CI-128 Two Weeks Later

Churchatthegates - November 21, 2024

“…All the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so.”

C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, Chapter 10

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:3-4

On Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, Montana voters passed CI-128, amending the state constitution to permit abortions at any stage of pregnancy, for any reason, with 57.6% in favor. Our church, as you may recall, invested considerable effort in vocally opposing this amendment, urging Christians to join us in voting ‘no.'”

This outcome was, and remains, profoundly disappointing.

Montana was one of ten states that had similarly worded abortion initiatives on the ballot. Seven of the states including Montana passed their ballot measures radically increasing abortion access and eliminating almost all reasonable safeguards. Christians should be deeply concerned about the Pro-Choice Nationalism that is sweeping through our nation.

This lack of care for the most vulnerable among us, the preborn, has deep philosophical, societal, and moral implications for our state. When life isn’t valuable or worthy of protection on the basis of its size, level of dependence, level of development, or location you can be sure that the same logic will inevitably manifest in increasingly disastrous ways in society.

When I spoke on the Capitol steps in Helena, I quoted the prophet Habakkuk who pointed to a day when the knowledge of the glory of the Lord would fill the earth like the water of the sea. I told the crowd that even if we lost on election day, the verdict on abortion is already in and abortion’s days are numbered. For the Christian, this future is no moral victory. It is our great hope.

Christian hope is not mere optimism about an uncertain future. The future is not up for grabs or awaiting definition; it has already been written. The battle has been won.

Christian hope is a settled certainty—a peace rooted in God’s promises.

CI-128 passed and yet, when the Righteous Judge of the universe renders the verdict on CI-128, it will be repealed and repealed forever. Abortion is not enshrined in eternity.

When John wrote of the New Creation in Revelation that, ‘…death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away,’ these words were not a vague vision of what might be but clear promise of what will be.

In the New Creation,

Difficult pregnancies are done away with.
Ectopic pregnancies are in the past.
Premature births, miscarriages, and stillbirths—are all gone.

In the New Creation, babies are conceived in joy and birthed in peace.

In the end, by God’s power and plan,

death will be no more.
sorrow and the reasons for sorrow will be no more.
tears and the reasons for tears will be no more.
sin and brokenness will be no more.

In the end, by the grace, wisdom, and power of God, abortion will be no more.

The curse will be broken, the final battle finished, and the war won.

We need not mourn the passing of CI-128 as if our God was surprised by the outcome. We need not pretend that somehow it passed because God missed something or forgot to mobilize his people. To be clear, God hates abortion. It is an irreversible evil that when performed correctly, takes the life of an image bearer. And yet, God did not wake up late on the 5th and forget to oppose CI-128. He knew the outcome of this vote from eternity past. He has a plan to redeem this and is already working it out.

After all, what is the story of Scripture about if not how the God of the universe is moving all things to his ultimate ends: the redemption of all things through the grace of Jesus Christ, to the glory of God.

Nothing can stop our God.

What does the passing of CI-128 mean for us until then?

While we wait with a settled and certain hope in what God will bring about, we must act. There are a few things the church must do and must become if we are to have

