When Pro-Life Means Pro-Woman: Rethinking Abortion Through Story, Grief, and Compassion - w/ Bonnie Lewis

A deeply vulnerable and vital conversation between Mike Erre and theologian and Bible translator Bonnie Lewis around abortion, loss, and what it means to truly be pro-life. This episode goes far beyond politics, diving into Bonnie's personal story of stillbirth, grief, and theological reflection. Together, Mike and Bonnie challenge simplistic narratives and offer a broader, more compassionate lens on abortion—one rooted in a gospel that centers dignity, healing, and community over condemnation. Key Takeaways: • Abortion is Not Just a Political Issue – Reframing our understanding by centering the stories of women and the complexity of their experiences. • The Power of Maternal Instinct – How Bonnie's experience affirmed the critical importance of listening to women's deeply intuitive connection with their bodies and unborn children. • Pro-Life Is Pro-Woman – A call to expand the pro-life conversation to include emotional, mental, and spiritual care for mothers at all stages—before, during, and after pregnancy. • Theological Reflection on Grief and Choice – How Bonnie's journey has reshaped her theology of life, death, soul, and the deeply embodied reality of carrying and losing a child. • Can Protest Do Harm? – A nuanced examination of whether shaming women at abortion clinics aligns with the way of Jesus, and how we miss the mark when we separate ends from means. • Birth Control, Premarital Sex, and Wisdom – Pushing past purity culture binaries to ask deeper questions about harm, safety, and human flourishing in a broken sexual culture. Quotes Worth Sharing: • "Being pro-life should include being pro-woman. You can't care for the baby and ignore the mother." • "There's a difference between worry and knowing. We need to trust women when they say something is wrong." • "If Jesus calls us to love and not condemn, then louder protests that bring shame might not be the way." From raw testimony to sharp theological critique, this episode embodies the Voxology ethos: courageously naming the tension between grace and truth, nuance and conviction. Resources Mentioned: • Email the show: [email protected] • Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/voxology • Vox Merch Store: VOXOLOGY on Etsy • Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify • Voxology Radio on Spotify: Voxology Radio • YouTube Channel: VOXOLOGY TV Join the conversation on Instagram @voxologypodcast and on Facebook. If this conversation moved you—or challenged your thinking—subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with others seeking to rediscover Jesus's way of compassion and justice. As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV. Our Merch Store! ETSY Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy