niitting. That is whv, at the end of WorldrnWar II, General Eisenhower insisted onrnforcing Germans living in the vicinit- ofrnthe death camps to tour those establishments.rnNo amonnt of argument againstrnNazi racist theorizing could really substitute,rnunder the circmnstances, for thernsight and smell of those emaciatedrncorpses stacked up all over the place.rnW’liat appalls me is not that pro-lifers persistrnin displaving comparable images, butrnthat the ‘er- media which have norncpialms about showing us the mangledrncorpses of people brutally murdered inrnplaces like Kosoo and Rwanda refuse tornshow pictures of aborted babies onrngrounds that these would be too di.sturbingrnto people, when in fact they are di.sturbingrnprimarily to the nearly deadenedrnconsciences of our liberal elites.rnI find it quite surprising to encounterrnthis kind of legal positivism (and statism)rnin a generally sound publication likernChronicles. Wolfs appeal to the “rule ofrnlaw” is highl- inappropriate in the currentrnsituation, where we live, not underrnthe rule of law, but under a reign of institutionalizedrnlawlessness. It is our governmentrnwliich is guilh’ of taking the law intornits own hands, not those citizens whornresist official lawlessness.rn— George A. KendallrnGrand Marais, MIrnMr. Wolf Replies:rnMr. Kendall’s critique of my article canrnbe distilled into the following argument:rnSome forms of civil disobedience arc justifiablernif they go against positive laws thatrncontradict natural law. The pro-lifernmovement engages in civil disobedience;rntherefore, its actions are justifiable.rnIn defense of his first postulate, he citesrnPope John Paul IPs words in EvangeliumrnVitae, and this Missouri-Synod Lutheran,rnin short, doth not protest. Indeed, asrna Lutheran, I know that civil disobediencernis sometimes necessar}’—under thernauthorih of a “lesser magi,strate” and notrnas indixiduals — as was the case for mvrneangelical forebears during the Reformation.rnHowecr, it is “sloppy thinking” to assumernthat the t)’pe of lawlessness exhibitedrnby the pro-life movement is justifiablerncivil disobedience.rnWhich law is it that we, as individualrnChristians opposed to the barbaric practicernof electic abortion, should disobev?rnIs there a law that requires Mr. Kendall’srnv’ife to hae an abortion? No such lawrnexists in America. The argument madernbv the Pope only applies to places likernChina, where women are forced to havernabortions. No one is required b’ God orrnthe United States government to ohe}’ arnlaw that demands the murder of the innocent.rnPro-lifers, however, trespass onrnabortuary grounds, display dirty pictures,rnand talk in mixed company about fetirnand placenta in an effort to thwart the immoralrnbut legal killing of other people’srnunborn children.rnMr. Kendall then switches gears andrnraises the charge of “statism,” chastisingrnme for my assertion that “stopping thernhands of a murderer is in the power of thernexecutive branch.” He suggests that Irnwould relieve citizens of their duty to ])rotectrnthe innocent lives of those outsiderntheir own households. He implies thatrnthis dut}’ is an clement of self-defense.rnBut God gives His Church the powerrnto forgive sins, and He gives kings —orrnciil governments who “bear not thernsword in ain” —the power to restrainrnevil. Theologians largch’ have agreedrnthat the clergy should not take positionsrnas civil authorities because the twornspheres should not be confused. Godrndoes not give the power of the sword tornindividuals as individuals. To deny this isrnto take yet another step toward statism —rnor anarchy. Pro-lifers, on the other hand,rntend to take the view, “End abortion —rnright or wrong.” Should we underminernthe basis of civil societ}’ in order to stoprnabortions from occurring? Should werncommit evil in order that good mayrncome?rnThe pornographic display of the deadrnchildren of pagans is necessary, arguesrnMr. Kendall, because shocking peoplern(and feminists) is the only effectivernmeans of communication. Ike and HannahrnArendt notwithstanding, this propagandistiernapproach to the communicationrnof truth has greatly contributed tornthe creation of the slough of despond inrnwhich we now live. I remember the despairrnthat grew within me when I attendedrnour local “right to life” meetings. Werntalked about the next bill tiiat might bernsigned by President Bush if it first passedrnthrough the Democrat-dominated Congress.rnWe went over the specifics for thernnext protest at our local abortuary. Wernsought volunteers to man our “stages ofrnfetal development” booth at the counh’rnfair. We made “Abortion Kills Children”rnsigns for passersby to read at tiie annualrnLife Chain.rnWhat did we expect to accomplish?rnDo individuals absorb the complexrnmoral and theological truths necessary tornobey God, respect life, and deplore murderrnby reading slogans and ‘iewing disgustingrnpictures? No. Is Christendomrnreestablished through constitutionalrnamendments? No. Christian civilizationrngrows through families, churches, neighborhoods,rnand communities enrapturedrnby the Gospel. If families and churchesrnforsake the Gospel for social crusades inrnother people’s neighborhoods. Christianrncivilization will erode. Overhirn Roe v.rnWade (a worthy goal), and states filledrnwith sensitive, suburbanite Christiansrnwill be as much salt and light as they arernright now. Transform our churches,rncommunities, and families, and von justrnmight turn the world upside down.rnBut today’s Christian citizen of thernworld seems to be enra]3tured bv UnclernScrewtape’s advice to young Wormwood:rnThe great thing is to direct | his |rnmalice to his immediate neighboursrnwhom he meets eery da’rnand to thrust his benexolencc outrnto the remote circuniference, tornpeople he does not know. There isrnno good at all in inflaming his hatredrnof Germans if, at tiie samerntime, a pernicious habit of charih’rnis growing up behveen him and hisrnmother, his employer, and the manrnhe meets on the train.rnOur second cenhiry forebears did notrnfall prey to this satanic diersion whenrntiie’ took in exposed infants and rearedrnthem in their own households. If onlyrnthe early Christians had not wasted theirrntime converting pagans, the might havernmarched on Rome, carrying signs thatrnread “Exposure Kills Children.”rn(vSJGcKsrnSave a Stamp!rnE-mail your lettersrnto the editor to:[email protected]^azine.or£frnG^p^rnDECI;MBER 1999/5rnrnrn