The blessing of an undefiled conscience (1. Cor 4:4)

For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. (1.Cor 4:4)

What a blessing it is to be able to say “I don’t know of anything against myself”. It is a statement of complete rest. It is from this firm standing point that Paul can say, like he does in the previous verse, “You can think what you want about me, I don’t even care about my own opinion”. If you are able to make this statement, there are only two possible explanations. You’ve either deceived yourself to a point where your conscience is completely dead, or you’ve been cleansed by the blood of Christ.

Paul is not making this claim from a pharisaic standpoint, as one who has redefined and twisted the law to fit with his lifestyle. Nor did he make it from a standpoint of sinless perfection. This is the same man, after all, who claimed the title of chief of sinners.

So what is Paul saying here? The same thing as every Christian should be able to say. I don’t know of any past sin that I haven’t brought before Christ and been granted forgiveness for. And I don’t know of any present sin that I am not battling to the full extent of my capabilities. My soul is resting before God. I’m not hiding anything from him, and there’s no area of my life that I’m trying to keep him out of. Yes, I am a wretch, but all my faults are in God’s hands.

Everything you need to know about unicorns

If you've ever been subject to the popular atheist canard of unicorns in the Bible, you'll find this video very informative.

I don't care what you think about this blog post (1.Cor 4:3)

But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. (1.Cor 4:3)

What people think...
At first glance it seems almost arrogant of Paul to make a statement like this. In essence what he says is “I don’t care what you think of my service to God”. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for Paul to welcome the accountability of his brethren?

There is a time for accountability, but accountability before men is subordinate to accountability to God. And when you obey God, you will inevitably have men taking on the role of God and examining your work, not by God’s standard, but by their own.

I’m sure you’re able to see the difference if you put it in a workplace context. When my boss sits me down in his office for my annual employee evaluation, then he does it as one who has authority over me. And whenever he walks into my office with some job for me I’ll do it, no questions asked.

Now every once in a while one of my colleagues may have an opinion of the quality of my work, or they will tell me I should be doing something else than what I’m doing. Some times that is helpful, but only insofar as their input is consistent with what my boss has told me to do. If the cleaning lady comes to my office and tells me she has a burden for cleaner bathroom mirrors, and that I should look into that, I’ll feel free to ignore her. Because I know that’s not my job, and if I used my work time to do other things than what my boss hired me to do he would be displeased.

It is not arrogant for Paul to say it’s a small thing to be examined or judged by his fellow servants. He’s not employed by them, and he’s not about to act like he is.

What you yourself think...
Not only does Paul put little emphasis on other’s opinion of him, but he doesn’t even care what he thinks himself. Some times we may not see the benefit or wisdom in what God has us doing. We’re in a season where we do not see any increase. Does that mean we’re not doing what we should?

Maybe, but not necessarily. Paul had an undefiled conscience before God, and that allowed him the luxury of saying “I don’t care how my work looks to you, in fact I don’t even care how it looks to me, because I know I’ve done what I was told to do by God.”

A steward must be faithful (1.Cor 4:1-2)

Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. (1.Cor 4:1-2)

In Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable of a man who went away on a journey, and entrusted a sum of money to each of his servants:

For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. (Mat 25:14-18)

It is with such a slave Paul compares himself. He has been entrusted by his master with something that is not his  own. Not money, but something far more valuable. He has been entrusted with the mysteries of God. The saving message of the Gospel, that the prophets before him, and even the holy angles had longed to look into. His mandate was to go out and create increase by preaching it. And he did so knowing that just as the master in Jesus’ parable, his master would return and there would be a settling of the accounts. “it is required of stewards that one must be found trustworthy”.

Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.' But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 25:19-30)

A steward must be found trustworthy, Paul said. What God has entrusted you with is a serious matter. It is your responsibility to steward it in a way that will bring increase. Digging it down is considered treachery.

This being said, do not fall into the trap of comparing your investments and increase with others. The one entrusted with five talents made five more, the one with two talents made two, and they were both considered faithful. Furthermore there are different ways to steward the talents God has given. Even putting it in the bank for interest would have been acceptable.

So you want to be careful of having too much of an opinion of the investment plan of your fellow servant. God is his master, not you. And his calling might be very different from yours. Also be careful of letting others impose their stewardship on you, so you don’t have to make the same sad confession as the bride of king Solomon:

They made me caretaker of the vineyards, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard. (Song 1:6)

A lazy foot may have a strong God-given burden that the body needs to walk, but in stead of doing his job he tries to get the arm to do it for him. When you have a burden for something it usually means it’s your job to do it. Not your job to get someone else to do it.

