Terri Schiavo Dies

CNN and other news outlets are reporting the death of Terri Schiavo this morning. Her parents and family are with the body and are in prayer, the report states.

Now, the question arises, "What will be the end result of this situation?" Will it just result in an increase in living wills, discussions on the talk show circuit for a couple of weeks, and a couple of relatively meaningless bills from Congress concerning the right-to-die and the right of families to have a say in the death of their loved ones? Or, will it mean more?

As I noted in an earlier post, this case has significant implications for sanctity of life issues in this country, most notably on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, but also touching on abortion and stem-cell research. The question is, "What should we, as evangelical Christians, do now?"

I think that we should keep in mind the Apostle Paul's admonitions that our struggle is not against flesh and blood and that we should not wage war as the world does. The legislation of morality will not result in the transformation of lives or culture. If you want to see proof of this, just look at the Bible and Paul's discussions in Romans on the Law. So, while we should be supportive of any legislation that does come out of this situation, we need to keep in mind the one thing that can result in lasting change -- the power of the Risen Christ!

Here's what I feel we should do to build on the momentum of this issue:

1. Pray and keep on praying. True change, whether in an individual or in a culture, can only come about through the working of the Holy Spirit. We need to pray that God uses this situation to open the minds of those involved and to help them see past the political rhetoric of both the right and the left and to the bigger sanctity of life issues involved.

2. We need to encourage and initiate dialogue with others on this issue, most notably with those of different persuasions. While we know that others won't be changed by our words alone, through our words they may be introduced to the Savior who can effect change in their lives.

3. We need to reach out to those involved in sanctity of life issues on both sides and not react in a hostile manner. My heart was broken by the news that some who purported to support Terri Schiavo had expressed an interest in having her husband killed. My heart has been broken by those who react with violence against abortion providers and with harassment of women who have abortions. Our reactions should be as Christ. We should recognize that these people were all people who Christ died for, and we should strive to reach out to them in Christ's name, loving the sinner while hating the sin and the sin nature that drove the action.

Will this case result in anything lasting? Only God knows and only time will tell. But, even though Terri has passed away, we can rejoice at the fact that she was apparently a professing Christian and is in the presence of our Lord and Savior at this time!