Case for Life Review

About a month or so ago it was my pleasant surprise to receive a complimentary copy (thanks Scott!) of The Case for Life: Equipping Christains to Engage the Culture by Scott Klusendorf. I was in the midst of reading a couple of other books when it arrived so I’ve just finished reading it in the last week or so.

Scott begins his book by arguing that the one question that trumps all others in the abortion debate is “What is the unborn?”

In the next set of chapters, he discusses moral relativism and its various problems, soundly debunks the idea that the Bible somehow tacitly supports abortion decisions, and provides a quick foundation for the Christian worldview.

Scott then uses the next set of chapters to help prolifers move conversations with pro-choicers to more of a dialogue than debate and provides helpful responses to common pro-choice objections including a chapter devoted to the bodily autonomy argument.

His last section of chapters encourages pastors to do more on the life issue, provides what he shares with post-abortive women and provides example of how he thinks Christians can help to win on this issue.

Each chapter is followed by helpful review questions and I found the book to be quite readable. The book is directed at prolife Christians and hopes to give them the tools to make the case for life with other individuals who may or may not be Christians. I wish the book could be something a non-Christian would be more interested in reading since I think Scott does a great job providing persuasive arguments in favor of the Christian worldview but I can understand why Scott is targeting this book towards a Christian audience.

What I think Scott does so well is take the ideas and arguments of people like Hadley Arkes and Francis Beckwith and makes them accessible to your average reader who is unlikely to delve into Natural Rights and the Right to Choose or Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Argument Against Abortion Choice. It’s kind of like a master carpenter sharing the tools of his trade with someone who will probably never build a rocking chair but needs help with a repair project. Not every prolifer who reads this book will be debating the past president of the ACLU on college campuses but the book provides them with the tools to influence friends and neighbors who may have never heard the prolife position properly presented.