The Case for Life

Over the past couple of years, I have come to a conclusion: If Crossway publishes a book, it is probably worth reading. Scott Klusendorf’s The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Cutlure is no exception. In this slim little volume, the author manages to give an eminently readable, coherent, persuasive, and practical treatment of the pro-life case.

“My own thesis,” the author writes, “is that a biblically informed pro-life view explains human equality, human rights, and moral obligations better than its secular rivals and that rank-and-file pro-life Christians can make an immediate impact provided they’re equipped to engage the culture with a robust but graciously communicated case for life.”

In Part One, Pro-Life Christians Clarify the Debate, Klusendorf makes the case that debates over abortion and embryonic stem-cell research are not nearly as morally complex as pro-choice advocates make them to be.

Part Two, Pro-Life Christians Establish a Foundation for the Debate, he seeks to show that the issues at stake do not allow for a morally neutral stance. In answering the question, “What makes humans valuable in the first place?” pro-life and pro-choice proponents must bring prior theological and anthropological commitments to the debate in order to answer.

Part Three, Pro-Life Christians Answer Objections Persuasively, Klusendorf provides answers to common questions and objections. He argues that only one question truly matters: Is the unborn a human being created in the image of God, or not?

Part Four, Pro-Life Christians Teach and Equip, the author addresses pastoral issues stemming from pro-life advocacy. He considers the role of pro-life pastors, the possibility of cooperation with Catholics and others, the grace that is available for women post-abortion, and some concluding comments about winning the battle for life.

Title: The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture

Author: Scott Klusendorf

Publisher: Crossway 2009

Length: 254 pp.

Difficulty: Intermediate