Blondes with wings

As a kid I used to have a picture hanging over my bed, of an angel protecting some children who were walking over a rather unsafe-looking bridge. It might actually have been this very picture:

How do I know it was an angel, you ask? Well it was a blonde woman with wings. That's how you tell. Kind of like Jesus is a long haired white man with a beard, a halo and a lamb hanging around his neck. (Don't tell the PETA, they get uptight about stuff like that)

Most of us are so influenced by silly pictures like this that we wouldn't recognize an angel if they saw one. Here's some facts on angels from the Bible:

• They are always described as men. Never women. (f.ex. Luk 24:4)
• Never ever is an angel described as having wings (Other celestial beings, such as cherubims however do have wings) (f.ex. Gen 3:24)
• They look so similar to humans that they aren't even recognized as angels at first.
• Angel means messenger. Their role is to bring messages to mankind (Gen 19:1, Num 22:35), and perform God's work (Acts 5:17-20) often including killing people. That's right. We often see God sending angels to kill people (2.Sam 24:15-17, 2.King 19:35, Acts 12:23). Bet you've never seen that cross-stitched on anyones wall.

Yeah, so I'm sorry for completely ruining your childhood illusions of winged blondes hovering over little children (although Mat 18:10 does lend some credibility to the idea of guardian angels). Let me finish with this cartoon I made ages ago, pondering what would happen if mice had similar ideas.

Wife FAQ

This one goes out to all of my married brothers. It's a FAQ that you can print out and hang on your fridge for your wife. Just wait till you see the smile on her face the next time she wants to ask you a question, but realizes she can save time by referring to the FAQ. You can thank me later.

Q: What are you thinking about?
A: Nothing.

Q: Should we stop and ask someone?
A: No.

Q: Are you OK?
A: Yes, I'm feeling wonderful. Thank you for asking.

Q: What do you want to do tonight?
A: I don't know. What do you want to do?

Q: Does this make me look fat?
A: No.

Q: Do you think this will be enough food?
A: Yes.

Q: Do these shoes match my shirt?
A: I have no clue. Ask someone who owns more than one pair of shoes.

Feel free to share any that I've left out in the comment section.

The very first Expositor's Bible screenshot

It's been so long since I started this project that I'm starting to feel the need to prove that I'm actually doing something productive. So I submit to you the very first screenshot of the Expositor's Bible

There is a lot that still remains to do at this point, but I am aiming toward a closed beta test some time this summer. My wife and I are expecting a baby in the end of July, and I want to have something up and running before then.

Reverse thinking

I came across this video, and it was simply so brilliant that I had to share it.

Awkward Angels

Don't you just hate it when you're sitting there minding your own business, reading your Bible, and everything is making sense. And then, just out of the blue, an angel comes and messes you up?

Hasn't happened to you you say? Allow me to refresh your memory. You remember when Peter was miraculously delivered from prison, and knocked at the door of Mary, the mother of John, where the disciples were gathered for prayer? What was their reaction when Rhoda, the servant girl came and said thew one they were praying for were outside at the door? "It is his Angel", they insisted. (Acts 12:15) It's his his what? It could be just the neighborhood I live in, but I never have people's angels knocking at my door in the middle of the night. It seems a little strange, doesn't it, that  this should be the first explanation they could think of?

Or How about the much discussed passage in 1. Cor 11, where Paul instructs the women to wear a head covering? I think both sides of the head covering debate are, if nothing else, united in their common bewilderedness as to the reason Paul states for this practice: "Because of the angels"

Maybe it will all make a little more sense if we learn what "aggelos", the Greek word for angel means. Let me just first make the disclaimer that I have no formal education in the Greek language, and that this should not substitute your doctor's advice, and so on and so forth. I just looked stuff up with e-Sword, like any regular bonehead can do.

That being said, aggelos means messenger. That's why you often see it modified with "of the Lord" or "from Heaven" in the Bible, making it clear that this particular messenger was a supernatural being sent from God. Other times the very same word, aggelos, is used for a human messenger. It was used for John the Baptist ("Behold, I send my messenger [aggelos] before your face, who will prepare your way before you", Mat 11:10). It was used for the messengers that Jesus sent before him to a Samaritan village ("And he sent messengers [aggelos] ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. ", Luk 9:52). Even Joshua and Caleb were angels ("And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers [aggelos] and sent them out by another way?", Jas 2:25).

