TNG 3 Areas that Define Your Life

Best-selling author, speaker and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarland, best-selling author and apologist Dylan Burroughs together bringing you the truth for a new generation. This is TMG radio certainly one of the pivotal issues of our day, socially and politically. Definitely spiritually is the issue of human life and the issue of abortion. That's what were going to be talking about on today's edition of TG radio were going to talk about when does personhood begin and I Alex McFarland here with Dylan Burroughs so glad to be with you Dylan. And isn't it a blessing that the word of God is very clear on the issue of life, the sanctity of human life. But not only Scripture is on our side.

Related to this issue, but modern science as well will certainly out the Riesling of the opportunity to speak to an audience about this issue. When does personhood begin, I want you to start by sharing a little bit about that experience. What was it like what happened there at its initially threatening her audience easier. Well, it was a privilege to be at the University of Louisville in Kentucky to be at the medical school in front of medical professors and medical students that are pursuing a variety of different types of degrees in the medical field and I was asked to speak about Windows personhood begin and we talked about what it means to be a human being in the DNA and the attributes of life that are present at the moment of conception, but instantly during the Q&A.

Dylan, the subject got to abortion, and it it's amazing to me how many young people. Although we did give an encouraging statistic about the rise of pro-life sentiment among young people, but among some young people and even not so young there is this belief, I believe wrongly that abortion is a civil right. Abortion somehow helps society and is some panacea to liberate people, and in fact one medical professional. There said that her goal in life. We really had a debate. Her goal that was to perform as many abortions that she could during the course of her medical career. So I want to talk about this today because it is an issue and it's an issue that I think the church especially young people need to be informed on and to to really talk about this. There are some scriptures we could invoke. But I want to go more toward the scientific and the political sides of things because this country was based on belief in what is called moral law or moral truth and our rights. The founding fathers understood that our rights and certainly the right to life is the most fundamental of these. Even Bill Clinton when he was president.

Although his political parties very much known for being pro-abortion but Bill Clinton when he was president back in the 90s said that the most fundamental basic constitutionally protected right is the right to life and John F. Kennedy and his inauguration January 20, 1961 JFK said the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

And so we need to understand that our founding fathers did not believe that the government could create artificial rights, but that our rights are fundamental, immutable rights.

In other words rights that can't be taken away. At least they can be taken away legitimately come from God.

Now let's give a little history and then I want to talk about the science behind our understanding of personhood. There are the the enumerated rights spelled out by the Constitution life and liberty and free speech. But then there are what scholars call the penumbra of rights that are maybe not explicitly spelled out, but are inferred.

For instance, the Constitution doesn't say that you know you have the right to defend your computer from getting hacked, but the principle is that you have the right to personal property ownership and you have the right to self-defense and the Constitution doesn't have to spell out all the hypothetical scenarios that might come along as time goes by, but the basic rights of self-defense or the right to free assembly. The basic natural rights that all legal and spiritual thinkers of the Western world have spelled out for 2000 years. This is what the Constitution explicitly defends now in 1973. What was unique about wrote that really has given us abortion on demand that today, many who I think don't know what God says and they really don't understand our Constitution and they are perhaps unwilling to acknowledge what modern science has shown us.they have believed the court asserted that within that penumbra of rights is the right to abortion because it's a matter of privacy Dylan this is for one human to terminate the life of another human. That's just not logical at all to say it's a privacy issue because if it's all right within the privacy of one's home to terminate the life of an unborn baby, then by that logic, it would be appropriate and legal to terminate another humans life as long as it was done in private. And of course we know that's ludicrous right and we fail to remember sometimes in these discussions that were talking about the right to privacy for the woman who's the mother but not the right of the child who is yet to be born so it's a one-sided argument leaves out the most vulnerable person in the situation but were not just talking about a policy were talking about something is very personal, the Pulitzer awarded poet Gwendolyn Brooks, for example, said that abortions will not let you forget.

You remember the children you got that you did not get in so many people I've talked to over the years who have faced abortion decisions are of experience, one in their past. It's one of those profound life-changing decisions that has shaken them from that point forward. It's not a simple medical procedure is somewhat have you to believe it's something much more important, much more personal, but I like this idea. We want to talk about it here in the segment also layered throughout are broadcasted. Abortion is not simply a religious issue that is an issue concerning all humanity. So speak to that a little bit.

