Advice in Christ

This blog was created to inspire a stronger faith in God and help struggling people with His word. We are open to any questions you may have and are willing to offer advice as much as possible. Don't be afraid to message us! icon credit sidebar credit

[newromanticsvibes]

#SheReadsTruth #SRTEphesians

If you look close, you’ll notice that while I’m doing the Ephesians study at present, the verse in this image comes from Romans. This is one of the things I love most about She Reads Truth - they have a way of bolstering passages with other scripture to get at the big story God has designed through it all.

What are you reading this lovely Saturday?

[newromanticsvibes]

#SheReadsTruth #SRTEphesians

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He may show the comparable riches of His grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6-7

[feministsagainstviolence]

Pro-life Master Post

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of repeating myself when it comes to debates about abortion. I’ve created this master post to provide links that refute the most common pro-choice arguments.

But the fetus isn’t even a life. It’s a clump of cells. It doesn’t matter.

3 reasons why a fetus is a human being

Straight from the embryology textbook:

A zygote [fertilized egg] is the beginning of a new human being. Human development begins at fertilization, the process during which a male gamete … unites with a female gamete or oocyte … to form a single cell called a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marks the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.

Even more proof that life begins at fertilization

What is the unborn?

Okay, it’s a human, but it’s not a person.

The shockingly bloody history of legal personhood

From Personhood:

A criterion for personhood that depends on certain functions of human activity implies that individuals who perform the chosen function more excellently should have higher human value. Individuals suffering from severe Alzheimer’s disease or under general anesthesia, who may not be self-aware or able to create future expectations, could no longer be considered persons. We know, however, that the human under general anesthesia retains his personal identity despite his temporary lack of self-awareness, so his personhood must cohere in his underlying nature. Legally speaking, “persons” are guaranteed the fundamental rights of individuals, including the right to life. Historically, abuses of personhood have led to the genocide of groups deemed “non-persons” by more powerful political or social groups. For example, up until the 14th Amendment, African-American slaves were legally considered three-fifths of a person. Native Americans were exploited because they were treated as less than full persons. The racial distinctions used to label these groups as “non-persons” were conveniently invented to justify the violation of human rights.

Justifications for abortion are inherently ableist

What makes human valuable?

But it’s basically just a parasite!

Why the embryo or fetus is not a parasite

You’re just against it because you’re (religious, Republican, conservative, etc.), but I’m not (religious, Republican, conservative, etc.).

Secular Pro-life

Life Matters Journal

Feminists for Life

Pro-life OBGYNs

Pro-life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians

Democrats for Life

Pro-life Humanists

New Wave Feminists

Pro-life Pagans

Pro-life Socialists

Why should non-Christians care about abortion?

But if you make abortion illegal, women will die! Haven’t you heard of back alley abortions?

The truth about back alley abortions

More about the coat hanger myth

Refuting the back alley myth

But what about cases of rape or incest?

Rape and incest victims reject abortion

Hard cases, exceptional choices

An honest look at the rape and incest exceptions

A pro-life answer to the rape question

Answering the rape exception

Inside the world of anti-abortion activists who were conceived in rape or incest

While on the topic, the pro-life community must rally in support of the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act

What if the woman is going to die?

Is abortion ever necessary to save the life of the mother?

What about the health of the mother?

What if the child is going to have a short life anyways?

Hard cases: Jeannie Wallace French

Hard cases: Tracy Haugen

Hard cases: Diane Simoni

Hard cases: Angelica Talavera

Abortion is needed to prevent overpopulation.

Simply stated: no. It’s not.

Women don’t regret their abortions!

Silent No More awareness campaign

Testimonies from post-abortive women

Abortion Recovery

Abortion workers regret their experience in the industry

Well, if you’re against abortion, why aren’t you against [insert other human rights injustice]?

We are against all forms of aggressive violence. That includes, but is not limited to: unjust war, abortion, euthanasia, slavery, torture, rape, embryonic stem cell research, human trafficking, abuse, sexism, racism, police brutality, suicide, etc.

Check out organizations like Life Matters Journal (read the most recent issue here!)and Consistent Life to find out more about this consistent approach to human rights issues.

That being said, not every pro-life organization is against all of the above. Dismissing their arguments against abortion because they happen to not be against some other form of injustice is an ad hominem fallacy.

Why ad hominem fallacies derail conversations

If you’re gonna be against abortion, you better be doing [insert some charitable action].

This is similar to the previous argument. Dismissing someone’s argument because you feel that they aren’t “doing enough” is another ad hominem fallacy. 

That being said, pro-life organizations do a whole lot to support those in need:

Catholic Charities USA (which is obviously against abortion) is #13 on the Forbes list of the 50 largest US charities.

Pregnant on Campus supports pregnant or parenting students and provides them with resources.

Abortion Recovery helps men and women who have been affected by abortion.

Project Rachel also helps post-abortive women.

Option Line provides free counseling for pregnant women.

Pregnancy resource centers provide free ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, STI screening, parenting classes, and material assistance.

