Editorial (expanded Web exclusive version)

[Editor’s note: This is an expanded, online version of the print edition version of the April 7 editorial, “Terri Schiavo has passed; our work remains.”]

Terri Schiavo is dead; even just typing these words is difficult. I cannot express my profound sadness for her family – and for our state and nation.

A great evil has been committed in the broad daylight of public scrutiny; an injustice that resulted from political incompetence, that came via judicial fiat, but ultimately was due to the immoral decisions of one person. Our nation is worse today because Michael Schiavo was permitted to kill his wife.

No matter how many times it is said to the contrary, Terri Schiavo was not allowed to die, her life was unjustly taken. This ethical distinction is enormous and grave – one about which a just society cannot be indifferent and a truth that must not be casually ignored by Christian citizens who are obligated to contend for justice.

Florida Baptist Witness has given much attention to this matter, starting in September 2003 when I editorialized twice against Terri’s dehydration/starvation. Since then we published in print and/or online more than 130 news articles, commentaries and other items covering this case. Now that Terri is gone, there are many things I would like to address.

I would like to tackle the outrageous bias of the so-called objective news media and its seeming desire for Terri’s death. So many examples could be cited, but one particularly illustrative example was the TIME magazine article, “Death With Indignity” (Mar. 28). This article, like virtually all of the “mainstream” media’s coverage, assumed the premise of the euthanasia movement and sided with Michael Schiavo. If Terri would have been a condemned murderer on death row rather than a severely disabled woman at the center of a “right-to-die” controversy, the secular press would have celebrated her cause.

I would like to examine the venomous attacks on Dr. William P. Cheshire Jr., the eminent neurologist at Jacksonville’s Mayo Clinic whose March 23 affidavit (issued at the invitation of the Florida Department of Children and Families) argued that Terri was likely not in a “persistent vegetative state,” but instead was merely “minimally conscious.” Within hours of the affidavit’s release, the secular press, aided by his opponents in the medical community, began the assault on Cheshire’s credibility because he was an evangelical Christian, suggesting his professional judgment was questionable.

Meanwhile, the same secular press gave only scant attention to the New Age worldview that drives the legal work of Michael Schiavo’s chief advocate, George Felos. In his 2002 book, Litigation as Spiritual Practice, Felos writes about a “soul-speak” conversation with a comatose woman and a talk with his yet-to-be-conceived unborn son and explains how he uses his legal practice to advance his pantheistic worldview. Felos’ book was reviewed by this column in November 2003 and last month, but was largely ignored by the rest of the press, even though it should have been front and center in this debate. As radio personality Rush Limbaugh noted, it’s interesting that Felos is supposedly able to communicate with incapacitated persons, but the severely brain-damaged Terri Schiavo’s life is not worth living, even though her family believed she was aware of their love.

That bias also came through clear in slanted polling purportedly on the Terri Schiavo controversy, seemingly demonstrating that throngs of Americans disapproved of efforts to re-insert Terri’s feeding tube. Fortunately, the Zogby Poll, asking the question with a precise description of Terri’s status found that 79 percent opposed withdrawing food and water. The question read: “If a disabled person is not terminally ill, not in a coma, and not being kept alive on life support, and they have no written directive, should or should they not be denied food and water,” according to LifeNews.com.

I would like to write about the critical need for a reinvigoration of the practice of church discipline in our congregations as illustrated in the person of Judge George Greer. This judge who was the public official chiefly responsible for carrying out the wishes of Michael Schiavo somehow was not influenced in how he exercised his public duties by his biblically sound, conservative, pro-life Southern Baptist congregation. Greer claimed his duty to follow the rule of law required him to rule against human life, even though it’s clear that there was much about the record of this case that should have demanded a different result.

William Rice, pastor of Greer’s now-former congregation at Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, was a model of pastoral courage in how he dealt with the thorny problem of his wayward member, even though Rice had been pastor for less than six months – and during that period of time Greer never attended the church (having stopped attending in the fall of 2003 in response to my critical editorials). How many other Judge Greers are on our church rolls needing the prophetic preaching and, if necessary, the biblical discipline of their church family?

I would like to answer those readers who were embarrassed or outraged by our coverage, believing that our reporting – so contrary to the “mainstream” media – must have been wrong. Although the overwhelming response of our readers has been highly positive, there have been some who were quite critical. I was especially troubled by critics who professed to be followers of Christ, but were either so confused by the secular media’s coverage or so conformed to the pattern of this world (Rom. 12:2) that they failed to understand the ethical importance of this case.

Perhaps one day I will take up more thoroughly some of these matters, but in the days immediately following Terri’s demise, what now? I believe there are three central biblical truths that should guide our response.

1. We live in an imperfect world, marred by the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and disfigured by the sins of all of humanity living today. In this world, justice is not always done; sinners sometime reject God’s moral will – and we must not doubt that Terri’s dehydration and starvation were contrary to that will.

2. One day justice will be done, and sinners should accept God’s mercy before it’s too late. “Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly” (Deut. 32:35, HCSB).

This verse was the basis for Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Delivered by the outstanding Puritan preacher of the Great Awakening, Edwards’ message was not a touchy-feely, seeker-sensitive sermon that far too often characterizes pulpits today. Instead, Edwards powerfully warned about the coming judgment of a just God.

“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over a fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: His wrath towards you burns like fire; He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; He is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in His sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours,” Edwards thundered on July 8, 1741.

“You have offended Him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but His hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment.”

Even in the midst of the confrontational address about God’s impending judgment, Edwards – like all Gospel preachers – also extends the hope found in Christ: “And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to Him, and pressing into the Kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to Him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in His own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.”

All of us would do well to take heed to Edwards’ admonition – both of God’s judgment and His mercy.

3. Jesus commands His disciples to be “salt” and “light” (Matt. 5:13-16) in this sinful world. While we await God’s justice we are nevertheless duty-bound as Christ’s ambassadors to work to accomplish His will on earth until He returns.

We need to be reminded that the New Testament was written to a small band of followers of Christ who lived in a truly pagan world, hostile to the things of God. Christians suffered severe persecution for their faith and yet – astoundingly to the minds of modern American Christians – they were commanded by God through the letters of His apostles to submit to the governing authorities of their day (Rom. 13:1-6; Titus 3:1), the very political leaders who at times were slaughtering fellow believers. Further, faithful Christians were commanded by Scripture to pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-2), persons Scripture calls “God’s ministers.”

What was commanded to first century Christians remains our responsibility today.

Especially in the last few weeks of the battle to save Terri Schiavo, some professed Christians acted in a manner that was inconsistent with these biblical admonitions. Sometimes, harsh rhetoric was spewed by even ministers. Hateful words were directed to members of the Florida legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush. In isolated instances, even death threats were made against politicians, Judge Greer and Michael Schiavo. All true Christians repudiate utterly such behavior and urge that all who have violated the law be held accountable for their crimes.

Still, as Christ’s agents of righteousness we are not relieved of our societal obligations just because the effort to save Terri Schiavo failed.  Hear the words of the Apostle Paul to first century Christians suffering on behalf of the Gospel: “Do not grow weary of doing good” (2 Thess. 3:13). There are other matters of importance before our state legislature and nation about which Christians need to remain engaged, influencing public officials to consider our concerns. Some Florida legislators who failed us on legislation intended to save Terri will be needed in this session and future sessions to vote on other significant matters of public policy for our state.

In the bitter aftermath of Terri’s death, Christians must remember justice is not always done in this world, God will ultimately render His just judgment, and, in the interim, we must be faithful to our duties to God and man.

Terri Schiavo has passed; our work remains.