So far, every state referendum proposed to either support access to abortion or restrict access went the wrong way for the pro-life community. It has happened five times since the Dobbs decision, and this November, nine more states have referendums on the issue.

In these darkest of times, we can react in three ways:

Isolate
Some have called for Christians to regroup by isolating and devoting time to study and mutual encouragement. There is nothing wrong with studying God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-16) or with encouraging each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24-25). Isolation protects us from the bad influences of the world (1 Corinthians 15:33) and gives us time to recharge (Luke 5:16).

Fight
Some argue that Christians are to engage and fight the forces of evil that would kill unborn children, destroy traditional marriage, and mightily oppose all other acts of rebellion against the God of Scripture. After all, this is how God dealt with contrary nations in the past (Deuteronomy 7:1-4; 1 Samuel 15:1-3). While no serious voices are calling for violence, there is a tremendous amount of resources going into fighting fire with fire. Mostly, we see a lot of strategizing to elect the right people and pass the right laws, thereby, essentially, using the weapons of the world to defend and retaliate against the attacks on Biblical morality and respect for God.

Bridge
I contend that our strategy should be one of engagement and not isolation (Matthew 5:13-16), carefully displaying our spiritual distinctiveness from the evil that may surround us (John 17:14-19). We are to engage those who oppose us but not with the weapons of the world (2 Corinthians 10:4). We are to engage with sober reasoning (2 Timothy 4:5), a spirit concerned for the soul and eternity of others (1 Peter 3:15), and the realization with the willingness to suffer for doing this (Matthew 5:39-44).

This means stepping out of our comfort zones to reach those who differ. This means resisting the temptation to flaunt our correctness at the expense of our witness. Whereas in the Old Testament, the examples of fighting were to preserve a nation, the New Testament calls for our focus on proclamation and leaving vengeance and punishment to God. It is time to engage with a clear Gospel witness and transparent love for souls.