisconsin and Michigan. But check this out. Pennsylvania, the state we're in right now, less than one percentage point separating the candidates, just underscoring the stakes tomorrow night, David. MUIR: Of course, Pennsylvania a must-win battleground for both campaigns. I know, Rick, you were also digging into the numbers in this New York Times/Siena poll. There's a striking number in there that speaks to how crucial this debate could be for Vice President Harris in particular. KLEIN: David, this really jumped out at me. People were asked how much they know about the candidates now, and guess what? Almost a third of voters say they need to learn more about Kamala Harris. 28%. Before they can make their decision to vote. That compares to Donald Trump. 90%, 9 in 10 voters say they know enough about him to make a decision. Again, putting some extra pressure on Kamala Harris tomorrow night, David. KLEIN: Rick Klein with us here tonight as well. Rick, thank you. The ABC News presidential debate, just 24 hours away. Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump, they'll be right down on the floor here, the stage behind me. This is a very intimate setting here in this room. No audience. They will meet for the first time, right here in the hall. I'll be moderating with our Linsey Davis. Of course, that debate, right here on ABC, 9:00 P.M. Eastern, tomorrow night. CBS EVENING NEWS CBS EVENING NEWS 9/9/24 6:37 PM NORAH O’DONNELL: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump face off for the first time tomorrow and the stakes couldn't be higher. As the candidates take the debate stage, they are deadlocked in a new national poll. Trump has 48% to Harris' 47%, well within the margin of error. Who performs well tomorrow could have a big impact on who wins the presidency on November 5th. CBS's Weijia Jiang is in Philadelphia with new reporting on the nominees’ final preparations. WEIJIA JIANG: Vice President Harris arrived in Philadelphia this afternoon ahead of tomorrow's debate with Donald Trump. A man she's never met in person but said she knows what to expect. KAMALA HARRIS. I think he’s gonna lie. There's no floor for him in terms of how low he will go. And we should be prepared for that. We should be paired for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth. JIANG: Harris spent the past five days holed up in a Pittsburgh hotel doing mock debates, practicing on a stage with lights, sparring with former Hillary Clinton aide Philippe Reines, who is standing in as Trump and even dressing like him. Trump insists he does not need to prepare, but has spent days lowering expectations about his performance. TRUMP: You know, if I destroy her in the debate, they'll say "Trump suffered a humiliating defeat tonight." No matter what. JIANG: Trump is holding policy sessions with a small team of advisors, including Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz and former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard… TULSI GABBARD: What Senator Harris is doing is unfortunately continuing to traffic in lies and smears and innuendos… JIANG: …who had a fiery exchange with Harris during the primaries in 2019. Trump continues to falsely claim there was rampant cheating in the 2020 election, and predicting there could be more in 2024. TRUMP: We've got to stop the cheating. JIANG: He pledged to jail those who do, writing "When I win those people that cheated will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, which will include long-term prison sentences." Sources familiar with Harris' debate strategies say part of it is trying to rattle Trump to, in their words, get him to reveal who he really is. On the other hand, Harris is preparing for his attacks by watching his debate performances over the last three cycles, with the goal of remaining calm. Norah. O’DONNELL: Weijia Jiang, thank you.  NBC NIGHTLY NEWS NBC NIGHTLY NEWS 9/9/24 6:35 PM LESTER HOLT: And now to that crucial debate between Vice President Harris and former President trump. Their first and perhaps only showdown. Peter Alexander is in Philadelphia with new reporting on the 11th hour preparations. PETER ALEXANDER: Tonight, Vice President Harris touching down in Philadelphia. Her face-to-face with former President Trump just 24 hours away. MARY BRUCE: How are you feeling? KAMALA HARRIS: (THUMBS UP) ALEXANDER: Campaign sources tell NBC News Harris and her team are focusing on ways to needle Trump, to provoke him, and that she's studied past Trump debate clips. HARRIS: It's time to turn the page on the divisiveness. It's time to bring our country together. ALEXANDER: But a key challenge for Harris trying to present herself as the change candidate when she's also the incumbent VP. A new poll shows more than 60% of likely voters want a major change from President Biden. More than half of those voters say Trump will bring that change. But only 25% say Harris will. Meanwhile, the former president at Mar-a-Lago doing what sources describe as informal debate prep. Among those advising him, former democratic Congresswoman Tulsi gabbard. DONALD TRUMP: We're run by stupid people. And we found that out at the debate with Joe. How did that work out? And we're going to find it out again on Tuesday night. ALEXANDER: A crucial challenge for Trump: winning back more women voters. But this warning today from Trump rival turned supporter Nikki Haley. NIKKI HALEY: Donald Trump and J.D. Vance need to change the way they speak about women. You don't need to go and talk about intelligence or looks or anything else. Just focus on the policies. ALEXANDER: This will be Trump's seventh general election debate, Harris's first, and it could be their only showdown. Notably, the two have never met. Trump left town before President Bden’s inauguration. Lester. HOLT: Peter Alexander. Thank you.  

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This would save lives.