FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 9, 2003

OMAHA, NEBRASKA – Just Imagine . . . what will this baby be? was the theme as over 300 Lutherans gathered from across the United States and Canada for the 21^st national convention of Lutherans For Life (LFL). LFL, the only inter-Lutheran pro-life organization in the nation, is based in Nevada, Iowa, with 15 state/regional federations, 155 local chapters, and 690 Life Ministry Coordinators nationwide.

Tim Goeglein, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, had a wide-ranging talk and question and answer pre-convention session based on the theme "A Celebration of Life."

Mr. Goeglein reflected on a "remarkable moment in the life of our country," which occurred several years ago during the first senate debate on partial-birth abortion legislation between pro-life Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). Senator Boxer was speaking out against a ban on partial-birth abortion while failing to mention babies, how abortion hurts women, or how abortion adversely impacts culture. During a brief pause, the cry of a baby (from the senate balcony) was heard throughout the chamber. Tim called this "providential" as, at that moment, it was not a senator making the arguments, "it was a baby."

Referring to abortion as a "cancer" within our country, Mr. Goeglein stated that the view of President Bush is that every child is a blessing and priority and should be welcomed in the world and protected by law. He went on to list a number of pro-life accomplishments of the Bush administration, including the recent signing of a ban on partial-birth abortion.

The day of the signing of the partial-birth abortion ban, Mr. Goeglein quoted the President as saying partial-birth abortion was an "abhorrent procedure that affronts basic human dignity" and that "no lawyer’s brief can make it seem otherwise."

When asked what can be done to help create a culture of life, Mr. Goeglein encouraged Christians to support caring pregnancy centers, promote adoption, and do what they can to strengthen traditional marriage. He reminded the audience we are not called to be successful but to be faithful.

During her Friday night keynote address, which was complemented by the music of singer Lynn Cooper and her daughter Lauren, LFL President Linda Bartlett declared, "There are generations of hope! God has promised! His judgment is on the third and fourth generations, but His mercy is to thousands! We need to know these generations – and their needs – so that we can pass on the Word of Life with a servant-style manner and help them live counter-culture."

She went on to share that during World War II "one of the few organized public efforts to oppose the Third Reich was a small group of university students called the White Rose Society." "It was young people! . . . We know young people like this! They are the generation who knows exactly what abortion is, and they don’t like it! They have witnessed the failures of modern feminism and sex education, and they want something better! Their souls long for Truth! The younger generation could demand that America cease its barbaric ways! The younger generation could demand that the Church be the distinctively different Church it is supposed to be!"

Mrs. Bartlett also told the convention that "we can help Lutherans be advocates for ‘the least of these.’ We can help build community through humble servanthood. We can help people love their neighbors as themselves. We can mentor with the Word of Life! God brings order out of chaos with His Word! He reforms the culture with His Word! Jesus Christ is the Word! Jesus is the love and forgiveness and hope that every generation needs!"

At the end of her keynote Linda noted that she will be stepping down from the position as President of LFL "to be who I am. A helpmate! A helpmate to my husband! A helpmate to Word of Hope (our abortion healing outreach)! A helpmate to LFL as a writer and speaker."

Linda’s term expires in February of 2004, at which time a new president will be elected by the board of directors.

Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason was featured as a double plenary speaker. His talks, Only One Question and The Death of Humanness looked at the devaluing of human life in today’s culture. He said that because "the word ‘abortion’ has lost almost all meaning to most Americans" we need to be moving the debate from the abstract to the reality that a unique and valuable human being is killed by abortion.

As an example, he asked what a parent would do if he or she heard their child ask "Can I kill this?" Of course the next question would be: "What is it?" As Mr. Koukl explained, you cannot know "whether it’s right or wrong to kill a living thing unless you know what it is!"

He went on to say that if abortion does not involve the killing of a human being, then "no justification is necessary." However, if it does involve the killing of a human being, then "no justification is adequate."

On Saturday morning, a prayer breakfast was hosted by LFL board member Rev. Mark Cutler, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward, NE.

In addition to workshops with Greg Koukl, convention attendees were also able to attend a pastor’s panel, and workshops by Ms. Janine Bergeron, Executive Director of A Place of Refuge; Brandi Gruis, Program Manager of the Abstinence Clearing House; Brian Young, founder and Director of Creation Instruction Association; and Dr. Robert W. Weise, Professor of Practical Theology and Chair of Pastor Ministry and the Life Sciences (Biomedical Ethics) at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

The Saturday evening banquet featured noted cartoonist Chuck Asay of the Colorado Springs Gazette.

On Sunday morning Dr. James I. Lamb, executive director of Lutherans For Life, led the convention in a Bible study of Jeremiah 29:1-4 entitled Just Imagine! Hope in God’s Plan.

"God’s people in Jeremiah’s time had been exiled to Babylon because they had not listened to God. But God would not forget them. They were to live as citizens of the land, trusting that God had promised them a future – an end to their exile.

"As God’s people today, we are citizens of Heaven, not of this world. But we are to be good citizens while here and let our influence be felt. Things do not always go according to plan. But through faith, we know God’s plan. We know what He has done in Jesus to bring an end to the burdens of sin and death. We know someday we will be back to where we belong as citizens of Heaven. Therefore, we live in hope!"

During Sunday morning’s worship service, Dr. Lamb preached on Ephesians 3:20-21 using the theme More than You Can Imagine.

"God’s power is more than we can imagine! The power of His wrath over sin is more than we can imagine. We all deserve condemnation. But the power of His love is more than we can imagine as well! He demonstrated that love in sending His Son to be condemned in our place. Now this power is at work within us, and it is more than we can imagine. We do not have to turn to the solutions to our problems offered by the world. We can trust in the ‘immeasurable’ power of God."