Pro-life organizations also assist in the adoption process.

You can’t be a feminist if you’re pro-life! Being pro-life is anti-woman.

That’s a straw man argument. Straw men make for poor arguments.

Besides, try to tell that to our feminist foremothers who were anti-abortion.

And finally, the most popular pro-choice argument:

My body, my choice!

Why “It’s my body, I can do what I want!” won’t do

De Facto Guardian and Abortion

Why pregnancy is not comparable to forced organ donation

Again, you can’t compare pregnancy and forced organ donation

Dismantling the “bodily rights” argument without using the responsibility argument

From secularprolifeprofamily:

When you realize why the political pro-life/pro-choice divide truly exists, the whole “bodily autonomy” argument falls apart.At its core, it’s not merely about protecting fetuses or not. It’s about whether abortion should be a legally sanctioned medical procedure.And the right to bodily autonomy doesn’t guarantee any sort of medical procedure no matter what.In most jurisdictions, no practitioner will legally give breast implants to an underage girl. Surgeons refuse to amputate the limbs of BIID sufferers. Are those infringements upon bodily autonomy? Of course not. Nobody is fundamentally entitled to procedures that may be irresponsible or unethical.

The False Strength of the ‘Bodily Autonomy’ Argument for Abortion

[thedoctorgoinghome-blog]

I think that right now is probably a good time to bring this back…

[newromanticsvibes]

#SheReadsTruth #SRTEphesians

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” - Ephesians 1:17

“The power of Jesus changes our lives, but it changes our minds, too.” - Annie Downs

Paul prayed this over the Ephesians, so I prayed it over all the names that came to mind this morning. The SRT devo portion talked mostly about God’s capacity to change our minds to be more like Christ’s - and to be stronger and sharper in general, for our good and his glory. Isn’t that wild? We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Because then when we connect that to this verse from Ephesians - our mind of Christ answers that prayer, giving us the Spirit of wisdom & revelation, & draws us nearer to knowing Him. Praise God for that! What are you reading this morning?

[newromanticsvibes]

#SheReadsTruth #SRTEphesians

Hi friends! I’m getting back in the groove of being in the Word consistently and as much as possible by throwing it back to the She Reads Truth Ephesians plan from earlier this fall. I love Ephesians and I’m super excited to dig into it deeper. I also really want to keep pushing myself to be more transparent on social media - so I wanted to share the images from each day with y'all! If you needed a push to find your own plan/consistency/deeper study of the Word - Pray about joining me in Ephesians or check out some of the other SRT plans to see what jives with you and where you’re at! I’d love to hear about it 😊

[blakebaggott-deactivated2017041]

Embrace waiting. Wait on God. It is a form of faith and a declaration that there are things that must happen that you do not control.

Ed Gungor  (via godmoves)

[revivedco]

Preach the gospel to yourself means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your preparation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you.

Jerry Bridges 

Great quote from a great article http://www.challies.com/reading-classics-together/preach-the-gospel-to-yourself

(via faithwillstand)

[hecallsmelovely]

[god-word]

[worshipgifs]

[hecallsmelovely]

Bethel Music

[rejoicing-always-deactivated201]

Theology literally means"the study of God.“ It includes our concept of God as a result of that study (or lack thereof). So every Christian, musical or otherwise, is already a theologian. The question is, am I good theologian or a bad one?

Bob Kauflin, “Worship Matters” (via rejoicing-always)

[365christ]

Faith is Based on God’s Word // #LSLuke 19

[advice-in-christ]

I'm sorry and I'm repeatedly sorry for everything I am. I know it's wrong and I want god to love me and forgive me. I'm a 16 year old girl who's very recently lost my virginity to a 22 year old guy. Sitting in church I feel so dirty and I feel like I should not be there anymore. I also have lustful thoughts of other girls and have done sexual acts with girls before. This is embarrassing but I want to know how I can still be loved in the eyes of god! Please help me

There's really nothing you can do to get God to stop loving you--He created you in His image and continues to love you each day. I would suggest that you pray to God and ask for His forgiveness. The Bible is clear when it says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).Do not fear for others who may judge you because our Heavenly Father is the only one whose opinion really matters.

As for church, please continue going and worshiping the Lord. The guilt you feel is Satan's way of trying to get you to turn away from God. Do not allow him to do this, and in fact find a way to turn this guilt into something positive. Seek out someone in the church who you feel comfortable talking with, and work out a way to channel your sexual feelings. 

We love you and so does God. Please reach out if you need more help! xo

[advice-in-christ]

Is this blog still active? I need advice.

For sure! What's up?

[newromanticsvibes]

We Are New Romantics

Let me tell you …

Hi friends!  I’ve taken up writing with a stronger purpose over here. It’s also named after a Taylor Swift song … so if your interest is piqued, please check me out!

[sonofhisloveee-deactivated20150]

How can people see Jesus in you if you don’t see Him in yourself first? How can you love people in Christ if you don’t love yourself first in Him? Our eye needs to change, otherwise our lives won’t change.