When did we lose the "human" ?

Our church celebrated Sanctity of Life Sunday last week. I'm very glad that they did, I know that many churches have stopped celebrating it at all given the "political" nature of abortion and the other issues that are often rolled into this Sunday (euthenasia, assisted suicide, infanticide, etc.) But I wonder where the 'human' went. For as long as I can remember, it was always "Sanctity of Human Life Sunday". I asked a few people about this, and generally their response was "What's the big deal? It's just one word."

Well, to me it's a big deal. The day is designed to deal with moral, legal, ethical, and cultural issues that have arisen due, in large part, to the Roe Vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion. These issues are deeply interconnected to humans, not just living beings. The death of an unborn child is not on the same level as the death of a bunny at the hands of scientists. This isn't to say that the latter isn't an issue we should look carefully at and be concerned about, but to say that the life of an animal is equivalent to the life of a human - the only species created in the image of God - is a dangerous, slippery slope.

I wonder if maybe the 'human' was dropped in an effort to appease those who sit in churches across the country and claim Christ but who still, in an effort to avoid being judgemental or controversial, or...whatever it is their effort is for, proclaim that abortion is a necessary thing. Even worse, to me, are those who say that they themselves could never have an abortion, but they don't want to stop others from doing so. To me, this is akin to saying that while I would never be a suicide bomber, I don't want to tell other people what they should or shouldn't do.
Christianity has absolutes. These absolutes are clearly spelled out. Today our culture has made those who would stand for a sharp line between true and false into bigots. And Christians on the whole have caved to this pressure. We seem to be trying so hard not to offend anyone that we've forgotten what we stand for. And even worse, we've forgotten that Christ himself offended many. If He hadn't, they never would have crucified Him.

Certainly we need to mix our adherence to absolutes with love - but we need to watch how far we take it. There's a difference between saying that abortion is wrong and condemning those who have had one. We need to be able to find the balance and say that yes, abortion is wrong, but if you've made that choice, you're still one of God's created children and your sin is no greater or worse than mine. As many have said, the ground at the cross is level. But to stand on that ground, you need to recognize sin for what it is and get rid of the excuses. If I am willing to say that I wouldn't have an abortion, because I believe it is wrong, then I need to be willing to acknowledge that allowing other people to do something that I know is sin makes me complicit.

It seems like we've allowed so many issues of the heart to be turned into political issues and then stepped away because we don't want to offend that I wonder what we'll allow to be taken next - will we allow our faith to be eroded until even the concept of salvation is simply seen as a hot topic that we don't want to touch lest we offend? (And how far down that road are we already?) In just 33 years, we've allowed the focus of Roe vs. Wade to shift from a question of the Sanctity of Human Life to one of the Sanctity of Life in general. (And I know for many churches the shift started sooner than this year.) So I'll be calling my pastor today to mention it, because while sure, it's a "nitpicky detail" - it's one of those "nitpicky details" that matter.