By Andy Hale
Few conversations in American Christianity become polarized as quickly as abortion. But what if the familiar categories themselves are preventing Christians from having the conversation faithfully? This week on the CBF Podcast Conversation, Andy Hale welcomes Angela Weszely, founder and CEO of ProGrace, to discuss her new book, Becoming ProGrace: Expanding the Abortion Conversation Beyond Life Versus Choice. Drawing from her own experience leading a Christian pregnancy organization, Angela reflects candidly on the moment she began recognizing that even well-intentioned ministry could leave women feeling judged, unheard or valued primarily because of their pregnancies.
At the heart of Angela’s work is an invitation to move beyond choosing between women and children and instead embrace what she calls “equal value, equal dignity.” Andy and Angela explore how Christian ministries can unintentionally reinforce harmful binaries, why repentance and institutional honesty matter and what changes when Christians begin with listening rather than argument. Their conversation also examines the startling gap between churches that want to offer support and women who actually trust churches enough to seek it, raising an uncomfortable but necessary question about whether Christian intentions match the church’s lived reputation.
Becoming ProGrace ultimately asks Christians to reconsider what faithfulness in the abortion conversation looks like. Rather than beginning with political identity, winning an argument or controlling an outcome, Angela invites Christians to begin with the transforming grace of Jesus and the inherent dignity of every person involved. For those exhausted by the familiar battle lines, this conversation offers another possibility: engaging one of our culture’s most difficult issues with conviction and compassion, grace and truth, and enough humility to listen before we speak.
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Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the Associate Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina. He’s also served as CBF’s Church Start Specialist, the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton, and the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge. Follow on Twitter @haleandy.