So I submit the following for your consideration: What about translating aggelos with messenger in those challenging Bible verses I mentioned? Does it not fit a lot better? Could the disciples have thought that Rhoda had misunderstood and that the man knocking at the door must be a messenger Peter had sent? Could Paul's instruction to the Corinthian church have been to act appropriately for the sake of the messengers he had sent with the letter? Or could it be about the message they were sending to the culture around them when the rumor of their feminist revolt were carried on the wings of gossips to the rest of the city?

I'm not about to start a new religion over this, but take it into consideration as you go about studying your Bible. Maybe a piece or two will fall into place.

The one you're fighting belongs to Christ (1.Cor 3:21-23)

So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God. (1.Cor 3:21-23)

We've established that the bride of Christ is provided for. There’s no need that compels you to fend for yourself against your fellow servants. You, the church, belongs to Christ. You are his bride, and all that is His is yours.

What’s more, consider who you’re fighting against. They are your fellow servants, and the bride of Christ. Now if I were to come home from work and find someone attacking my wife, what do you think would happen? I would fight until death if I had to (and considering my physique that is not an unlikely outcome). What do you think will happen if Jesus finds you attacking your fellow servants when he returns? His most priced possession, paid for in his blood. Actually the Bible tells us.

But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 24:48-51)

Do not let him return to find you beating your fellow servants over nothing.

When kings act like beggars (1.Cor 3:21-23)

So then let no one boast in men For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God. (1.Cor 3:21-23)

At the core of the conflicts and divisions in Corinth, was their possessiveness of preachers. Paul is my preacher one would say. Another would claim Apollos. Another Cephas. It is in our nature to fend for our possessions. We don't want anyone messing with our stuff. That worked when you weren’t part of God’s church, but now it doesn’t anymore. Because now, everything is ours.

What would you say to a king if you found him in a dirty back alley fighting with someone over a half-eaten sandwich from a trash can? You’d say “Come to your senses! You own everything. Why do you fight over nothing?” That is in essence what Paul is saying to the Corinthians.

Why would you fight over Apollos, or Paul, when every preacher of righteousness who ever lived belongs to you? Including the one you’re fighting against!

The entire world world, though it is in the grip of the Devil, belongs to you. Your aim is to recue it, and not destroy it. Because if you do, you destroy what is yours.

Life and death belongs to you. It is no longer death to die. “Death where is your victory? Death where is your sting?” (1Cor 15:55). “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die” (John 11:25-26) Death has become your servant, who carries your soul into the presence of Christ?

Things present and things to come belongs to you.The riches and glories of Heaven are awaiting you. We are seated with him in heavenly places (Eph 2:6). Is not the bride of Christ provided for? So why are you fighting over crumbs?

Don't fool yourself (1.Cor 3:18-20)

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God For it is written, "He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS"; and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS." (1.Cor 3:18-20)

The difference between the wise men and the fools of the world is this: The fool is deceived by others. The wise man deceives himself. And neither of them is really any better off than the other. The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God, and so it is that the worldly wise and the fool stands before God, they both stand there as fools. Either self-made or deceived by others.

Let no man deceive himself. Worldly wisdom is useless to God, with the exception of one use described in this passage. He will use it against you. He catches the wise in their own craftiness.

Don't mess with God's temple (1.Cor 3:17)

If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. (1.Cor 3:17)

The only time in the Bible that we see Jesus truly angry, is when he came into the temple and saw it filled with moneychangers and animals. That is what provoked Jesus to a point where he turned over their tables, made himself a whip, and drove them out. And the disciples, after they had witnessed the incident, remembered the words from Psalm 69:9, “zeal for your house has consumed me”. You don’t want to mess with God’s house. He is consumed with zeal for it.

Jesus loves his church. He loves it so much that he’s going to marry it. If we as Christians are to love what God loves, and hate what God hates, we need to love the Church and hate those who seek to destroy it. And we must never under any circumstances allow ourselves to become one of them.

No solo Christianity (1.Cor 3:16)

For the last few months I've been doing a regular exposition of 1. Corinthians on this blog. To adapt it a little more to the blog format, I've decided to cut each study up into little snack-size portions, which are easier to read and digest.

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1.Cor 3:16)

Remembering the context of our last study, we are still talking about the building that’s being built, that Paul and Apollos are laborers on together. This building, the church, is a temple for God. It is His Dwelling place. His physical presence on earth.

