Anglican Theologian and New Testament Scholar N.T. Wright unintentionally waded into controversy last week when in a podcast conversation he spoke supportively of abortion early in pregnancy in the cases of rape, incest, and fetal abnormalities. Conservative Christians who have valued his rigorous scholarship were left disappointed by his comments.

Wright, a well-respected scholar, author of books including Simply Jesus and Surprised by Hope, and former Bishop of Durham offered remarks that were unpastoral to all involved: the caller, women with unexpected pregnancies, and the children that result from those pregnancies.

While rejecting late term abortion, Wright stated:

“At the same time there may be certain exceptions of which severe deformity might be one of which certainly incest and rape would be others. And in those cases I would say the sooner the better.”

Wright is not alone; many in our culture wish to appear nuanced at the expense of real care for those experiencing difficult circumstances in pregnancy.

Wright appeared on the Ask N.T. Wright Anything podcast hosted by Australian Theologian Michael Bird. Bird could have asked Wright more challenging questions, but instead went along with Wright’s assertions. Significantly, neither Wright nor Bird attempted to provide a biblical or theological rationale for the opinion asserted.

The discussion began when a female caller named Sarah asked about abortion. She explained that she had grown up as a Christian and understood that she was supposed to believe that abortion was wrong without exception, but now in college, she did not find church teachings to be “intuitive,” particularly when it came to cases of rape and incest.

After reading the question, Bird was quick to state that the issue isn’t “black and white” because there are difficult cases to address. Wright agreed, launching into his response.

The caller asked for the “Christian reasoning when it comes to abortion,” but she did not receive it. Wright could have provided a theological and biblical reasoning for his views on abortion but chose not to. He also did not offer helpful advice to those college students having their faith challenged potentially for the first time. It’s normal for college students to struggle to defend their faith. It doesn’t mean that convictions should be jettisoned but that students should be encouraged to ask questions confident that, if their beliefs are true, they will stand. Any apologist should start with this simple reassurance.

There will be times when the teachings of scripture do not seem “intuitive” to us. After all, we are fallen and sinful, and the teachings of scripture ask something of us. The caller struggled in part to understand the value of the unborn child and why its value, in bearing the image of God, means that it should not be aborted. But, as C.S. Lewis writes, we often fail to have a proper value response, to give the object what is due, because of our sinfulness. We then must change and realign those responses to agree with God. Lewis notes that he didn’t “enjoy the company of small children” but he recognized that he was wrong to feel that way. In the same way, we are wrong when we deny the value of the child and accept abortion.

It is a problem in us when we can’t see the value of the unborn, just as it was a deficiency in Lewis when he couldn’t enjoy children.

From the standpoint of caring for women who are raped or are the victims of incest, Wright’s answer was also lacking.

“There may be a very strong argument for saying this ought never to have happened and with sorrow because we do not want to do this in principle but with sorrow and a bit of shame, the best thing to do is, as soon as possible, to terminate the pregnancy,” Wright stated.

Pro-Life activists note that abortion will not remove the trauma of the rape. However, often abortion is the only answer discussed, as if by aborting the child, the problem will be solved. But a woman needs people to come alongside her in grief and support. Ultimately, she needs the healing that only comes from Christ.

Wright went on to critique Roman Catholic clergy in stating that, if a woman finds herself in this situation, “celibate men” will tell her she must keep her baby. He called this male bullying that must be avoided.

But, the question should be, where do these “celibate men” get this teaching? This is important because, ultimately, healing will come from a relationship with Christ. Christ, who is God and who became man and was celibate, is the only way to true healing.

It is Christ who loved the woman enough to die on the cross for her, Christ the God who is “close to the brokenhearted,” who tells us that we must take up the cross, Christ who says she shouldn’t abort her baby.

As the Church, we need to support these women through the pregnancy and after in a real and incarnational way. We should also acknowledge that what is required of her is difficult, it is a cross. But when we go along with the assumption that, because it will be difficult, these women need not do it, we buy into a paternalistic assumption that women aren’t capable of making the virtuous choice to protect the baby. And we should desire virtue of all persons.