There is much excitement among pro-lifers in the United States and for very good reason. After all these years and after so much death, it suddenly seems likely that Roe v Wade will be overturned. Of course this will not make abortion illegal in the country, but will simply return the issue to the individual states. Still, it will finally address a great injustice and give hope that the tides may be turning and that abortion may someday be as unthinkable as it ought to be.

I know that many Americans—and non-Americans—are praying fervently that the opinion circulated in draft form will represent the final ruling and that all of the conservative Supreme Court Justices will hold fast. I am praying for this myself! But as we pray for America, I want to encourage us to widen our gaze a little bit and pray for the matter of abortion in other countries as well. Because, strange though it may be, the potential overturning of Roe v Wade, which is the law of the land in only one country, is already having ripple effects around the globe.
Canada is notorious for having no abortion law at all. Therefore, abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy and for any reason. It is an issue that even ostensibly pro-life conservative governments tend not to touch since they know that if it becomes a core issue in a campaign, it is likely to sink their chances of gaining power. Yet with news of the overturn of Roe v Wade, the ruling Liberal Party is sensing political opportunity. Suggesting that access to abortion is now somehow threatened in Canada, they are hinting that they may strengthen abortion laws here. As one commentator says, they “are clearly trying to transpose the American debate onto Canada without acknowledging the very large political and legal differences between the two countries, in an unveiled attempt to draw out pro-life Conservatives and perpetuate the myth that the Tories have a hidden agenda.” The Prime Minister says he is now looking at legislative options to ensure the right to abortion is permanently protected. Thus, strangely, a ruling that may be very good for one country may end up being bad for its neighbor.
Meanwhile, writing from Australia, Murray Campbell says “Of course, decisions made by the US Supreme Court have no legal bearing on Australian law, but the cultural influence of America inevitably washes up on our shores. I look forward to seeing how this development might affect things here in the State of Victoria, where abortion is aggressively defended as an unfettered legal right up to birth. In such an environment, I am thankful for any public and legal decision that weakens the abortion position.” It could be that the demise of Roe v Wade helps the situation in Australia, or it could be that it worsens it. But what’s certain is that it will in some way impact it.
Then from the UK, Stephen Kneale says that there, like in Canada, “it has for quite some time been considered something of a done deal in British politics. No major political party stands on a pro-life platform and almost no MPs identify as pro-life. Those that are also frequently remain very quiet about the fact. It is seen as a policy that may well spell the end of a political career if pushed too hard. At best, it is seen as a dead issue, effectively unrepealable, and therefore not a good use of campaigning time. Politically, the calculation is that it is better to focus energies on what can be changed rather than on what is assumed cannot be.” Yet “the Roe v Wade decision in the states may well put the matter back on the agenda,” which could in the end either help or hinder the pro-life cause in the UK.
Thus what is happening in the United States—a country that has massive power to create and shape culture—is making headlines all across the world and motivating politicians in far-off countries to once again address the issue of abortion. Some may use it to further life and some may use it to further death. Some may use it to limit abortion access in their nations and some may use it to strengthen it. Some will want to follow in the footsteps of the US while some will want to do all that’s within their power to distance themselves from it. And, indeed, that is the most likely outcome for a country like Canada under a government like ours.
None of this is to say that it’s wrong or bad for the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade. None of this is to say that we shouldn’t pray that this will actually happen and that we shouldn’t celebrate if and when it does. Not at all! The day Roe v Wade is overturned will be a truly beautiful day. But I do hope it serves as a reminder that the decision of a handful of judges in one country will ripple out for good and for ill, perhaps to help the cause of life in some nations but certainly to hinder it in others. And the only one who can sort out a mess like that is the one to whom we pray—the one whose mind is vast and whose hand is strong. So let’s pray together that he would act to protect the lives of the unborn in the United States and far beyond. Let’s pray that he would move powerfully to do far more abundantly than all we can ask, think, or even imagine.

The Spanish edition of Seasons of Sorrow (Estaciones de aflicción) is now available! I’m so thankful for the efforts of the translation team and am praying that the book makes its way to just the right people.