Alex decided that it's more than a religious issue. Yes, and I'm glad you quoted the, the Gwendolyn Brooks poem because you have is a pastor and as a counselor I will say that over the years Angie and I have sat down and and counseled with many, many people are not in the women that have had abortions and have carried great remorse and feelings of guilt for decades, but men, Dylan. I've counseled many men who wept tears of sadness and pain in my office because years ago. They pressured a girlfriend or wife to have an abortion and the psychological scars left behind the emotional pain is is really immeasurable about the children that that aren't there, but it is an issue that touches all of humanity and one of the great things and it's really kind of an untold story of the amount of secularists, atheists, humanists that are now pro-life and are defending life and arguing for restrictions on abortion on demand and Underwood got a break coming up. Owner talked about when we come back if you're a Christian parent. You of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children, your pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask about Christianity.

I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children. The spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids Jesus everything the book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask the book study guide and video series. You'll find it@afastore.net that AFA store.net Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism, homosexuality, the role of government abortion and war. Too often, we manage these disagreements by ignoring them, yet were called to engage the world for the sake of Christ. How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions in 10 issues that divide Christians Alex McFarland challenges us to drill down to the biblical core of 10 current issues such as social justice evil and suffering, not Murphy and environmentalism as he echoes the biblical invitation come let us reason together only by engaging the Scriptures deeply thinking clearly and speaking truthfully can we, in God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose.

10 issues that divide Christians find this book and many others@alexmcfarland.com back is still under development for new generations been talking about like this today and surprisingly, many do not know the millennial's are turning against abortion on and pro-life support is strongest among the 18 to 34-year-old age group, of which 57% are vocally pro-life, up from 50% just two years ago we talk about this some Alex McFarland's book 10 issues that divide Christians and Alex tell us a little bit more about the shift is taking place among the next generation will think she is and I think it's in many ways due to science and and I want to talk about the amazing things that the scientific world has shown us that were known in 1973, but I also think it's this Dylan you a lot is said about millennial's and Jen's Ian younger I will say this, they have a good compassionate heart.

Many of them. Now they need to be led to Christ they need a biblical worldview. And frankly, I think, millennial's in younger need to be instilled with a bit of patriotism and love for this country. But one thing in all of our interviews and surveys they want family that they want family because so many of them haven't had family and and I think a lot of the empathy for the unborn and the pro-life sentiment is not just that the stats related to science in the negative fallout of abortion, but I really think it's an ethic of life based on a desire for family yeah that's a good point and so much of the science now is showing how developed, the child is in the womb. Even at the earliest stage here to look at some of the science now even in 24 hours after fertilization. You see some of the division that's taking place of your look at some of the scientific charts related to that now. Just the earliest stages, even at the six week mark we have developed Thetis its way beyond what we ever knew in science 50 years ago and now you're having children who are being born prematurely. In some instances that are under 2 pounds. Even down to 1 pound and sometimes that are surviving and yet in many cases those children would be legally terminated under the laws that exist now that allow abortion on demand. So as the science comes out as we see more more visual information that supports the pro-life position. I think the shift is changing among the next generation in a positive way will absolutely, absolutely. One of the questions about our government and our Constitution is that if individual rights such as the right to life exist. What is their source. Many would say that rights come through court decisions enacted law and that's a very dangerous thing because that really is is a might makes right philosophy that if we were able to pass the law than that inherently must mean the law is right and I disagree with that. Our founding fathers and great thinkers like document with the King Junior have pointed out that rights come from God. Truman said that JFK said that Ronald Reagan said that Cavanaugh, who was just ratified in put on the Supreme Court knows that in his said that and we were unique in our founding because the premise of America was that the role of government was, not to grant rights but to guard the rights inherently possessed by all people conferred on us by our maker in the most basic of these is the right to life, no rights and freedoms can be infringed upon or protected but no government can legitimately take away human rights that swelled in the founding fathers. They watch the American Revolution and they said, appealing to God for the rectitude of our intentions that the words they were saying look at were in the wrong will were willing to answer to God for it because they believed that the rights of human beings are worth or value our dignity, our liberties were worth defending because they were gifts from God not oddly enough, now, folks, here's a bombshell. Perhaps one of the big atheists of the last 20 years was Christopher Hitchens. He lived 1949 to 2011.

