Hidden Sin

Last night, I went to see Unplanned.  The movie tells the story of Abby Johnson, the youngest director of a Planned Parenthood clinic, who eventually becomes pro-life after watching an abortion on the ultrasound screen...

What I liked:

• The movie (whose audience will mostly be Christians who are already pro-life) does a good job of humanizing the women working for Planned Parenthood and the women seeking abortions.  These women are often dehumanized, and their lives and hearts (the pain, pressure, fear, guilt, abuse, and other tragic elements of their stories) are discredited and minimized by the church, and it's reeeally not okay.
• There is a scene where her Planned Parenthood coworkers throw a fun baby shower for Abby at the end of the workday where they have terminated 38 unwanted pregnancies.  It is clear that they believe the fetus feels no pain and think they are offering a good, helpful, and needed service to vulnerable women by providing abortions and medical care.  And they are happy to celebrate the babies that are loved and wanted.
• They view the protesters outside their gates as the enemy, trying to protect the women coming into the clinic from hearing anything the protesters are shouting (some of which is prayerful and kind, but some of which is, indeed, quite offensive and inappropriate and said in a spirit of hatred and condemnation - also not okay).
• The movie shows Christian parents who push their young daughter toward abortion to protect the family image, as well as women choosing abortion because they don't want a child forever connecting them to an abusive man or unhealthy relationship.  I believe both of those happen far more often than we want to think about.
• Within the first ten minutes, you see a baby in the womb being suctioned out and liquefied, and it is a disturbing image.  They also show the painful physical effects of forcing a miscarriage by taking the abortion pill.  They don't sugarcoat the hard reality of abortion.
• For most of my life, I have understood clearly that abortion is killing a living human being created by God, but I also understand the widespread deception on this issue and how people could genuinely believe they are making a difficult but correct decision in choosing abortion.  I felt so much compassion and empathy for the women in this movie (and the women in real life facing similar circumstances).
• Abby, the lead character, has two abortions herself before beginning her career with Planned Parenthood.  She counsels women and "sells" abortions, offering discounted rates if they book quickly.  Her parents and her husband are pro-life and make all the usual arguments.  She is also confronted regularly by protesters at the fence, and she spends some time working in the Planned Parenthood room where they piece together the aborted babies (to be certain that nothing was left inside the mother).  None of these extreme circumstances change her opinion that abortion is a good option for women who need a way out of a bad situation.
• It was abundantly clear that it took the work of the Holy Spirit to change her heart and mind, and that nothing people said or shouted or explained was going to do it.  Prayer and love were far more effective than guilt and shame - (which should be obvious, but the church tends to go for the guilt method).
• Christians get it so twisted when they view the women at these clinics as evil.  They are among our enemy's most vulnerable targets, but they are not the enemy.  Our heart should be to love and protect them, and our view of being "pro-life" should be drastically expanded...

What I disliked:

• I can't fault them too much, as the focus of this movie was on telling Abby's personal story, but I wish there had been more information about how to help and walk with the women who decide not to go through with abortion.
• I'm more and more aware that our "pro-life" stance is incredibly narrow-minded when we think our job is done after talking someone out of an abortion.  Child neglect, starvation, endangerment, abuse, innocent children being passed around the very broken foster care system... these are all massive traumatic problems that follow unwanted and unloved children, many of whom suffer for years.
• Christians celebrate and call it a victory when we convince someone to drive away from the abortion clinic or when a clinic closes down, but our claim to care means very little if we don't offer support and substantial help to these women in the years following that moment.

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I've been thinking about this verse since I read it last week:

"In their own eyes, they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin."

~Psalm 36:2

We can't condemn liberals and feminists for dehumanizing unborn babies while we are dehumanizing and devaluing their mothers.  We can't ignore and minimize our own habitual sins while we condemn homosexuality.  God looks at the heart, and He knows whether sin is deliberate or done out of ignorance.  Those who don't know Him or understand His standards do a lot of things out of ignorance.  Those of us who know His word well should not think we will get a pass on gossip, envy, lying, overindulgence, and pride as long as we're avoiding the "major" sins.

Christian friends, we are NOT at our best when we arrogantly condemn the sins we see in others, flattering ourselves too much to notice or hate our own sin.  It's exactly the kind of religious hypocritical nonsense that Jesus regularly called out.  My goal is to become more aware and repentant about the sinfulness in my own heart, and to do a better job of loving others the way Jesus loved people...  Not flippantly or dismissively.  Not speaking the truth in harsh judgment or condemnation.  But speaking the truth in love... love that is patient and kind and protective and enduring.  Love that forgives and covers sin and weeps with those who weep.  Love that does not abandon or cast aside those who desperately need our help.