By Pastor Matthew Trewhella, June 19th, 2019
On Tuesday, June 11th, the city of Waskom, Texas declared itself the first Sanctuary City for the Preborn in the United States. The declaration and ordinance has caused no small stir. People have been talking about it from coast to coast.
The purpose of my brief thoughts here is not to expound upon the good, the bad, and the ugly of the city’s actions – others have given long and excellent critiques, including those innately involved in this effort in Waskom. They – and others – have also given a warning for the need for purity in the effort for the preborn. And I offer a simple historical exhortation to that end.
When the magistrates of Magdeburg, Germany decided to interpose against Emperor Charles V and his Augsburg Interim, they were engaged in a desperate act. They were greatly outnumbered and stood as the lone city to defy in the whole Empire.
Their writings and letters during the siege of their city from October 1550 to November 1551, reveal they had no idea they could win the conflict. They saw their dire condition as perhaps the consummation of the age. They were doing what they did solely because it was right in the sight of Christ. They could have never foreseen that their actions would save the Reformation.
The forces sent to lay siege to Magdeburg were led by Maurice of Saxony. After 13 months of siege and battle, Maurice decided to join the magistrates of Magdeburg in their interposition against Charles V. Saxony was like a state within the Empire. This would be like a state standing in interposition against federal tyranny in America.
The story of Magdeburg is the story of a city that defied an empire.
Notice that the state officials and Maurice did not do right until a city stood against the tyranny. And this is often the case. Often the lower magistrates in a state must prod the higher-ranking officials before they will do right.
This is the good about Waskom. For the first time since the bloodshed commenced 46 years ago, municipal level magistrates are taking a stand rather than just quietly submitting to the slaughter. Perhaps Waskom’s attempt to interpose will prod the state officials and Governor Abbott in Texas to defy Roe and defend the preborn from murder altogether. It is also good that no deathcamps are allowed in their city and sale of chemical abortions outlawed.
The bad about Waskom is that their ordinance allows the murder of those conceived in rape or incest, and the mythical “life of the mother” exception.
The ugly is that their ordinance acknowledges Roe. This is what happens when lawyers get involved who are wed to trying to reverse Roe. They convinced the magistrates of Waskom to go to the tyrant with hat in hand and ask the tyrant to rescind his tyranny via a court case. This is the failed strategy of the pro-life movement for over four decades.
The duty of the magistrates in the face of the murderous Roe opinion is not to create a case, rather, their duty is to ignore Roe and defy the Supreme Court.
The duty in the face of murder is interposition – not 46 years of parleying with Supreme Court nominees and cases.
Purity must be maintained here.
The ministers, magistrates, and people of Magdeburg maintained purity regarding the Gospel. They did not treat the matter as playing politics – getting what they could and compromising to get it. You cannot compromise on primary doctrines of the Christian faith. Nor can you compromise when it comes to murder.
The history of the pro-life movement in the political realm has been a history of treachery and betrayal against the preborn. That needs to cease. And only Christian people faithful to Christ can make it cease.
The doctrine of the lesser magistrates continues to grow. More municipal magistrates will take action in the days ahead. Those who love Christ and their neighbor must assure that the next city does better and protects all the preborn.
The Lord blessed the faithful and valiant actions of the Magdeburgers and their magistrates. He will bless the faithful and valiant actions of America’s magistrates. We must be faithful to Christ and instruct the magistrates in their God-given duty.
Matthew Trewhella is the pastor of Mercy Seat Christian Church (MercySeat.net) and heads up Missionaries to the Preborn (MissionariestothePreborn.com). He and his wife, Clara, have eleven children and reside in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. To learn more about the lie of judicial supremacy or obtain the book The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates: A Proper Response to Tyranny and A Repudiation of Unlimited Obedience to Civil Government go to the websites DefyTyrants.com or LesserMagistrate.com
http://lessermagistrate.com/
The man behind the mission
Matt Trewhella is pastor of Mercy Seat Christian Church (founded in 1988) in the Milwaukee, WI area and founder of Missionaries to the Preborn.
Through his research and teaching on the biblical duties of the lower magistrate, Pastor Matt Trewhella came across the Magdeburg Confession, an important historical work that became the first in the history of mankind to set forth in a doctrinal format what only later came to be known as the Lesser Magistrate Doctrine.
Pastor Trewhella and his wife Clara live in the Milwaukee, WI area. They have eleven children.
You can read Pastor Trewhella’s testimony here.
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