Beliefs
Matter
By Jeff Keaton
M
ILLIONS OF AMERICANS watched in horror as
legislators from the state of New York passed a law
allowing full-term babies to be killed through the proce-
dure of abortion. New York is on the wrong side of history,
but even more than that, they’re on the wrong side of truth
and reality. Only a skewed sense of reality could make men
and women, especially mothers, celebrate this gruesome
new law. I have seen more outrage from people in response
to this new law than almost any other abortion story. Many
are asking, “How can people believe this is a good thing?”
The law is based on their secular worldview. Let me list a
few of the beliefs they hold dear that have produced this
insane new law.
• There is no God who created us; therefore, there is no
absolute standard of right and wrong. Humans make
their own rules.
• The Bible is irrelevant.
• Humans are highly evolved animals. They were not
created in the image of God and do not hold a unique
place in the world. We have the right to take the life of a
human being just like we might put a dog or cat to sleep.
• The supreme purpose of humans is to do what makes
them happy, be themselves, and throw off the restraints
that would hold them back from personal autonomy.
To tell a woman she should deliver her child and take
responsibility for it is wrong and encroaches upon her
personal desire to live a self-focused life.
• Sexual pleasure is a human right, and nothing should
get in its way, even children.
• Since material things are all that exist, our greatest
obligation is to protect Mother Earth, and to do that,
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we need fewer humans on the planet. Abortion reduces
the carbon footprint.
These are just a few of the underlying beliefs that have
led us to the place where people are celebrating the death of
fully developed, beautiful babies.
When we break God’s law and violate His design in any
area of life, it eventually ends up destroying people and our
world. The consequences are not always as gruesome as tear-
ing a child limb from limb, but they are always devastating.
At Renewanation, we are heaven-bent on teaching chil-
dren a biblical worldview because if they develop a non-
biblical worldview, their lives and our world will continue
to experience the intense brokenness we see all around us
today. Occasionally, someone will look at me with glazed-
over eyes and ask, “Why are you so passionate about this
mission to give children a biblical worldview?” I’m passion-
ate about this mission because all other worldviews lead
people away from reality. Only the Christian worldview
makes sense of the entire world and leads to peace, produc-
tivity, and true happiness.
If you’ve been on the sidelines of this great worldview
battle that is raging around us, I invite you to join us today.
We have enough Christians cursing the darkness. It’s time to
joyfully reintroduce our post-Christian culture to the beau-
ty of a biblical worldview. ■
Jeff Keaton has been a successful pastor, church and school planter, and ministry entrepre-
neur. As the founder and CEO of Renewanation, Jeff now works across the United States
and Canada to help awaken the church to the great need to give every child a biblical
worldview. Jeff is married to his high school sweetheart, Michele, and they have two
daughters, two sons-in-law, and a grandson. He is the author of The Life of Radical Faith.