On the Recent Abortion Protest

In his book Onward, Russell Moore cites a fascinating university study done a decade ago that examined contributing factors to “road rage.” The researchers discovered that the usual indicators—such as gender, race, age, or class—failed to predict who might be susceptible to outbursts of emotional or physical violence while driving. But there was one accurate predictor of road rage: the presence of bumper stickers.

It didn’t even matter what the bumper stickers said. That is, a person with a “Practice Random Acts of Kindness” bumper sticker is as prone to an explosion of anger as someone whose bumper sticker reads “Keep Back: I’m Reloading.” And while the content didn’t matter, the quantity did: the more bumper stickers, the more likely the road rage.

This might seem surprising at first, but it makes a good deal of sense. Bumper stickers, after all, are not meant to persuade. (If you question this, ask yourself if you know anyone who changed their mind on a contentious political issue because they read a bumper sticker!) A bumper sticker is a way of expressing an opinion without the possibility of nuance or dialogue.

I bring this up not because I care about bumper stickers, but because on Sunday there was a lone protester outside Cityview Community Church, which I have the privilege of serving as Senior Pastor. Besides haranguing members of the congregation and those driving by, he set out ten large, graphic posters depicting aborted children. Though we had no part in the protest, I still want to extend an apology to our community, and especially to any families with young children forced into uncomfortable and age-inappropriate conversations as a result of the explicit display. While our church is unapologetically whole-life pro-life, and active in the cause, I question the method and motivation behind such political stunts.

The protest’s purpose was shock and offense—not dialogue or persuasion. In its indifference to how its audience would receive its message, it shares common ground with those street-corner evangelists who take perverse delight in berating passersby with impending judgment rather than joyfully share the good news of proffered salvation in Christ Jesus. This type of protest, by design, prevents meaningful engagement and inhibits understanding and conversation. It produced only anger (as was its goal, I suspect). It was a bumper-sticker approach—and a horrifying one at that—to an issue that demands so much more.

In an era of increasing polarization, we can and must do better. We are becoming a culture prone to “road rage,” denouncing those we meet on the street whose views differ from our own. Scan any social media feed today and you will see “virtual bumper stickers”: tweets and updates, memes and clickbait headlines meant to divide and demonize, not reason, persuade, or encourage meaningful dialogue.

As we head into the Christmas season, let us remind ourselves of the wisdom Jesus’ half-brother, James, wrote to his flock, and which Jesus himself modeled perfectly for us: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (1:19, NIV). Let us speak less, listen more, and—when we disagree—do so with patient compassion, not dehumanizing anger. This holiday season, let’s give each other the gift of civility, dialogue, and genuine love.