Prolife = Christian?

The problem or the dilemma of the Prolife movement is really simple, and it is clearly seen in the killing of Dr. Tiller. If you took the time to read Mohler's post then you have read the majority response. Most Prolife groups come marching out after every incident such as this and say something to the effect of what Mohler says.

But violence in the name of protesting abortion is immoral, unjustified, and horribly harmful to the pro-life cause. Now, the premeditated murder of Dr. George Tiller in the foyer of his church is the headline scandal -- not the abortions he performed and the cause he represented.

We have no right to take the law into our own hands in an act of criminal violence. We are not given the right to take this power into our own hands, for God has granted this power to governing authorities. The horror of abortion cannot be rightly confronted, much less corrected, by means of violence and acts outside the law and lawful means of remedy. This is not merely a legal technicality -- it is a vital test of the morality of the pro-life movement.

The second paragraph sums up the case. This is not a mere "legal technicality" either. This is a fundamental issue. Should or ought the average citizen take the law into his own hands? Most of us agree that the answer should be no. Most Prolifers will agree that,

this failure does not authorize others to act in the place of the government, much less in the place of God.

But notice this statement and presupposition by Mohler.

The Christian church has been forced by historical necessity to think through these issues again and again.

This entire argument put forth by Mohler is correct for the church of Jesus Christ. His Kingdom is of another world, and the Christian church does not have the authority to take up the sword against the State.

Basically, vigilantism is morally wrong. But as can be seen, there is a subtle confusion of church and state in the entire argument (Although the morality of vigilantism is not limited to Christians). The Prolife movement is not necessarily Christian. It is this point I'd like to explore in the next post.