Book Review: The Case for Life by Scott Klusendorf

May 19, 2009 Posted by Roger Overton

Those who care about the lives of the unborn have many reasons to be concerned these days. President Obama has revealed plans to rescind the “conscience rule,” which allows doctors to refuse to perform abortions on moral grounds. The opening of a seat on the Supreme Court during Obama’s administration leaves little doubt that Roe v. Wade will continue to be upheld in the coming years. Fortunately, the law is not the only way to seek the protection of the unborn.

In The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture Scott Klusendorf (President of Life Training Institute) provides compelling arguments and effective strategy for convincing people through conversation abortion is wrong. He begins his case by honing in on the core issue: what is the unborn? If it’s not human, then there’s little to no case against abortion. But if it is human, there is no excuse for ending its life. Scott extends this discussion to an explanation for why humans are valuable, and how these factors apply to the embryonic stem cell debate.

In the second part (of four) of the book, Scott moves on to examine some of the philosophical and theological issues wrapped up in the abortion debate. These include the objectivity of morality, whether it’s truly possible to be “morally neutral,” the rationality of Christianity, and what the Bible says about abortion. Scott takes the principles from the first half of the book into part three where he looks more closely at the art of fruitful conversation. He explains how to ask good questions (using Greg Koukl’s Columbo Tactic) and explores six varieties of objections and how to respond to them.

The final section of The Case for Life considers the role of pastors in the abortion debate, how anyone can help women (and men) who have played some part in an abortion, how pro-lifers of diverse religious backgrounds can work together for the cause of the unborn and what it will take to change hearts and minds on this critical issue. Scott leaves no stone unturned as he explains the value of visual aids and even offers a clear presentation of the gospel message.

Scott Klusendorf’s years of experience have supplied him with carefully constructed arguments and ample anecdotes to show how to effectively make a compelling case for the right to life of unborn human people. His own life and ministry provide an inspiring example of how to be compassionate yet firm with conviction when discussing such a sensitive issue. I cannot think of anyone who would not benefit from reading The Case for Life, as everyone from the seasoned pro-lifers to the uninformed or undecided, and even the seasoned pro-choicers, will find something worth thinking about. Some will find themselves returning to the book often to rehearse all the training this resource has to offer, and they will be richly rewarded.

**Amazon’s page for this book appears to have been corrupted. The book may also be ordered through Stand to Reason or directly from the publisher, Crossway.