Trent Horn, an intern with JFA in 2009-2010, is now an apologist with Catholic Answers. He posted a video recently that we think is helpful for starting conversations about abortion with friends and family, and for starting them in a way that's productive.
Can Ten Seconds Change Minds?
It all started at 1:40 AM at a stoplight on Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach, California. My July newsletter tells what happened there and how one good thing that came of it was a sound bite that is still making an impact on how people think about abortion 13 years later. The short letter, Ten Seconds Can Change Minds, includes stories of real conversations from JFA trainers Jeremy Gorr and CK Wisner.
Here are a few additional notes on the topic of the letter:
- See more of the conversation with the women at the stoplight in an excerpt from my original write-up on the incident (a one-page reduction of my August 2002 newsletter): Got Ten Seconds?
- Admittedly, there are some limitations to the "10-Second Pro-Life Apologist." Even though it has a logical structure similar to a syllogism, it shouldn't be expressed by pro-lifers as an air-tight argument to which no responses can be made. I use the "10-Second Pro-Life Apologist" instead in the same way a soccer team uses a kick-off. The sound bite just gets things started. It helps me to put something on the table and then shut my mouth to allow the other person to talk, to respond, to think with me. In this sense, it is purposefully incomplete. It invites questions. So, I suggest to pro-life advocates to take care in the amount of weight they give to these three sentences, expressed on their own, without clarification. In other words, don't toss the "10-Second Pro-Life Apologist" out there as if just in saying these three sentences, it should silence all debate. No, on the contrary, it is meant simply to get productive dialogue started. One of the main limitations is the fact that these three sentences only implicitly make reference to the fact that the unborn is a whole organism. In my view, this is an essential clarification pro-life advocates must make in their conversations about the unborn. So, the unborn is not just living (like any cells or tissue of any species) and is not just human (like HeLa cells) but it is a special sort of living, human tissue that is integrated and organized in a specific way - the same way that you and I are integrated and organized, as a whole organism.
- To illustrate the above point, note, for example, the way in which PZ Meyers misunderstood the intended purpose in using a version of the "10-Second Pro-Life Apologist" by Kristan Hawkins, the President of SFLA; note also the detailed critique of the PZ Meyers piece by Clinton Wilcox.
- Exercise 3 in JFA's Interactive Guide teaches you to use the "10-Second Pro-Life Apologist" in conversation. You can see how I would clarify the "organism" point (see Note #1 above) in the "Imitate" section of Exercise 3. Get the Interactive Guide here.
- If you’ve enrolled in our “Learn at Home” program by completing the exercises at www.jfaweb.org/learn-at-home, the "10-Second Pro-Life Apologist" should look familiar to you. It comprises the first ten seconds of the one-minute sound bite featured in Step 2.
- The 10-Second Pro-Life Apologist has been referenced and utilized by many pro-life advocates and organizations, including SFLA, Trent Horn, Amy Hall, Brett Kunkle, and Josh Brahm.
- Has the "10-Second Pro-Life Apologist" helped you in your conversations about abortion? Share your story in the comments below.
Note: This post originally appeared at "Human Beings Matter More," the personal blog of Steve Wagner, JFA's Executive Director.
We Can't Wait (in More Ways than One)
Amanda with Kim's Baby
After twenty minutes with a JFA trainer, Amanda shared a JFA Brochure with a friend who decided not to kill her child ("Lucy" in the photo). After one hour in a presentation with a JFA trainer last month, Emma and her sister went to talk to kids in the park. Their mom said,
They said that a few of the things you said gave them the confidence to go ahead and give it a try.
In my June letter you can read how these stories remind me that we cannot wait for everyone to find two days to participate in JFA's flagship training program, and that everyone can benefit from two additional offerings: our presentations and our new "Learn at Home" program. JFA can't wait to use these opportunities to activate...More Advocates.
Or, don't wait to read the letter. Go directly to our new "Learn at Home" program. In just one hour, it will equip you to...Change Minds on Abortion.
JFA @ UCLA
Here's the scene at UCLA's Bruin Walk on JFA's second day of outreach in early June. JFA staff and volunteers set up five tables inviting people to dialogue with us (one of them is down the walk to the left of the frame). As you can see, one-to-one conversations were happening at every table. JFA was invited by the Live Action club at UCLA. On the first day, JFA staff and volunteers created dialogue with the JFA Exhibit on Bruin Plaza (the first time in that location since 2003). The picture below includes an interesting juxtaposition of the facts about abortion (shown in a photo on the JFA Exhibit) with a common viewpoint in defense of abortion (expressed on JFA's Free Speech Board). You can see the JFA Exhibit panel with the picture of abortion more clearly here.
See more of the UCLA outreach, including more pictures from the first day on Bruin Plaza, by clicking the pictures in this post or by clicking here.
A Slice in Time
When I reviewed the photos from JFA's recent outreach event at the University of Kansas, I was especially encouraged and struck by the photo above. My brief May newsletter decodes the photo, discusses why it's special, and explains JFA's passion for...More Conversations.
"I Couldn't Stop..."
