Rather than compete with one another, as often happens in this movement, let’s collaborate instead! We can make a bigger and better difference by working alongside each other and supporting each other’s unique works. For example, we educate and equip pastors and congregations to address identity, sexuality, pregnancy, and abortion proactively and with compassion. You may have something to offer that we at HGG are not equipped to do as well. Or we could become ministry partners in some other capacity to promote and/or empower each other to reach more people and accomplish greater works. If you feel you or your organization has something to offer HGG and/or we have something to offer you, we would love to hear from you! Just fill out the form and we will respond to you as soon as possible.
In this groundbreaking and prophetic book Joni Shepherd raises a call to the Church, and particularly to those in spiritual authority, to break the chains of silence and shame that have bound the victims of one of modern history’s greatest moral catastrophes, abortion.
The church in general has not done the best job in the past in addressing pregnancy and abortion. Many women and their partners have secretly sought abortion because the church did not feel safe, or they did not feel they had the resources to give birth and parent a child.
How does a Christian get into a situation in which choosing abortion seems reasonable? How can an abortion effect a person’s life over the long haul? Joni unpacks her story in brutal honesty beginning with her happy childhood in a conservative Christian home.
I had two abortions when I was 18 and 19 because I was afraid to tell my family, and my church just made me feel horrible for being pregnant in the first place. Planned Parenthood was kind and accepting of me and told me that it was just a piece of tissue, and I so wanted to believe that.
However, the trauma I experienced from abortion was terrible, everything from nightmares and audible hallucinations to suicidal thoughts to not being able to bond with a child I had later. The shame, guilt, and remorse were so great that it started a domino effect of other bad choices and consequences. I was blessed to find not only forgiveness but great healing through a group that takes people through the grieving process and helps them let go. But most women (and men) go through their whole lives with no one to really talk to about it. Yet the majority of those are traumatized by it in some way.
The church doesn’t have the best reputation for addressing taboo topics like identity, sexuality, pregnancy, or abortion effectively. Until we learn what we need to learn, we will continue to hurt, rather than help, those who have been wounded in these areas. The next generation will continue to fall into the same pits as many of us have but never had a safe place to heal. The church needs to become a safe haven rather than a landmine. Christians don’t do much better at navigating these topics than those who don’t believe in Christ
A lot of us, if we’re honest. Unless we live in a hole in the ground, we are barraged with the world’s view on sex multiple times a day with the lie that there are no consequences for sex with anyone at any time. The truth is, we are effected deeply by sex not being in the proper place – child sexual abuse, pornography, fornication, adultery, same sex attraction, gender dysphoria, and more. This can significantly affect sex within marriage, our view of singleness, and cause lifetime shame. An abortion or sexual woundedness, regardless of the origin, can lead to promiscuity, sexual addiction, complete disinterest in sex within marriage, or infidelity.
