Scott Klusendorf - The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture

Scott Klusendorf is one of the nations top pro-life thinkers, and The Case for Life is a veritable feast of helpful information about pro-life issues. The book is the finest resource about these matters I have seen. It is accessible to the layperson, and it lays out a strategy for impacting the world for a culture of life. I highly recommend it.

J. P. MORELAND, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy,
Biola University; author of Kingdom Triangle

This book delivers: it will indeed equip the reader to articulate both a philosophical case and a biblical case for life and to answer intelligently and persuasively the main objections to the pro-life position. It is easy to follow and hard to put down, but it will also repay study. It is filled with helpful analogies, examples, and stories. The reader will want to buy additional copies as gifts for friend and relatives, any who are high school age or above.

PATRICK LEE, McAleer Professor of Bioethics, Director,
Institute of Bioethics, Franciscan University of Steubenville

Scott Klusendorfs accessible, winsomely-written book presents a well-reasoned, comprehensive case for intrinsic human dignity and worth. Klusendorf not only equips the reader with incisive, insightful responses to pro-abortion arguments, whether simplistic or sophisticated, he also presents a full defense of the biblical worldviewthe very context needed to ground the existence of objective values and human rights. Truly, a persons a person, no matter how small.

PAUL COPAN, Professor and Pledger Family Chair of
Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University,
West Palm Beach, Florida

The Case for Life has set a new standard for pro-life apologetics. Accessible enough for the layperson, Scott has articulated and refuted every major and minor pro-choice objection to the pro-life position. Honed from the crucible of thousands of student interactions over the last decade, Scott has heard it all and met the challenge. This book is evidence that the case for life still stands.

BARBARA SHACKELFORD, Executive Director,
A Womens Pregnancy Center, Tallahassee, Florida

Scott Klusendorf takes the insights and methods for defending the right to life he so effectively communicates in his teaching presentations into a book that provides a clear and cogent biblical rationale for the sanctity and dignity of life, born or unborn. This is a great tool for the layman who knows he or she is pro-life, but doesnt understand the presuppositions on which his or her beliefs are based or who doesnt feel equipped to defend or discuss the issue with others.

CHUCK COLSON, Founder, Prison Fellowship

The Case for Life is prophetic and practical. It is prophetic in the sense that it makes a clear and undeniable argument based on truth about human value. It gives a biblically informed pro-life view. It is practical because it provides pro-life advocates a toolbox for offering understandable defenses for the unborn. It shows how to logically answer objections and move a debate to a dialogue. As a pastor, I was challenged, informed, and inspired to confidently and graciously make a difference in my generation for the cause of life.

JIMMY DALE PATTERSON, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church,
Newman, Georgia

Scott Klusendorf has produced a marvelous resource that will equip pro-lifers to communicate more creatively and effectively as they engage our culture. The Case for Life is well-researched, well-written, logical, and clear, containing many pithy and memorable statements. Those already pro-life will be equipped; those on the fence will likely be persuaded. Readers looking to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves will find much here to say. I highly recommend this book.

RANDY ALCORN, best-selling author

The Case for Life

Copyright 2009 by Scott L. Klusendorf

Published by Crossway Books
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Amy Bristow

Cover photo: Life Issues Institute (www.lifeissues.org).

First printing, 2009

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations from The New American Standard Bible are used by permission. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

ISBN PDF: 978-1-4335-0553-9

ISBN Mobipocket: 978-1-4335-0554-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Klusendorf, Scott, 1960
The case for life : equipping Christians to engage the culture /
Scott Klusendorf.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4335-0320-7 (tpb)
1. AbortionReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Pro-life movementUnited States. II. Title
HQ767.25.K58 2009
261.8'36dc22

2008041696

VP 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09

14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Stephanie,
my beloved wife,
who has never wavered in her support for my pro-life work
and whose love gives me courage to confront ideas
that diminish us all

CONTENTS

Part One
Pro-Life Christians Clarify the Debate

Part Two
Pro-Life Christians Establish a Foundation for the Debate

Part Three
Pro-Life Christians Answer Objections Persuasively

Part Four
Pro-Life Christians Teach and Equip

THIS BOOK BEARS THE MARKS of two men who mentored my early development as a pro-life apologist.

Gregg Cunningham, executive director of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, made the first investment, though I doubt he knew it the first time we met.

The setting was a Saturday breakfast for pastors in November 1990. At the time I was an associate pastor in Southern California, and organizers from the local crisis pregnancy center and right-to-life affiliate invited me and a hundred others to hear a pro-life message aimed at equipping church leaders to think strategically about abortion.

Four of us showed up.

Undeterred by the dismal attendance, Gregg, with his background in law and politics (he served two terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he wrote the bill ending tax-financed abortions in that state), launched into the most articulate case for the lives of the unborn Id ever heard. That was impressive enough.

But then he showed the pictures. Horrible pictures that made you cry.

In the course of one seven-minute video depicting abortion, my career aspirations were forever altered, though it took me a few months to realize it. Gregg asked us to think of the two religious leaders in the Parable of the Good Samaritan who, although they most likely felt pity for the beating victim, did not act like they felt pity. Only the Good Samaritan took pity, thus proving he truly did love his neighbor.

For the next several months, I followed Gregg to many of his Southern California speaking events. I memorized huge portions of his talks and devoured his writings. Six months later I left my job as an associate pastor (with the blessing of the church) and hounded Gregg even more until he put me on staff as his understudy, a position I was privileged to hold for six years. Watching him dismantle abortion-choice arguments in front of hostile audiences, I lost my fear of opposition. Watching him sacrifice the comforts of this life so he could save unborn humans, I lost my desire for an easy job. Both losses have served me well.