Our winner this time around was the historical treatise Third Time Around: A History of the Pro-life Movement from the First Century to the Present (1991) by George Grant. He recounts that the book was inspired by the question, "Women have been suffering for centuries. What were all you Christians doing before Roe v. Wade?"
Well, quite a lot, actually. Grant traces the Christian influence on the treatment of babies (and all other unwanted human beings) from the Roman Empire to the present, showing just how involved the church has been in such matters for centuries. The idea that a parent has the right to kill any child he or she does not want is an extremely old one. In Rome, it was the father who decided who lived or died; now, the mother does instead--but the principle is the same. Human beings always want to sin, and child sacrifice is a primary and obvious way to do it. They can't really fight back, after all.
Grant traces the Christian influence through three major movements:
1. Christianity's expansion into the Roman Empire and then the pagan north (until abortion and slavery were both finally outlawed).
2. How the church had to overcome the reversion to pagan values (and abortion) that marked the Renaissance, and the world-wide missions movement that made "human values" a coherent concept.
3. Modern pushback against those like Margaret Sanger, Hitler, and the current abortion crowd.
The Christians of each era are treated generally, then several specific examples are given. Some are more well-known (Boniface, William Carey, Francis Schaeffer) and some are less (Barlaam of Antioch, anyone?). Grant casts the struggle for life as an eternal one, a war that the saints will always have to step up and fight again; the book is dedicated to his children "who will have to take up the cause the next time around." Fighting a battle that feels hopeless is a recipe for disaster. But knowing this battle has been won multiple times before is reassuring, though the difficulty remains.
At this moment in history, with Roe v. Wade twitching on the dissecting table and plenty of storm clouds on the horizon, this book is worth picking up, both as a reminder of what can be achieved and a comfort to those bracing for the onslaught.
