There was a time in my life when I thought I was unforgivable. I recall the exact moment when I realized that my entire perspective had been shaped by my belief that I was beyond God’s love and mercy. Part of the issue was that my theology was deeply flawed, but I had also made so, so many horrible mistakes and hurt so many people that I thought I was irredeemable.
While my mistakes did not include abortion, many women sitting in our churches on Sunday may feel similarly because they have an abortion in their past. It is estimated that as many as one in four women have had an abortion or are expected to within their lifetime. And the women in our pews are not immune.
One study found that seven in 10 women who have had an abortion identified themselves as Christian, with more than four in 10 attending church at the time of their abortion. This means there are women in our churches who have had an abortion and who may increasingly feel as if the message of forgiveness they hear every Sunday does not apply to them.
When women hear messaging on God’s forgiveness of sin but never hear that abortion falls within those bounds of forgiveness, many begin to believe that their pastor’s silence is actually condemnation. Instead of mercy and grace, they perceive judgment. An extensive study on abortion in the Church found that 49% of women who had an abortion believed that their pastors’ teachings on forgiveness don’t seem to apply to abortion decisions.
From the outside, this may seem like an obvious theological error. But women who are consumed by shame and guilt may not be able to forgive themselves and then project that notion onto God. Intense emotional pain can