Some Christians wish they attended a church where the pastor or priest took a more outspoken stance against abortion. While sermons or homilies may touch on pro-life issues from time to time — or not at all — some Christians sit in their pews wondering why their church leader is reluctant to speak out against the human rights issues of our time.
The folks who attend Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas don’t have that problem. Their Pastor Matt Chandler is no stranger to speaking up for life.
Last year, Chandler joined millions of Christians across America come together under the banner of the National Day of Prayer, but specifically working with pro-life groups to pray for an end to abortion.
“Scripture clearly calls us to protect and defend the innocent, and that most certainly includes the unborn. While we should come together to pray for God’s blessing on our country, we cannot expect God to bring revival when we allow an estimated 1.2 million babies to be aborted within our shores every year. Abortion is primarily a spiritual issue, and it is, bar none, the predominant challenge for the American Christian today,” observed Brian Fisher, the head of that prayer effort.
Now, Chandler has preached a sermon specifically condemning abortion as “murder” that is going viral:
Chandler — of the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas — told parishioners during a January 25 sermon that he believes “abortion is murder” and that he doesn’t think it’s a political issue, instead, calling it a ”scientific … and a deeply theological issue.” But while he was stern in his definition, he reminded the congregation that there is grace for the “murderers among us.”
Chandler held little back in making his stance clear to the congregation.
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“I need to — with all the boldness that the holy spirit will grant to me — tell everyone in this room that abortion is murder. It is the murder of a human being,” he said. “I’m going to have to say it, I’m going to show it to you in the word, I want to prove it to you with science. … It’s a holocaust like the world has yet to see.”
“The United States since Roe vs. Wade … has blown past both of those brothers and have made them look angelic as we have slaughtered, wholesale, 55 million little boys and little girls,” he said.
But rather than convict and condemn, Chandler was quick to note that the Christian gospel does not preclude anyone — even murderers — from receiving God’s grace. He cited Saul of Tarsus, the biblical figure who persecuted Christians before converting to the faith and penning a fair amount of the New Testament, in making his point.
“I am no fool: There are murderers among us. And so at the same time that I prophetically, and boldly, and courageously say ‘abortion is murder’ I also need to step into this space knowing that we are guilty of it — many of us are guilty of it,” he said. “And maybe we weren’t the ones that had the abortion, but maybe we coerced and pressed somebody to have the abortion, or just paid for the abortion.”
Regardless of these facts, Chandler said that all hope isn’t lost, as God is forgiving.
“I need to say to you, listen to me: Where the volume of sin increases, the volume of grace always abounds much more” he said, adding his belief that murder is not a “disqualifying sin” when it comes to discovering God’s forgiveness. ”The grace and mercy of God covers sin.”
Here’s the sermon:
