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Immediatism vs Incrementalism: Which Strategy Should Christians Support to Abolish Abortion?

May 3rd

2:00 p.m.

RSVP here!

College-aged Christians are invited to this in-house debate between Jack Shields and Russell Hunter on how Christians should address abortion! RSVP now to learn what God’s Word says about one of the most important moral issues of our lifetime. The debate will be followed by a Q&A period where you can get your pressing questions answered.

Disclaimer: The views and stances provided here are intended solely for promotional and informative purposes. The Moody Church does not endorse or oppose the views of either speaker. For the Moody Church’s stance on abortion, please read Article 2, Section C(4) of our church constitution, which can be found here.

The Speakers

Jack Shields – Incrementalism/Pro-life

Jack Shields is a Juris Doctor candidate at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and a graduate of Texas A&M University where he studied history and philosophy. He is not yet a lawyer, so nothing he says is legitimate legal advice, nor is it intended to be. He is a commissioned fellow in the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, the Alliance Defending Freedom’s fellowship for Christian law students and lawyers. In his first summer of law school, he was a legal intern for the Alliance Defending Freedom where he contributed to Supreme Court cases attempting to restrict mifepristone, also known as the abortion pill. He is presently an intern for Spero Law, where he contributes to a variety of court cases litigating on pro-life issues.

During both undergrad and law school, he was a journalist at The College Fix and an editor and columnist at Lone Conservative, where he has published over 50 articles on a variety of subjects including abortion, natural law, and the need for Christians to conduct themselves in a biblical and Christ-like fashion in the cultural and political spheres. He is also a member of the Moody Church where he is on the College Leadership Team and he is a volunteer in the Kindergarten ministry.

Russell Hunter – Immediatism/Abolition

T. Russell Hunter reignited the Abolitionist Movement in America to abolish abortion in 2010 and has been working tirelessly for the cause ever since. In 2018 he ran communications for abolitionist candidate for Governor Dan Fisher, which led to his founding of Free the States, an abolitionist lobbying and educational organization. In 2023 he shifted to founding and directing Abolitionists Rising, working with a national focus in the cultural and political sphere to further the Abolitionist Movement. Russell and his wife Katherine have been married since 2005 and have four children here on earth – Melian, Ransom, Eliza, and Cordelia, – with two more in Heaven. Russell has a master’s degree in History of Science from the University of Oklahoma, is an accomplished artist, and his vast knowledge and skill is used around the world for furthering and promoting the biblical ideology of abolitionism.

What are Immediatism and Incrementalism?

All Christians should agree that abortion is the murder of an unborn child, and that Christians should strive to protect the unborn and abolish abortion (Exodus 20:13; Exodus 21:22-25; Psalm 82:3-4; Romans 13:1-7). But Christians disagree about the strategy that should be used to ban abortion. Some Christians believe that the Bible requires a strategy called immediatism, while other Christians believe that the Bible endorses a strategy called incrementalism.

Immediatism/Abolition

Immediatism is also often called abolitionism. Russell Hunter and his organization, Abolitionists Rising, along with other abolitionist leaders have produced the Norman Statement, which explains the meaning and theology of immediatism/abolitionism, and can be found here.

Incrementalism/Pro-Life

Incrementalism takes a different approach. It is the strategy used by those who consider themselves pro-life. Incrementalists believe that Scripture endorses a strategy where Christians can and should respond to the hardness of the people’s hearts, and protect the unborn to the greatest extent possible given that sinfulness. Each restriction serves as an increment which will one day lead to more restrictions, until one day the unborn are completely protected and abortion is abolished. So in a state like Texas, where there is support to ban abortion at conception, incrementalists will gladly do so. But in a state like Illinois, where the people’s hearts are hardened, incrementalists are willing to compromise and support whatever restrictions that the people are willing to support. Incrementalists believe that they have biblical support for this strategy in passages like Matthew 19:4-9, where Jesus tells the Pharisees that God’s commands about divorce were a compromise with the hardness of the people’s heart. So incrementalists will follow that example in the laws of United States, advancing the cause of life, until at last the unborn are protected in every state at every stage of pregnancy.

Who can attend?

This is a Moody Church College Ministry event. We therefore ask that all live audience members be eligible for the college ministry. This extends to college students, graduate students, early career, and those who are not in college but are of typical college age. We very much wish to focus on the questions and concerns college-aged Christians have on this issue.

For Christians who are not in this group but want to learn more about what the Bible says on abortion, fear not! The debate will be recorded and posted at a later date!

The Moderators

Eric Targe, M.Div., serves as the Teaching Pastor at Park Community Church in Chicago. In this role, he focuses on preaching, teaching, and equipping the congregation to live out the gospel in their daily lives.

In addition to his pastoral duties, Targe is an adjunct professor at Moody Bible Institute, teaching courses in disability studies. He is passionate about equipping the next generation of Christian leaders and fostering a deeper understanding of theology, ethics, and ministry. Targe is also a contributing partner to the YouVersion Bible App.

He and his wife, Rebecca, a registered nurse, are committed to serving Christ through loving their kids, hospitality, discipleship, and a deep love for the local church. Originally from New York, Targe moved to Chicago in 2009 to pursue theological education. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Moody Bible Institute (2013) and a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2016).

Paige Comstock Cunningham, Ph.D., J.D., was Interim President of Taylor University (2019-2021). Cunningham also served for 19 years as a member of Taylor’s Board of Trustees and was Board Chair (2017-2019).

She is also Executive Director Emeritus of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity at Trinity International University, where she served for ten years. Cunningham has extensive academic scholarship and professional experience, with an emphasis in bioethics, public policy, and pro-life issues. She was an adjunct instructor at Wheaton College for eight years and served on the Advisory Board of the Wheaton College Center for Faith, Politics and Economics. Earlier in her career, Cunningham was Executive Director/General Counsel, and later President of Americans United for Life, a national pro-life advocacy organization located in Washington, D.C.

In 2020, Cunningham chaired the NIH Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board, by appointment of then-Secretary of HHS Alex Azar. She graduated in 1977 from Taylor University (summa cum laude) and earned her J.D. from Northwestern University Law School, Master of Bioethics (summa cum laude) from Trinity
International University and Ph.D. (Educational Studies) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Cunningham and her husband Jay have three married children and eight grandchildren.

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