That means that we’ll have a hard time getting away from the fact that the church is important? You can not do just as well without it? Christianity is not just a thing between yourself and God? Not by any means. Yes, his Holy Spirit dwells in the individual Christian. In Chapter 6, your body is called a temple of the Holy Spirit.

But while the Holy Spirit dwells in the individual Christian as well, He dwells more fully in the Church. Actually that is one of the main points of chapter 12 when we get that far. Each Christian get their spiritual gifts, for the edification of the Church. When the church comes together, the gifts are set into effect, and God takes his seat in the temple.

The 5 worst arguments for Christianity ever!

It is not difficult at all to defend the Christian faith. There are plenty of good arguments. Then again there are some that are so monumentally bad that we really need to drive a stake through them once and for all. Here's my top 5. 

5. Russian miners accidentally drilled a hole into hell and recorded the sounds of people screaming

This one is all over the internet, complete with audio and all. And it is, as you might expect, a complete hoax. Biblically Hell is still empty. Those bound there are in a holding place right now, until after judgment day.

4. Darwin recanted his theory of evolution on his deathbed

No one close to him, including his wife who was a Christian, have confirmed this story, so there's no reason to believe there's any truth to it. And even if there were, what difference would it make? It wouldn't prove evolution false any more than it would prove evolution true if he died still believing in it.

3. We lose 21 grams of mass when we die

Since Dr. Duncan MacDougall first conducted the experiment in 1907, no one else has been able to reproduce these results. Nothing about how the soul is described in the Bible would lead us to believe that it has any mass at all.

2. NASA has found the missing day of Joshua

Another myth, spread by gullible Christians. Even a basic knowledge of astronomy would be enough to know that you couldn't look at the position of celestial bodies today, and from that find out that some time before their positions were ever recorded the earth and sun stood still in relation to each other. If you don't believe me, call NASA, and ask to talk to the guy who found the missing day. It'll make their day.

1. Men have one less rib than women, which prove the account of the woman being made from a rib in Genesis

Take your significant other to the doctor's office and get X-Rays together. Then we'll talk.

Invalid argument: You're not a woman

I love how often, when people say this, they say it as if they are bringing new information to the table. As if they have discovered something that no one else is aware of. As if they have just seen through my clever disguise, and point their accusatory index finger against and say "AHA! You're not a REAL woman"

Well I have never claimed to be a woman, and I've never really felt a need to claim to be a woman, because if something is true when a woman says it, it is true when a man says it. Truth is not related to the gender of the one who speaks it.

I'll some times feel emboldened to speak on moral issues that concern women. Such as for example abortion. If abortion is wrong, it doesn't become right because I'm a man and can't become pregnant. So it seems strange to bring that up in an abortion debate. It would be similar to saying that black people are disqualified from saying slavery is wrong because they didn't qualify to own slaves.

Overcome evil with good

"Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Rom 12:19-21

I recently had the most exquisite joy of doing an unexpected favor, requiring a minor sacrifice on my part, for someone who's been falsely accusing me and talking about me behind my back. And I was amazed and delighted to see the mouth that's been bashing me shut under the power of God's goodness.

I cannot fully describe the satisfaction of it, but it far surpassed any satisfaction I could have ever derived from taking my own revenge. And the effect of all my attempts to defend myself combined was negligible in comparison to the effect of a simple act of Christian kindness.

Never take your own revenge, beloved. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Real men rescue women from fire-breathing dragons

Let's face it. Nowadays it is a rare privilege for a man to happen to be riding his stallion by a dragons nest and hear the screams of a damsel in distress. Today's knights need to use a little more creativity in finding a way to prove his manhood and stand out from the crowd as a hero, sweeping the fair maiden off her feet.

Fortunately for those who venture to try, true manhood is nearly obliterated from our culture, and rising above the crowd really doesn't take much effort at all. I recently read an article on Slate.com called Sex Is Cheap - Why young men have the upper hand in bed, even when they're failing in life. Mark Regnerus did an excellent job in analyzing the situation. Boys are not growing up to be men. Into their thirties they are still a crowd of Xbox-playing, commitment-fearing, unemployed losers who party their way through their fifth attempt at graduating from college, while still depending on mommy for their weekly allowance.

And at the same time, the girls (at least some of them) are growing up into young women with the desire to find a husband and start a family, and they face a market that is void of suitable men. Sex is cheap. The internet is offering it, TV is offering it, so the only way for the girls to get their attention is to lower the price. Which further drives the deflation of the worth of a woman. She's selling out to get some loser to commit to her, while he has no reason to, because he is already getting what he wants from her. And he knows if she takes off he can get it from someone else.

