Sometimes we can have the best intentions but still make a mess of things when we do not operate with wisdom. Today we will look at a few key principles that are essential for having pro-life conversations as we wrap up our series on abortion.
- Have compassion – you never know the story of those listening.
- Stay on track – keep the main issue the main issue. What is inside the womb of a mother? Are humans persons? Don’t all people have a right to life?
- Don’t expect instant change
- Know when to quit – it is more important to be a loving friend to someone then win an argument if things are getting out of hand or someone is distressed
- Challenge the logical fallacies – get clear on the other person’s position first and repeat it back to them. Look at the whole structure of their argument – is their conclusion the problem or is it how they got there? Don’t strawman someone’s argument and if someone resorts to name calling then don’t engage with that, instead bring it back to the points you are making.
As always it is important to pray and seek to be led by God’s Spirit in these conversations. But they must be had – even if you don’t think you’re making an impact, God has still called us to speak up for the voiceless regardless of whether we see the results or not.
I’m Becky Gillespie from Thinking Matters and this has been your Thought for the Week.
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