Pro-life reading resources

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, June 24th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. With the Supreme Court’s expected ruling on the Dobbs case, the fight for the unborn is again center stage–and perhaps, once again, America’s hottest battle in the culture war.

Emily Whitten reminds us that Christians have produced great books to help that fight from the beginning and the best pro-life books may still be yet to come.

EMILY WHITTEN, COMMENTATOR: Since Roe v. Wade, Christians have used the written word to fight against abortion in remarkable ways. One landmark book in 1979 was Francis Schaeffer’s and C. Everett Koop’s work, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?

CLIP: The fully developed view of the sanctity of human life didn’t come out of nowhere, but the Judeo-Christian consensus that was the framework for centuries.

That book and its 5-part film adaptation rallied many evangelicals to the pro-life cause.

In the 80s and 90s, pro-life authors like George Grant brought more evangelicals on board. In my recent interview with Grant, he said getting published back in those early days wasn’t always easy.

GRANT: The big publishers did steer clear, and a lot of the big ministries steered clear of the issue. There were a handful of really courageous evangelical leaders—D. James Kennedy, R.C. Sproul, great heroes of the faith. I was involved in the publication of R.C.’s book and wrote the foreword to the 20th anniversary edition of it. He was incredibly courageous in stepping out.

Grant still recommends Sproul’s 1990 book, as well as Randy Alcorn’s 1992 book, ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments. I recommended Alcorn’s book as my January Classic Book of the Month, so check out that review to hear more about the “swiss army knife of the pro-life movement.”

In more recent decades, I think of the impact of former Planned Parenthood director, Abby Johnson. The book version of her story, Unplanned, continues to rate highly on Amazon and Goodreads. Here’s a clip from the 2019 movie version.

CLIP: I can’t be a part of this anymore. Everything they told us is a lie.

One book that can inspire and educate a new generation–Dr. Patti Giebink’s 2021 autobiography, Unexpected Choice. Giebink didn’t just work at a Planned Parenthood clinic, she actually performed abortions there.

CLIP: We’d turn the machine on, and I would go around suctioning out of the uterus…

But through the faithful prayers of Christians, God intervened. Eventually, Dr. Giebink found saving faith in Christ. She also became a pro-life activist and life-saving OBGYN. In her book, Giebink powerfully takes on the top myths of abortion and prompts readers to join her in this prayer.

CLIP: Give me the words that support life, while loving those who would sooner take that life. Help me to make a lasting difference in the women around me who might be struggling with that decision. In Your name, Amen.

In many ways, 2022 marks a new era in the fight against abortion. And with the 50th anniversary of Roe this January, Christians may see a tidal wave of repackaged classics and innovative new books on the topic.

In short, Christian, the arsenal is full. Time to fight…by His strength and for His truth.

I’m Emily Whitten.

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