It was my privilege to get to know Christopher Hitchens a little bit because I twice. I interviewed him. We debated and moderated a debate for him and Angie and I took him to dinner. I'm sorry he was an atheist and I don't know whatever his spiritual condition was at the time of his death, the last communication I had with Christopher Hitchens, was via email about two weeks before he died, but he was asking January 2008. If he was opposed to abortion and was a member of the pro-life movement because it was almost a given that if you're an atheist you don't believe in morality, and you've got a fairly libertine view of behavior and it's almost axiomatic that pro-abortion is him and atheism go hand-in-hand.

But let me quote the late Christopher Hitchens. He said quote I have a lot of quarrels with some of my fellow materialist and secularist on this point, but I think that if the concept child means anything, the concept unborn child can be said to mean something says Hitchens, all the discoveries of embryology and viability, which have been very considerable in the last generation or so. Confirm that opinion which I think said Hitchens should be innate and everybody is innate in the Hippocratic oath. It's instinct is in anyone who's ever watched a sonogram. So yes, my answer is yes to that question. Are you pro-life the late atheist tip restrictions was pro-life, we give you another quote and Dylan. I think whatever we can cite someone on our side on an issue like this who is not doing it because you know this whenever I speak at universities, they say, will your your Bible banger in your fundamentalist what about bioethicist Peter Singer who is anything but a Bible believing Christian.

He's an atheist and Peter Singer says this quote the pro-life groups were right about one thing, the location of the baby inside or outside the womb cannot make much of a moral difference. We cannot coherently hold that it is all right to kill a fetus a week before birth. But as soon as the baby is born. Everything must be done to keep it alive."

And that's from an article on the humanist website and it's about the rising pro-life passions of atheist and secularist trial. Obviously I'm not advocating atheism or secularism, but it's interesting.

My point and I want you to respond to this Dylan even the unbelieving secular world says of the unborn.

Hey, this is a human being and as such it's wrong that it be killed yes and there is a growing secular case against abortion as well as we've mentioned, then it's interesting to me know. Christopher Hitchens makes that comment. The quoted he says it's instinct in anyone he's ever watched a sonogram for many people it's not just the facts and figures that have convinced them it's actually seeing the visual picture of a child in the way in the forest born and so that is been a major shift in our culture want to talk more about this we come back in just a moment to stick with the circuitry or new generation right back. You know Alex is been writing for many years, and one of his classic books is still great.

Today is a basic introduction for the Christian faith. It's called stand core truth must know for unshakable faith. This book will help you help your teens get off the roller coaster of doubt onto solid ground.

You'll read about the six pillars of biblical Christianity. They are one inspiration of the Bible to the virgin birth. Three.

The deity of Christ for atonement. Five. Christ's resurrection and six. Christ's return know Alex mixes it up with humor stories and fleeing from decades of working with youth and encourages takes to build a foundation of faith that will stabilize their lives and help them take a stand for Christ. Simple and straightforward stand core truth, you must know for unshakable faith available wherever Christian books are so first Peter 315 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have were instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the life he answers teams students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The life answers.

Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams, we train speak in churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times.

From a biblical perspective like is there a God is the Bible true. What about gender and moral issues. Call me at 864977 2008 and we will arrange for the life answers team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come. 864-977-2000 eight and always be ready. Dylan Burroughs and Alex parliamentary party generation. We are talking about the pro-life issue today so important in our culture and the surveys are showing that the world is shifting among the millennial generation. Increasingly, there is support for the pro-life position among the next generation. Not so important in the work that we do at truth for new generation as we come closer to the end of the year.

We would like to mention that the work we do is supported by people like we cannot do it without your help. So if you have a moment to go to truth for new generation.com and consider giving to our ministry online you can do that right now. Again, that's truth for new generation.com select the donate button and you can give their tax deductible gift that we can use to impact the lives of the next generation whether be the pro-life issuer Weatherby spiritual renewal apologetics worldview and the other issues that we cover as a come back to our discussion. The spinal segment on the pro-life issue.

It's amazing to me that it really comes down to this issue that the answer to abortion questions is simple.