Most of us have fears about discussing abortion. Corrie was no different. She recently attended a mission trip that JFA led for Christian Heritage Academy's Salt and Light program. Here's what she said about the outreach to the University of Oklahoma:
I was terrified to talk to anyone, and made a goal to talk to just one person. Once I talked to one, I couldn't stop. I realized they're just people.
In this month's Impact Report, we hear from one of Corrie's classmates and from students in Arizona and Nebraska, who through their experiences with JFA also became...
"Ready and Eager for the Next Conversation"
Other JFA Links: About JFA Donate Recent Event Pics & Updates
JFA Team at the University of Kansas (and Benedictine College, etc)
KUSpring15_727
The JFA Team just returned from two days of outreach to the University of Kansas, along with seminar events at Benedictine College and a community seminar in Lawrence, Kansas. The events are illustrated in the gallery below, which you can access by clicking the picture or link. In the picture below, JFA training specialist Jeremy Gorr discusses the JFA brochure with a student. Click the gallery for other pictures of trainers in action, free speech board responses, and conversations!
Picture Gallery: Click the picture above or this link to see more pictures from KU.
Ready and Eager for the Next Conversation
Impact Report April 2015
At Justice For All, we’re mindful that every pro-life student with whom we interact will meet scores of people throughout their lives—people we ourselves will never have the opportunity to engage. This is why our mentors energetically impart to these pro-life students the tools that will prepare them to change hearts and minds on their own.
In this Impact Report, you’ll meet a few of these students who have become ready and eager to create conversations about abortion. I hope their words will give you a glimpse of the impact of your investment in JFA, and I hope they’ll help you see that, with the help of JFA mentors, you also can become ready and eager for your “next conversation.”
Steve Wagner, Executive Director
The next conversation. That’s one of our passions at JFA. After three recent JFA projects, students reflected this same passion back to us, expressing that they are now ready and eager to create conversations in order to change hearts and minds about abortion.
JFA trainers Rebecca Haschke and Catherine Wurts led a workshop in January for Nebraskans in Washington D.C. after the annual March for Life. About one month later, one student wrote to Rebecca:
Catherine Wurts (left) leads a portion of a two-hour JFA workshop for 220 students and 43 chaperones from the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln after the March for Life.
“Today…three of my friends [and I] were waiting in a lobby to do interviews for Girls State. There was also a girl from [another high school] that was waiting along with us, and somehow we got on the topic of abortion and she was pro-choice. It was the perfect first encounter and chance to use the skills you taught us. She was very good about hearing our side, and we were good about hearing hers. She [gave] the exact reason most [give]: ‘Just a clump of cells.’ We were able to ask questions and stay on the same page with her without overwhelming her, thanks to you and your presentation!” - Elizabeth
Students from St. Mary’s Catholic High School survey a student at Arizona State University.
Elizabeth left the January workshop feeling both that it was important to put the workshop material into practice in a conversation about abortion and that she was ready when an opportunity presented itself. In February, students from two Catholic high schools in Phoenix (St. Mary’s and Bourgade) showed the same eagerness for conversation after participating in JFA’s full training program:
Through practice, students are ready to share images respectfully in future conversations.
“I would not have even known how to begin a conversation with someone about abortion… The training gave me conversational tools and gave me confidence to use them whenever possible.” - Miranda
“After the outreach I really thought more about the influence I have on people and how… just bringing up the subject could influence a lot in their lives. JFA really made me realize that I need to be more confident in being able to speak my opinion on the subject because it could have a bigger impact than I know.” - Mikhaila
“I have labeled myself ‘pro-life’ probably since I first heard the term being used. I didn't fully understand, however, how extremely meaningful and valuable that term really is. I realize now…my role as a spokesperson for those who cannot speak. I am here to defend human life, whether it be inside or outside of the womb. I had a sense of this notion before attending JFA, but my experiences in the seminar and out in the real world…solidified my views and my beliefs; [they made] them real.” - Emilio
Of the 44 students (and one faculty member) from these Phoenix schools who participated in a day-long seminar (Seat Work) and a day of outreach at Arizona State University (Feet Work), all but a few made a commitment to create a conversation about abortion in their everyday lives within two weeks (what JFA calls “Repeat Work”). JFA’s carefully sequenced training program had helped them become ready and eager for the next conversation.
In March, another high school student in Oklahoma had a similar experience during a camp that JFA trainers led for Christian Heritage Academy’s Salt and Light program. After one day in a JFA seminar and one day of outreach, he wrote the following:
“It was one of the best experiences I’ve had, ever. From this trip, I hope to encounter people and have tough conversations with them. I plan to use the exhibit brochures in the future and hopefully be able to pass out the ones I have currently before next year… I would do [the trip] again because of the value of knowing how to lead a conversation about hard topics with people… I feel like God gave me a tool to build bridges across to people and show them the straight and narrow path… My takeaway is that no conversation is too tough and everyone matters no matter if they are ninety years old or one month in the womb.” - Jack
These students are now ready and eager to change hearts and minds about abortion on their own. Let’s pray that God will provide opportunities for many “next conversations” and that he will cause their efforts to result in many changed hearts and saved lives.