Here, my friends, is your fire breathing dragon. If it is one thing I hear consistently from godly, prudent, and attractive young women it is a cry for a real man to come along. One who will not take advantage of a market in his favor, but value her as she ought to be valued. Who will not try to push her into selling out, but who will commit to her for life and never look any other way. Will you be that knight in shining armor to a woman? Will you make the extra effort to be a real man? It's a little more work, but you would make a young woman very, very happy.

The Dark side of Discernment

I'll be the first to tell you all about the necessity of discernment. The Bible is filled with warnings against false teachers and various heresies. The church as a whole is tragically lacking in this area, and welcome everyone and everything. So maybe it seems a little counterintuitive for me to write a blog post warning against discernment.

Well I'm not warning so much about discernment really as I'm warning against using discernment as a disguise for sinful attitudes like jealousy, pride or selfish ambition.

It is frustrating for a warrior of Christ watching most of the church cuddle up to the enemy and then turning around to see the few that are left are busy firing at other Christians over some minor disagreement.

Now I'm all for firing at wolves in sheep's clothing infiltrating the church, but that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about men who have something bad to say about everyone, perhaps with the exception of themselves and one or two dead preachers. They sit in the back row of your church and take mental notes of every real or imagined flaw in the sermon, and make the most minor of disagreements into a question of heaven and hell. They tear good preachers apart over nothing, and do everything they can to tarnish the name of good ministries.

Their motives? If you can point out a flaw in someone that others esteem highly, you put yourself in a position over them. You step on them to gain recognition for yourself. It is pride in action.

For those of us who have rejected the I'm-OK-you're-OK-approach to truth, I do believe this mixture of pride, jealousy and selfish ambition is the greatest danger remaining. Brothers, we are in a spiritual war. Act like it! It is acceptable for soldiers to have disagreements between them, but don't treat your fellow soldiers as the enemy. Do not fire your gun at your friends. If you do, you'll have to answer for your treachery before God's own war tribunal.

Invalid argument: I'm older than you

So here's my problem. At 27 years old I'm still a whipper snapper, and frequently I find myself in a debate with someone older than myself. If you have ever been in that situation I'm sure you are familiar with the ultimate debate-killer: "I'm older than you, so I know better."

Well alright, if you want to play that game, then all I need to do to get the upper hand again is find someone who takes my side who is even older than you. I'll say "this guy is a fossil, and he agrees with me. Now what do you have to say?"

But that's not how truth works. If it was we should all get on the phone and ask this lady to resolve all the questions for us.

Besse Cooper, at 114 years is the oldest person alive today. So if you can get this lady on your side, you can win every debate you'll ever find yourself in.

While it's true that some wisdom comes with age, and generally older people have had more experiences to draw wisdom from, there is not an absolute link between age and being right. If two people disagree on something it is not always the oldest one that is right

So let's talk about actual arguments, and not about seniority.

Does a woman have an absolute right over her own body?

If every red lamp on the dashboard of your brain is flashing after reading that title, chances are your thinking has been wired by feminism.

We are talking about the holy cow of the abortion debate. The argument that no one dares to question. "Abortion is the the woman exercising her right over her own body". It is socially unheard of to ever ask by what authority the woman claims such a right. But today we'll do it. Today we will shoot the holy cow and have a steak dinner. So get your forks out.

It is almost universally agreed that women, as well as men, possess a certain right over their own bodies, such as the right to life, to liberty and so on. In no way am I disputing that. What I do dispute is that any individuals right to their own body, be it a woman or a man, is elevated to a point of absolute primacy.

I define this point of absolute primacy to be reached when the perceived right to ones own body has trumped every other moral or legal claim made by any other party. When you lay a claim to the right to spill the blood of others in order not to be inconvenienced yourself. This is the pinnacle of selfishness. Yet feminism has made it a virtue. This virtue is no different from the one Muammar Gaddafi is exercising on the people of Libya, or Joseph Fritzl exercised on his family.

So I'm here to make the audacious claim that no one else dares make: It is morally preposterous for a woman to claim that her right to her own body extends to ending the life of her unborn child.

There goes the bullet. If you disagree, you are welcome to take the bullet in the comment section, but I'm not holding my breath. If you need me I'll be in the kitchen warming up the frying pan.