Defending Life

Defending Life is a turnkey discipleship and engagement tool that equips churches and believers to understand, articulate, and live out a biblical pro-life worldview in the public square. It blends hard data, rich theology, and practical next steps so pastors and leaders can move their congregations from passive concern to active, compassionate advocacy for life.

What this booklet is

Defending Life is a professionally designed teaching booklet produced by the Family Policy Institute of Washington to defend and advance biblical values in culture. It is intended to be used alongside a slide deck and follows an adult-learning model of discovery, discussion, and brief lecture so participants truly own what they learn.

Core content and flow

The booklet walks readers through four major sections that build a comprehensive biblical worldview of life. It begins in the public square with abortion statistics, moves into theology and apologetics, and culminates in practical engagement and a ready-made public teaching from Psalm 139.

The Public Square: Presents national and Washington State abortion numbers, connects them to specific cities, and surfaces why women choose abortion, prompting honest discussion. It also highlights the sobering reality that a majority of abortions are linked to the Christian faith community, calling the church to self-examination.

Biblical Worldview: Unpacks Imago Dei from Genesis 1 and God’s intimate creation and ordaining of human life in Psalm 139, with guided questions that lead participants to affirm life from conception.

Apologetics: Equips believers to answer “My body, my choice” and the hard cases of rape, incest, and health of the mother using Scripture and Washington law, clarifying that the unborn child is a distinct person and that guilt belongs to the offender, not the child.

Engaging the Public Square: Offers concrete paths for churches—preaching on life, partnering with pro-life ministries, supporting pregnancy centers, fostering and adopting, providing counseling and post-abortion care, and calling the church to repentance, grace, and forgiveness.

Designed for pastors and ministry leaders

Defending Life is optimized for pastors, elders, small group leaders, and ministry teams who need a ready-to-teach, biblically grounded resource on life. Each section includes Scripture, concise commentary, and discussion questions, cutting prep time while maintaining theological depth and pastoral sensitivity.

A full sample public teaching on Psalm 139 (“Ordained Days”) gives leaders a complete message outline with clear points about God’s knowledge, presence, creative work, ordaining of days, thoughts toward us, justice, and call to humility.

Built-in questions and applications help leaders address both the head and heart, including those who have personal abortion experiences, with truth and grace.

Ministry outcomes and uses

When used in churches, small groups, or trainings, this resource helps believers grow in conviction, compassion, and courage regarding the issue of life. It not only clarifies what the Bible teaches but also shows tangible ways to serve vulnerable mothers, babies, and families in Jesus’ name.

Suggested uses include:

• A short teaching series on life, using the “Public Square,” “Biblical Worldview,” and “Apologetics” sections as weekly sessions.
• Leadership or volunteer trainings for pastors, elders, youth leaders, and pro-life ministry teams who need shared language and a common theological foundation.
• Church-wide campaigns tied to Sanctity of Human Life Sunday or local legislative moments, coupled with calls to pray, sign, vote, engage, and recruit new Defenders through FPIW.