7 Days of Outreach in 3 Weeks in KS and GA (Late February / Early March JFA Update)
JFA trainers led three Abortion: From Debate to Dialogue seminars (Seat Work) in Georgia in early March. A total of 46 attended. The team led 5 days of outreach to Kennesaw State University and the University of Georgia in Athens. Seven attended outreach for the first time, and volunteers from previous events also joined the team to change hearts at these two universities (15 "days" logged). JFA's Kansas Regional Team led 11 people through one seminar in Wichita and led two days of outreach at Wichita State University, with four seminar participants attending outreach for the first time. Three others from past outreach events joined the team to create conversations. The Kansas Team also gave five presentations to a total of 120 students at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School in Wichita.
See pictures from events in both of these regions by clicking the galleries below.
Steve's March Letter: "Wait! I Think I Can Help!" (A True Story of Common Ground)
Other Recent JFA Event Updates: JFA's January and Early February Events (2015)
JFA on the Radio, on the March, on the Ground, and on the Metro (Jan/Feb 2015 Update Links)
On the March for Life
JFA training specialists Catherine Wurts and Rebecca Haschke participated in the March for Life JFA-style: they turned it into an opportunity to teach pro-life advocates to dialogue! See "JFA Equips 263 at the March for Life" for more, including what happened to one student when she returned home.
On the Ground in Arizona
JFA's training team mentored 44 students and one teacher from St. Mary's Catholic High School and Bourgade Catholic High School in the Phoenix area. All but a few of these students committed to create a conversation about abortion in their everyday lives after volunteering with us during the ASU campus outreach. See "Almost 100% Commit to Repeat Work after Arizona Outreach" for quotes and pics.
On the Metro
JFA's January Impact Report, Charity on the Metro, tells the classic story of how a new JFA volunteer used her new skills immediately in an everyday-life situation on the MARTA in Atlanta.
On our Knees
In my February letter, I challenged myself, our staff, and our supporters to set aside time to pray each day for JFA. You can take the challenge, too! The letter includes seven specific prayer requests for JFA, including one of JFA's 2015 goals that I feel is well beyond our abilities. Projects like these help us remember that we are especially in need of God's help.
On the Radio
JFA's Jordan Newhouse and I recently appeared on Chris Fabry Live on the Moody Radio Network. You can listen to a recording of the show here.
On the Platform
I was privileged to deliver the sermon to Christ Community Church in Tucson, Arizona earlier this month. See this previous post to listen to the entire sermon or brief segments from the sermon (including the story of one big failure that helped me to learn to listen and the one-minute challenge from a pro-choice advocate).
Links to other recent JFA letters, blog posts, and pics:
- 2014 Year-End Report: JFA Helps Volunteers Escape an "Easy Escape"
- 2014 Year-End Report - Extras, including a post on ISIS
- Steve's Christmas Letter: A Tale of Two Gifts
- A Tale of Two Gifts - Extras, including Steve's "Don't Be Like Me" Story
- November 2014 Update with Pictures
- October 2014 Impact Report: Crippled by Fear? Rise and Do Feet Work.
- September 2014 Update with Pictures
"Better than Saying Nothing"
Volunteer Charity Boaz had planned “to let others do the talking.” Seeing a young man looking at the Justice For All Exhibit alone, though, caused her to gather up her courage. Afterwards, she wrote,
I decided someone had to talk to him, and it looked like it was going to be me. I was so nervous. We talked for a good 15 minutes and the guy seemed like he was really listening.
I think at that point I realized I didn't need all the answers; and if I helped someone just get one step closer to being pro-life that was better than saying nothing.
The next morning on her way to a second day of outreach at Georgia Tech, Charity had another unforgettable conversation, this time on a MARTA train. To find out what happened, read JFA’s Janaury Impact Report, entitled “Charity on the Metro” (www.jfaweb.org/Impact/Metro).
Charity on the Metro
2014: A Snapshot in Recent Letters, Posts, and Pics
Here are links to recent JFA letters, blog posts, and pics:
- 2014 Year-End Report: JFA Helps Volunteers Escape an "Easy Escape"
- 2014 Year-End Report - Extras, including a post on ISIS
- Steve's Christmas Letter: A Tale of Two Gifts
- A Tale of Two Gifts - Extras, including Steve's "Don't Be Like Me" Story
- November 2014 Update with Pictures
- October 2014 Impact Report: Crippled by Fear? Rise and Do Feet Work.
- September 2014 Update with Pictures
Give a year-end gift to JFA here: www.jfaweb.org/Donate
JFA Fall 2014 Events - Update #2 (Pictures)
See some of JFA's recent events in pictures:
Georgia State University: Nov. 2014 (gallery)
Related Recent Posts:
- JFA Fall 2014 Events Update #1
- JFA's 2014 Report (including McKinsey's reflection interwoven with JFA's 2014 numbers)
- JFA - 2014 in Numbers (in a list, including campuses on which JFA conducted outreach)
(updated with Georgia pictures on 11/25/2014)
