Pastor Rich Nathan on why he opposes abortion

Pastor Nathan lists 10 points, but I’m just showing #3. http://www.richnathan.org/article/10-reasons-why-i-oppose-abortion?

The Christian church throughout history has been pro-life.

 
The Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights argues that the Bible does not forbid abortion. It is absolutely true that there are no explicit verses in the Bible opposing abortion. The reason is because during the biblical era, Jews believed that abortion was unthinkable. They regarded abortion as a form of murder and laws against murder were considered to be sufficient to cover abortion.

In the early church, Christians felt that they needed to take a stand because they were in an entirely different cultural situation. In the Greco-Roman world, both abortion and infanticide were widely practiced. The church unanimously and strongly opposed abortion from its earliest days:

• The Didache (likely written in the first century) says, “Do not murder a child by abortion nor kill it at birth.”
• The second century Epistle of Barnabas says, “You shall not slay a child by abortion.”
• Athenagoras, a second century Greek apologist, wrote, “We say that women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder… [for we] regard the very fetus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God’s care.”
• In the early third century the African church father Tertullian wrote, “It does not matter whether you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to birth. In both instances, the destruction is murder.”
• In the fourth century, Basil of Caesarea, wrote, “A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder.”
• In the same century, John Chrysostom, the most esteemed church father in Eastern Orthodoxy said, “Why do you abuse the gift of God… and make the chamber of procreation a chamber for murder?”
• Jerome called abortion, “The murder of an unborn child.”
There’s an unbroken chain of witness from the earliest days of the Christian church to the 20th century voicing strong countercultural opposition to abortion.

If you are interested in reading more of the church’s history of opposition to abortion check out: Third Time Around: A History of the Pro-Life Movement from the First Century to the Present by George Grant.  https://www.amazon.com/Third-Time-Around-Pro-Life-Movement/dp/0943497655

The Didache--an ancient message for today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_w7OApgi1I

The Didache is a record of the early days of the Christian church in the first century A.D.  Some scholars put it as early as 50 A.D. It refers to false apostles and prophets, and how to determine who is authentic. Concerns basic morality, the sacraments, and a bit about end times. 

"Lost for centuries, the Didache was discovered in a Greek manuscript at Constantinople in 1873, and published by Bryennius ten years later.  Two small Greek fragents have since been published from two leaves of a parchment manuscript found at Oxyrhynchus, and a longer Coptic frangment in the British Museum was published in 1924.  Two extracts in Ethiopic also have come to light, and a Georgian version. "
The Apostolic Fathers, an American Translation, Edgar J. Goodspeed, Harper, 1950. p. 10.  I own this book--bought it about 30 years ago at a book sale.

The early church knew these prohibitions which the 21st century church has forgotten. . .

Chapter 2, 1-7:  The second command of the Teaching is:  You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not corrupt boys (pederasty), you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not use enchantments, you shall not murder a child by abortion, or kill one when born.  You shall not desire your neighbor's goods, you shall not commit perjury, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not speak evil, you shall not hold a grudge.  You shall not be double-minded, nor double-tongued, for the double tongue is a deadly snare.  Your speech shall not be false or vain, but fulfilled in action.  You shall not be covetous or rapacious, or a hypocrite or malicious or proud.  You shall not entertain an evil design against your neighbor.  You shall not hate any man, but some you shall reprove, and for some you shall pray, and some you shall love more than your life."

In Chapter 15 "bishops and deacons" in this translation are "overseers and assistants"--obviously a Protestant translation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb7cNdUMpfA  Biblical Literacy Class recorded 01-18-2015, Mark Lanier, a Houston lawyer who "teaches regular classes at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas on Biblical Literacy that are also posted on the Internet in video, audio, and written formats. Lanier and his family built the Lanier Theological Library, one of the world's largest private religious studies library open for public usage." (Wikipedia)  I just came across this video today looking for material on the Didache and will look at this archive more carefully.  He recommends Aaron Milovec translation.

This is one of my favorite series, St. Mary's, 2014 lectures on the early church fathers, by Charles Craigmile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56_oKrRAtZw  and the Didache section starts about 32 minutes. 2015 series is on Catholic Social Teaching. 2016 is on Christian Apologetics: Overcoming Secular Barriers to Faith.

How first century Christians faced pagan Roman sexual practices

The Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, written in A.D. 80, begins with a frank assessment of the culture and the Christian Faith. “There are two ways, one of life and one of death: and great is the difference between the two ways.” The text then discusses the way of life which combines the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ. An important part of the way of life is morality, and the particulars of moral living involve marriage and the conjugal act:
“You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not seduce boys.
You shall not commit fornication.
You shall not steal.
You shall not practice magic.
You shall not use potions.
You shall not procure abortion, nor destroy a newborn child.”
The Didache urged Christians to avoid these practices and choose the way of life in imitation of Christ the Lord.
(Steve Weidenkopf, Of Human Life course material, Ch. 1)