Building the culture of life is simply too indispensable and too overdue a task to leave to Roman Catholics alone.That's the opening sentence of an essay I presented a few years back at a special symposium sponsored by the Rev. Joseph F. Costanzo Memorial Foundation. The conference speakers, besides myself, were James Hitchcock from St. Louis University; his wife, Helen, representing Women for Faith and Family; Peter Sampro from Thomas More College of Liberal Arts; Kenneth Whitehead, author and government minister; and Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz. The symposium was held at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, Nebraska, and the theme was "The Encyclicals and Ecclesial Pronouncements of Pope John Paul II."
Now, it's no secret around these parts that I am a traditional, orthodox evangelical, one fully committed to the primary ideals of the Protestant Reformation. Nevertheless, my pro-life ministries of nearly 30 years and many wonderful friendships and family relationships have created scores of opportunities to speak to "mixed" audiences and even many audiences which are exclusively Roman Catholic. The Costanzo Symposium was just one such event...but yet a very special one that both Claire and I still treasure.
My address was entitled, "Common Responsibility: An Evangelical Appreciation of Evangelium Vitae" and, I'm pleased to say, it was well-received by that gathering as well as others who have read it since. And, yes, the latter includes Catholics and non-Catholics alike. I hope it might prove of some value to you as well and so I post a link to it here as it appears on the Vital Signs Ministries web site.
In the essay, evangelicals will learn some of the reasons they should deeply appreciate Evangelium Vitae whereas Catholic readers will learn how John Paul II's thinking moved along the same lines as such Protestant figures as C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer and Chuck Colson.
It is a lengthy essay but just right for some leisurely weekend reading. So print it off, pour that glass of iced tea, and jump in.
