Embryonic, fetal, and female human persons form a sacred matrix of life, the first cosmos and environment of human flourishing.
Even before the earth, for humans our first and most vital environment is womankind.
Our collective society, in all of its political fracturing, fails to reverence this complex reality of child and mother in our philosophy, our budgets, our ethics, our hearts.
I am not ignorant of “pro-life” persons who seem unconcerned—even contemptuous towards—the economic, social, educational, and professional advancement of women. This is as much about structures as it is about attitudes and inactions.
Our society makes it seem impossible to protect and serve every human person. It’s a failure of imagination, compassion, courage, focus, and generosity.
We seem to assume that we cannot serve everyone—women and the unborn—and we can. We absolutely have the ways and means if not the will and heart.
I am as concerned about this latest wave of “pro-life” laws as I am with the abortion industry. Our culture is a hot mess.
The tragic situations endured by many women deserve our complete empathy, if we want to be serious Christ-followers, those who follow the One who enters into the painful realities of every human person.
If we seek to love we will seek to guard and nurture the life of *every* human person. We will not seek to harm or kill.
Insidious patriarchy plays a negative role here, too, its bad motivations and ends destroy the lives of women, taint the good cause of the unborn, and injure the reputation of the church.
I find this very interesting, but must admit to ignorance of the hermeneutic in use here. When Tanner says “before the earth” does this mean before in importance or before in chronology? I’m open to either but need more information on the second take! Feedback would be greatly appreciated as this is highly topical right now as you are aware.
Dr. Mitchell:
My first meaning is simply that the womb is the first environment of every human before we are born into the world and breath its air. We could as Christians go on to say that if Jesus Christ is the prototypical human, his first environment was likewise the womb of the Virgin. One could then argue for the importance or priority of the female over against terra firma to human flourishing on the basis of the incarnation of God in human flesh but the only thing in my mind when I wrote this was the womb as every human’s first cosmos. By the way, I first heard this notion from Brad in a private group text message exchange and then ran with it. 😃
Kenneth+