'Graced response' and pro-vita faith

I've used the term pro-vita for the past few years to describe the view of many Christians I encounter - particularly Gen X'ers, but others as well - who are dissatisfied with the conventional liberal and conservative positions on "life issues," such as abortion and capital punishment.

Those positions tend to be insufficiently theological in their expression, and hence, insufficiently consistent.

More and more, Christians want consistency on how we view God's desire for the life of all his creation. I've written about how this affects my own positions on abortion and the death penalty a couple of times before (see posts here and here). I am "pro-life" in both cases, meaning that I am both anti-capital punishment and anti-abortion.

There are some elements of the pro-vita position I have wanted to develop but just haven't had the time to do. For instance, I understand creation care - the theological approach to our stewardship of the earth - as a pro-vita position (see this post, for instance). And without a doubt, our outreach and ministry with the poor is a core commitment of a pro-vita faith.

None of these positions are duties, undertaken out of a sense of bare obligation. They are, instead, the graced response of Christian men and women who have seen their own lives redeemed by Jesus Christ and thereby understand God's desire for the flourishing of all life on this good earth.

To that end, I want to share some online interviews and articles by Prof. Amy Laura Hall, who teaches theological ethics at Duke, that I think speak profoundly to the pro-vita understanding of our moral lives. Dr. Hall, an elder in the Southwest Texas Annual Conference, often takes the time to write "for the church," meaning that she takes the fruits of her research and theological reflection and presents them in a way that those outside the academy can really engage them.

Check out these links, and note how Dr. Hall is writing to that part of the pro-vita ethic that seeks to embrace vulnerable women and children into the body of Christ:

Articles by Dr. Hall:
"For Shame? Why Christians should welcome, rather than stigmatize, unwed mothers and their children," Christianity Today (September 2006)

"'Designer baby' option raises ethical concerns," UM Reporter (April 15, 2009)

A 2004 interview in CT:
"Unwanted Interruptions: Why is our culture so hostile to children inside and outside the womb?" Christianity Today (July 2004)

A 2008 review in CT of Dr. Hall's newest book, Conceiving Parenthood:
"Unplanned Parenthood," Christianity Today (July 2008)

A part of my own sense of calling is to do what Dr. Hall is doing in these links - that is, speak to both academy and church about important matters of our faith. That means I'm particularly interested in pastor-scholars who seek to do the same. In my mind, her approach is exactly what both academy and church need.