10 Bits of Wisdom from 10 Years of Socials
K.A. Ellis took a social media hiatus and returned with some bits of wisdom to share. They are worth reading, considering, and applying.
The World’s Easiest Theological Question
Michael Kruger: “Sometimes Jesus asks easy theological questions where the answer is obvious. Often he does this to make a point about the hardness of men’s hearts. As an example, he asks the Pharisees what may be the world’s easiest theological question…”
Engineers Make Great Missionaries
You may think that a career in missions means you would need to serve as a church planter or evangelist. This couldn’t be further from the truth. (Sponsored Link)
Pro-Gay Theology, the Film 1946, and the Multiverse
Alan Shlemon carries out a bit of a thought experiment in which he imagines that in 1946 the Bible translation committee for the RSV did not translate arsenokoitai as “homosexuals.” What difference might this have made?
Where Have All The Theologians Gone?
Mark Jones is concerned by the lack of first-class theologians today and suggests some of the possible reasons for this. “By ‘theologians,’ I do not mean it in the sense of ‘everyone’s a theologian’ but rather in the more technical sense concerning someone who is a trained theologian, a person who has distinguished themselves by their education, credentials, publications, and churchmanship.”
Themelios 48.2
Meanwhile, for those who are interested in doing some theological reading, there is a new issue of Themelios free for the taking.
Thirteen Years of Coming Back
Brianna has a sweet reflection on 13 years of marriage—13 years of coming back to one another.
Flashback: We Must, We Can, Bloom for Him
God has saved his people to display his glory and sing his praises in every time, every trial, every situation, every circumstance. No matter our surroundings, no matter our context, no matter our joys or sorrows, we must, and by his grace we can, bloom for him.

The cross is love’s highest human expression and beauty’s ultimate declaration…The cross and resurrection of Jesus shine as supreme demonstrations of beauty. Everything else is a reflection. —Steve DeWitt

So many people live with a deep sense of failure. So many people go through their lives convinced they are a constant disappointment to the ones they so naturally long to please.

Children consider their parents and feel a sense of shame, certain that in some way their parents regard them as a disappointment. Meanwhile, parents consider their children and feel that same sense of shame, sure that their children regard them with disapproval.
Husbands consider their wives and wives their husbands and, while they may not know exactly what they’ve done wrong or what standard they have failed to uphold, they are convinced their spouse looks toward them with a displeased eye.
Church members are often convinced their pastor is disappointed in them for their level of involvement in the church or for the minimal strides they have made in sanctification. Pastors, meanwhile, often feel a deep sense of disapproval from church members, perhaps because they are ordinary preachers rather than extraordinary ones or because they simply do not have enough hours in the week to accept every meeting and fulfill every request.
There are so many Christians who live under a cloud of disappointment and disapproval. And we cannot allow ourselves off the hook here. Our husbands and our wives, our parents and our children, our pastors and our congregations—all can feel that withering sense of censure from the likes of you and me.
And, if we’re honest, such censure is often real rather than imagined. It is real because we are all susceptible to expecting people to live up to our standards rather than to God’s. Yet where God’s standards are holy, ours are tinged with evil; where God’s standards are rational, ours are arbitrary; and where God’s standards are fixed, ours are constantly shifting. People fail to live up to our standards because it’s impossible for them to live up to our standards. And neither should they, for we have no right to call people to live to any standard other than God’s.
A great gift we can give to others is the gift of our approval. We can assure them that our desire for them is not that they live according to our standards, but that they live according to God’s. If they heed the will of God and live according to a sanctified conscience, we can, we should, and we must be satisfied. We must believe that the best thing they can do is please God and please themselves. And if they have done that, we must not be disapproving of them or be disappointed in them.
Husband, one of the greatest gifts you can give your wife is the assurance that you approve of her and that you delight in her. Let her know: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”
Wife, one of the greatest blessings you can bestow upon your husband is the confidence that you are pleased with him and that you find joy in him. Let him hear it: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”
Parents, your children want to know that you approve of them. So be sure they know: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”
Children, your parents want to know that you approve of them just as much as you want to know that they approve of you. So be sure to tell them: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”
Pastors and church members, you know what to do. Whether you use these exact words or others like them, make sure the sentiment is plain: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”*
There would be nothing more foolish than to disapprove of decisions that have been approved by God or to be disappointed by actions that please God. There would be nothing more cruel than to make someone believe they have failed in your eyes when they have succeeded in God’s. There would be nothing more disheartening than for them to live a life that’s pleasing to God only to find that they have lived a life that’s displeasing to you. So whether it’s your child or parents, your husband or wife, your pastor or congregation, let them know, and then relate to them in such a way that they believe it: “Please God and please yourself, and you shall never displease me.”

I have seen these words attributed to the Puritan Philip Henry, but have not been able to trace them back to a source.