Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8440 Plough Quarterly • Autumn 2016 is to be the church – to live out in community the full implementation of Jesus’ kingdom teaching. That is what the early church sought to do. They did it even though very few Chris- tians were Roman citizens and the empire frequently persecuted and sometimes killed them. No matter what the external political setting, the church should be the church. The early church lived out their refusal to kill in striking ways that eventu- ally revolutionized society. Abortion and infanticide were widespread but the early church rejected both; in time, both became far rarer. Gladiatorial contests, too, first declined in importance and then were banned as a result of the Christians’ refusal to even attend this once-popular “sport.” Slowly and bit by bit, the Christian church’s pro-life vision affected the wider culture in profound ways. The same has happened again and again throughout history – whenever Christians have modeled a new way of living in the church, their example has changed the sur- rounding society. Hospitals and schools for poor children started because Christians felt compelled by Christ’s love to care for the sick and to educate poor children; eventu- ally, the larger society agreed that everyone should have health care and education. The sixteenth-century Anabaptists insisted that the church should be a believers’ church free of state control and eventually – after thousands were martyred – governments made religious liberty a constitutional right. Today, if the body of Christ becomes a living model of racial embrace, peacemaking, and economic justice for the poor, we will reshape our societies. To what extent should Christians try to persuade the secular world to live according to the completely pro-life vision of the gospel? We must start by candidly recognizing that non-Christians will never be able to fully live the way Jesus taught. The Christian has three things the non-Christian does not have: the powerful, supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit empowering us to live like Christ; the liberating power that comes from knowing our sins are forgiven and we are accepted by God in spite of our sin; and finally, the strong support of a Christian community. Thus, Christians cannot expect non-Christians to always live like Jesus. And yet: they should live like him. I do not believe God has one ethic for Christians and another for the world. God wants all people to love their enemies and refuse to kill. Paul tells us in the first two chapters of Romans that the law of God is written on the heart of everyone (see especially 2:14–15). When Christians consistently proclaim biblical truths about the sanctity of human life and about justice for the poor, even non-Christians will sense that this message is true and right. If Christians articulate a completely pro-life agenda boldly – through our words, in our daily lives, and in the voting booth – many people in the larger society will respond. When we do this, it will be an act of love toward the billions of our neighbors who will be helped. And it will serve to proclaim that Jesus, who came to bring abundant life (John 10:10), truly is Lord over all the world.  For further reading, see the author’s books Just Politics: A Guide for Christian Engagement (Brazos, 2012) and The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abor- tion and Capital Punishment (Baker, 2012). I do not believe God has one ethic for Christians and another for the world.