Josie Luetke
It may just be my impression, but this past Pride Month seemed particularly vociferous. On numerous occasions, socially conservative friends and coworkers dutifully noted: “Pride cometh before the fall.” Now, I mean no offense to them and believe they were just offering a sincere warning, but it’s easy to see how this verse could be recited proudly, as if we were immune to such a sin, and so we must be cautious.
Ego is one of the pro-life movement’s greatest weaknesses, perhaps the greatest weakness. Yes, I am well aware of the awkward position I put myself in by writing a column lecturing about the vice of pride, so let me get this out of the way: I am not at all exempt from the problematic thinking I describe below. In fact, I draw much from my own personal experience.
Because we (presumably) are right about life issues, issues of immense gravity, when many Canadians are deeply wrong about them, we are very prone to subconsciously believing we arealways correct, and because of our hyperawareness of the brokenness of so many others’ moral compass there are few people we trust to hold us accountable when we are not correct. Furthermore, it’s easy to feel morally superior; how can we not when our adversaries think it’s okay to kill babies?
Far too many pro-lifers are thus content to rest on their laurels, content that disapproving of abortion and euthanasia makes them good people. I doubt it’s their intent, as opposed to happenstance, but the maintenance of the status quo preserves their purportedly morally superior status. If more people came to realize that abortion is wrong, the less good these self-righteous pro-lifers would look in contrast.
Of course, the truth is that believing that abortion is wrong entails a heavy duty on our part. How terrible it is that some people are convinced that almost 300 tiny humans are killed every day in our country and yet do nothing about it. In order to have any claim whatsoever to goodness, we have no choice but to act. (Though, as I’ve said before, that can look differently for each of us, according to our respective gifts.)
That doesn’t mean those of us actively campaigning for the pro-life cause can pat ourselves on the back. We are among the worst culprits of self-absorption. It’s precisely because of the significance of the banner we fly that we must be humble, that we must dig out our ego wherever it takes root.
Our victories are not our own. They’re God’s. When “we” are victorious, it’s simply because we reined in our egos long enough for God to do His work through us. The knowledge that this is His work should cushion us from both the highs and the lows and keep us steady and on course.
I hesitate to bring up this last point, because I don’t want to falsely convey that a condemnation of pride necessitates agreement with this point (also especially because agreement with this point definitely does not excuse one from falling victim to pride). Nevertheless, I would like to ever so modestly propose that because this is God’s battle, we shouldn’t be making compromises. Yes, we must act, but none of us will be the one to end abortion. It will be God, and when it happens, it will happen in His own time, which may or may not be in our own lifetime. We just have to fight the good fight and be faithful soldiers of Christ in the meantime.
I think this framework suggests a rebuke of pragmatism and an encouragement of allegiance to principles—that it is more important to fully and clearly communicate truth at all times than it is to achieve political or social success and that our focus should be solely on right action rather than desired results (which are out of our hands, and in the Lord’s). That said, this is only a proposition from a lowly, fallible human (still conceited enough to think she has something worth saying in a monthly column) and there are pro-lifers of good character who would disagree. I must also point out that what counts as “compromise” is subject to much debate.
My main message is that we all need to do a better job of stepping back and evaluating how much we’re letting our ego get in the way. The pro-life movement would do well to keep in mind the praise-and-worship refrain: “I need more of You and less of me.”