The fight against abortion must continue. We must elect pro-life legislators. We must insist our politicians stand boldly for pro-life causes and speak out on these issues, even when inconvenient. We must not be content for our nominees or office holders to stand up for pro-life causes in private or only when caught in hot mic moments. In Montana, we must leverage whatever we can to repeal CI-128 and the Armstrong ruling. The work must continue.
The fight against abortion must continue together. We must fight together under one banner and under one larger effort. Too many strategies and too many voices splintered our efforts. Victory is unlikely without unity; divided, we will almost certainly fail.
The fight against abortion must be handed off to the next generation. We must adapt. Old strategies and tactics don’t resonate with the next generation. To endure, the pro-life movement needs the voices and leadership of Generation Z and Alpha. More critically, we need the voices, input, and leadership of the women of Generation Z and Alpha. If we want to protest outside an abortion clinic with pictures of dismembered babies and instruments of abortion and yell at women who enter, fine. We just can’t expect the pro-life movement to survive our generation. We must make it harder for the other side to caricature our efforts.
The people of God must become a people of kindness. Protesting is easy. Lawn signs are easy. Speaking at the Capitol is easy. Real kindness—making the church a refuge for abortion-minded and post-abortive women—is harder. Yet it’s essential. The Apostle Paul notes that it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. We must embody this kindness, welcoming the hurting with love. Guilt and shame are powerful motivators but they never produce good fruit. One recent study showed that post-abortive women overwhelmingly would not seek help from a church or a pastor to find consolation for their grief. We cannot be content with being prophets to culture only, we must find a way to be God’s kindness to the hurting as well. Churches could consider exploring the following resources: Embrace Grace, Support After Abortion
The church must prepare to receive and help traumatized women. With more women having ‘self-managed’ abortions, isolation and trauma increase. Pro-Choice Nationalism lies to women, downplaying the impact: ‘It’s just cells,’ or ‘It’s just like having your period’ they’re told. But trauma lingers. Our churches must be ready to support a generation of women who suffer the effects of a trauma they’ve been gaslit into believing wasn’t trauma. Churches and individuals can equip themselves with information and training by partnering with local pregnancy resource centers (ie. CareNet, Options Clinics). Reach out, get trained, and help the hurting.
Christians must oppose abortion. In Missoula County, some 53,000 people voted yes on CI-128. In some ways it’s not so surprising given Missoula’s progressive leanings. On the other hand, as a pastor, I recognize that within that 53,000 are multiple thousands of people who attend church somewhere, identify as Christians, and who voted “yes” on CI-128. Let’s be clear here: a “yes” vote on CI-128 by a Christian for any reason was a vote to expand the taking of innocent preborn lives. While a Christian can vote “yes” on CI-128 and still be a Christian, support for abortion is always sin. The vision for the Church is to be the city on a hill, a beacon that cannot be hidden—but we dim that light if we don’t stand boldly on the clearest moral truths. Consider watching these videos: What about abortions in the case of rape or incest? Video 1 Video 2. What about abortions the case of the life of the mother? Video

In the end, our fight, efforts, prayers, and votes were not wasted because we did not get the outcome we desired. Christian living isn’t about controlling outcomes, that’s God’s department. Our job is obedience. God handles outcomes.

And so, our response, then, is not defeat but resolve—a resolve grounded in the hope that God has already won, and in our commitment to walk in boldness and minister in compassion alongside those who bear this hurt.

A Few Thank You’s

The Wildmon Family at American Family Radio who willingly and eagerly supported our cause even though they don’t live in Montana.
My dad and mom, Ray and Marlene Pritchard who helped use their ministry platform, Keep Believing Ministries, to get the word out.
Derek Oestreicher and Patrick Webb at the Montana Family Foundation for their tireless efforts in this fight
Mara Silvers at the Montana Free Press for being curious enough to interview and try and represent the other side of the fight.
Barrett Duke and the Montana Southern Baptist Convention for their vocal support of what we’re doing but also the many other MTSBC churches who took public stands against CI-128.
Danny Kugelberg for shooting and producing video after video after video with speed, clarity, and quality.
Luke Overland for his tremendous wondering and writing efforts which made our videos and written content so much more powerful.
Katie Daggett and Andrea Daggett for their insight and input on the videos, scripts, etc.
Cam Drapes and Mark Resch for picking up slack on staff while offering valuable insight and encouragement.
The Elders of Church at the Gates who saw this fight as one worth lending our platform to.
The people of Church at the Gates who saw this fight as one worth supporting. It’s not easy to be “that” church that speaks out on “political” issues. I love that our church sees this issue as biblical first and therefore part of our public witness.
The people from other states (CA, CO, KS) who helped fund our ad campaign. This truly wasn’t their fight but they fought with us.
Most importantly to me, my wife Vanessa, who was the spark that lit my fuse on this amendment. Her kind, gracious, and truthful conversations with so many signature collectors showed me what the Church could be—a bold proclaimer of truth and a compassionate refuge for the hurting. Her vision for the people of God is exactly what our movement needs.