This is purely a work of speculative fiction, but it has a Radical Centrist flavor I thought some of you might appreciate…
> > https://2transform.us/2018/10/05/the-san-jose-declaration-ending-the-abortion-wars/ > > <https://2transform.us/2018/10/05/the-san-jose-declaration-ending-the-abortion-wars/> > > The San Jose Declaration: Ending the Abortion Wars > > April 1st, 2031 A.D. > Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the San Francisco Revival > <https://2transform.us/2016/01/29/a-pre-history-of-the-san-francisco-revival/> > of the 2020s was an end to the politicization of abortion, in a way that > would have seemed unimaginable to those who lived through the culture wars > that peaked during the Trump presidency. While extremists on both sides > still refuse to make peace, the public debate has largely moved on. > > The turning point was when two courageous women made a conscious choice to > reject the dichotomy between honoring women and honoring the unborn, thus > defusing the righteous indignation that had fueled both sides. > > And it all began with a yoga class… > > > Jen and Martha each joined the San Jose YMCA <http://www.ymcasv.org/central/> > on January 2nd, 2021 as part of their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. > They ended up in a beginner’s yoga class together, and soon discovered they > had a lot in common. They were both professional women in their late > forties, and had just started regaining personal time as their kids entered > high school and autonomous vehicles became safe enough to eliminate the > endless rounds of chauffeur duties. They would chat during class, and > sometimes afterwards, commiserating about the frustrations of teenagers, the > cluelessness of their husbands, and the sadism of their yoga instructor! > > The one thing they never talked about was their jobs. Surprisingly, neither > ever asked the other where they worked, or volunteered any information about > what they did for a living. This blissful ignorance continued until Jen > mentioned that her car was in the shop. Martha volunteered to drop her off > somewhere, but Jen waved away the offer saying that she could just walk to > work. > > This innocent statement struck a chill down Martha’s spine. Martha tried her > best to control her suspicion, and her expression, though she could see Jen > looking at her curiously. She excused herself to use the ladies room, then > guiltily snuck back to spy on where her new friend went. Sure enough, her > worst fears were confirmed. > > Jen walked across the street from the YMCA and entered the building of the > largest employer in the neighborhood: Planned Parenthood. Just down the > street from Martha’s employer, the local crisis pregnancy center. > > After a long week involving many sleepless nights, Martha invited Jen to > coffee after class at the nearby Starbucks, confessed to spying on her, and > disclosed her own affiliation. > > Jen stared at her in shock. “Why are you telling me this?” > > Martha blurted out, “Because I still want to be your friend. And I don’t know > how.” And burst out crying. > > Neither of them remembers what exactly they said after that. But next week > after class, they somehow ended up going out for coffee again. And again. > And again, and again, and again… > > What surprised Jen most was how much Martha loved the young women who visited > her clinic, even those who chose to have an abortion. In turn, Martha was > amazed to discover that Jen hated doing abortions, but saw it as the only way > to free women to live out their dreams. > > Gradually they realized that they actually had much more in common with each > other than with many of their so-called allies, who seemed much more > concerned with scoring political points than actually honoring and helping > women. > > One day, Jen showed up for coffee with a brand new pad of yellow legal paper. > She took a deep breath. “Martha, do you trust me?” > > Martha stared at her friend. She knew where this was going. All of her > training and her ideology screamed that this person was the enemy. One wrong > step, and she could lose her job, her church, possibly even her marriage. > > “Yes,” she said, and smiled. > > Jen beamed, then burst into giggles. “Then let’s do this. Let’s write down > all the things we can agree on. As well as the things we don’t. And then?” > she looked up, her heart in her eyes. > > “And then we tell our bosses,” finished Martha. > > And so they did. > > The document was called Balancing Personhood: What Would Jesus Protest? > > They cleverly framed it as a modern retelling of John 8 > <https://www.bibleapps.com/john/8-11.htm>, with Jesus showing up at the > Lincoln Memorial, during a confrontation between pro-life and pro-choice > protesters that threatens to spiral into violence. Shockingly, he does not > condemn either side, but praises individuals from both camps — by name! — > for sacrificial acts of kindness each showed to the poor and forgotten. Time > would later say it “humanized both the necessity and horror of abortion, > through the heartbreaking eyes of women on the front lines.” > > Then Jesus kneels down and begins to write on the 87 steps > <http://lincoln-memorial.org/fun-facts/>. His nail-scarred hands carve > statistics into the stone. Poverty. Malnutrition. Fatherlessness. > Incarceration rates. Pornography. Human trafficking. Homelessness. Racial > disparities. Gender disparities. Hate crimes. Income mobility. Religious > persecution. The costs of various wars. Names of outspoken critics and > proponents of abortion found guilty of sexual harassment. And finally, the > number of children killed by abortion in the United States since Roe vs. Wade. > > He turns and calls sternly out to the crowd. “Is there anyone here who dares > to condemn you?” > > The crowd is silent, except for many who are weeping. > > Then suddenly he smiles. “Then neither do I condemn you. Stop condemning > each other, and go do the work I have called you to do.” And with a nod to > the enormous statue towering over him, he disappears into the wings. > > Martha didn’t lose her job – or her marriage. Her husband Joe did lose his > job, though. He was the pastor who shared her essay at a Truth and > Reconciliation Summit > <https://passiontalks.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/whats-possible-thoughts-from-the-truth-and-reconciliation-summit/> > between conservative and liberal churches, which republished it as part of > what is now known as the San Jose Declaration. > > His Board of Elders were freaked out by the resulting media firestorm that > descended on their church, and demanded he either apologize or resign. After > a long night of prayer with Martha, he chose the latter. He now works as a > chaplain at a Christian video game company promoting responsible male > sexuality <https://twitter.com/designmom/status/1040363431893725184?lang=en>, > and is a leading voice in the new “pro-personhood” movement. > > Joe and Martha also lead a church that meets on Sunday mornings at Planned > Parenthood, where Jen and her daughter Grace were the first converts to be > baptized. They continue to pray for Jen’s husband Bill, who walked out on > them when Jen defended Grace’s decision to keep her baby. > -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