It's a human life. Respond to that. Alex tell us what we should take away from this, will you know Dylan were working on our summer 2019 apologetics camp for teens and last summer we had a very very successful camp. The theme was my whole life for his whole plan and certainly one of the most popular speakers everywhere we go. He just gets incredible reviews and that's Daniel Ritchie and Daniel as many people know, and some of you that followed our ministry and you know Daniel was born without arms. He's a wonderful minister the gospel has a great family married and building a great Christian home, but Daniel tells the story that when he was born and you know he's in his early 30s and this was you in three decades ago, but they didn't know when the dad and mom are in the delivery room and the doctor delivered a baby without arms and the doctor looked at the dad and says do you do you want me to take care of this for you.

Presuming that he wouldn't want a child with no arms and the dad looked down at his newborn son and said that's my son.

It's unthinkable that the quote take care of this would've terminated the life of a bright shining Christian thinker and minister the gospel Daniel Ritchie you doing I interviewed Janet Jessen who in 1977 survived the saline abortion.

She was the victim of the saline abortion and the problem was she didn't die. And so when her tiny body was expelled from the mother's body.

Much to everybody's surprise, the child was alive and so she was laid in a pan for about five hours and left to finally died but she didn't die. And finally, these two nurses began to care for this infant that was crying covered in this chemical.

It was intended to kill her and these nurses, the doctors threaten the nurses and said no don't do that and they said this is a human baby. We have saved this baby and I Janet Jessen is a dynamic representative of the gospel now but when I think about people it Daniel or Gianna. My heart breaks and I'm horrified to think that they were going to be murdered and folks know this, that at the instant of fertilization. And as you as you go from zygote to blastocyst at the moment of fertilization. You've got metabolism, growth, response to stimuli and cell reproduction. Does the four criteria that biologists say constitutes life.

Plus she's got a DNA pattern that contributes to all the physical attributes not only haircolor eyecolor stature hi and even personality traits and the DNA blueprint of the developing baby is distinct from that of the mother.

You have got a human being from the moment of fertilization on an Dylan the more I studied this issue, the more passionate that I've become about it and when I spoke at the medical school in Louisville this week. I was reading a book on embryology that is said to be use the world over the developing human clinically oriented embryology by Dr. Keith Moore. It says this human development begins at fertilization, the process during which a male gamete unites with a female gamete to form a single cell, zygote, this highly specialized Coty potent cell that means viable growing left to his own devices will progress into full maturity as a human being.

This marks the beginning of each of us as a unique individual, and Dylan. As I began to study and more and more sure. The word of God is compelling that we are knit together under the watchful eye of God in our mother's womb that describes gestation and every life is valuable and we are made in the image of God and therefore we have worth and value and dignity, but we live in a time Dylan or I think everybody should be passionately pro-life because not only the word of God. The guaranteed protections of life under our Constitution, but the undeniable empirical proof of science from conception onward were talking about human beings yes and it's interesting to me that that today in a time when social justice has become the headline of our culture that life issue is something that we can certainly discuss when it comes to social justice. Proverbs 31 talks about this concept of being a voice for the voiceless and I could think of no other segment of our population that is worthy of us given a voice to the voiceless than those of the pre-born children of our nation. There so many lies that are affected by this each and every year. And if you're one of those who is wondering is it important for me to stand firm on the pro-life issue and to do something about it. As a person of faith. The answer is yes, we need you to speak out to live out your faith in this is unit do all you can to be a voice in this topic as we close today. Alex just gives the final word on this topic as we wrap up today. Well, you know honestly believe that life our view of human life is the key issue of our times because so many moral, spiritual, and cultural dominoes stand or fall depending on what you believe about the value of human life.

And so I would encourage everybody to stay informed. Be prayerful. Pray that God will have mercy on us, but God will turn this country back to an ethic of life, geneticist, biologist, thinkers, philosophers, ethicist, they not that this is a moral issue that for 45 years plus, we've landed largely on the wrong side of and for the future of precious young lives. And frankly, for the soul of the country, and the preservation of the Constitution. Pray that we would rediscover morality rediscover God and Darien rediscover an ethic of life.

Amen. Thanks for joining us gadgetry for new generation. We look for to being with you next time truth for a new generation in association with Alex McFarland evangelistic ministries exists to equip Christians with the biblical worldview through conferences and camps for information about upcoming events visit for a new generation.com or give us a call at 877 yes God one that's 877 yes, God, and the number one TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland evangelistic ministries PO Box 102310 NC 27404. That's PO Box 10231 NC 27404. Give online@alexmcfarland.com or truth for a new generation.com.

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