Today I witnessed a miscarriage of justice. The Dallas City Council and Mayor voted 13 to 1 to pass the Reproductive Rights Resolution, which would effectively “decriminalize” abortion by deprioritizing abortion-related investigations, and precluding city resources from being used towards abortion related investigations, prosecutions.

“Disappointed” doesn’t feel like the right word. “Disappointment” would imply some sort of positive expectations. Going into today’s meeting, I knew that McGough was the only Councilman in opposition, and knew that the rest of the Council seemed pretty committed to supporting the resolution.

I’ll just say, I’m sad. I’m sad for the preborn. I’m sad for our city. Last night I was thinking about the King of Nineveh described in the book of Jonah. This pagan king of a lost, evil society heard Jonah’s warning that God would destroy the city in 40 days, and what did he do? He mourned. He repented. He called the entire city to repentance, fasting, prayer, and mourning through the donning of sackcloth and ashes. He demonstrated great faith, and God was merciful upon Nineveh.

That’s what I was praying for. I want Dallas to repent. I want the Mayor and City Council, and everyone who has supported or turned a blind eye to abortion to repent. I don’t want fire and brimstone, I want everyone to turn to God.

While I grieve the decision of the Council, and “disappointment” doesn’t accurately describe my general feelings towards them, it is an appropriate term for my feelings towards to Dallas Church.

This is a Tweet I posted this morning during the meeting:

Today the City of Dallas said that it is ok to kill babies in the womb, and I ask you this: Where was the church?

Listen, I recognize that there were Christians there. Two or three dozen Christians rose up to speak against the Resolution, some in person, and some online, myself included. With one exception, none of them were there on behalf of or representing a church. They were all either self-deployed individuals, or otherwise associated with a pro life organization.

According to texascounties.net there were 2,336 churches in Dallas County in 2010. If one out of ten of every church in Dallas County sent just one representative each to stand up for the preborn, the Dallas City Council Chambers would have been quite literally overflowing with opposition.

So why didn’t they? Why does the church think it can sit back in silence while babies are slaughtered, and our government finds new ways to make sure it keeps happening?

Some of this language may seem heavy handed. I assure you, it is out of love. I love God. I love the Church. The Church is the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ. I love God’s Church.

But, friends: We. Are. Failing.

If the Church in America really, really, really cared about abortion, it would be clear. Rooms like the Dallas City Hall Chambers today would be overflowing every time this issue came up. Inboxes would be flooded. Phone lines would be red hot. Political candidates wouldn’t dare hinting that they might be anything but committed to Equal Protection for the Preborn.

And that’s just on the political side.

I know there’s so much more than politics. Most of my work on the abortion issue has been outside of politics. For the last seven years I have been involved in sidewalk outreach at abortion centers. Right now my main work in this area is with Love Life, a national ministry that is working to unite and mobilize the church to create a culture of love and life that ends abortion and the orphan crisis.

And I’m doing that in Dallas.

If you’re a church member (or church leader) and feeling a little raw about what I’m saying, don’t disengage. We have an opportunity to do better. The Church in Dallas can do better. The Church in Texas can do better. We must do better. Jesus said that whatever we did for the least of these, we did for him, and whatever we didn’t do for the least of these, we didn’t do for him.

Are we really caring for the least of these? Are we really advocating for them? Are we really protecting them? Are we really loving them as ourselves? If it were legal to murder you on the street, would you want others to advocate on your behalf, for equal protection for your life?

I’m praying for you, Dallas. Join me in repentance, and let’s pray together.