Never underestimate the ability of a few determined people to change the course of history. Twelve disciples turned the world upside down after the resurrection, and a handful of men set events in motion that would end slavery in the United States.
“In 1854 in Ripon, Wis., 17 Christian men gathered and resolved that slavery did not honor God,” actor Kevin Sorbo said. “These stalwart men formed the Republican Party, and six years later, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. Their strategy was very simple – they said, `let’s just stop the spread of slavery.’ That small step formed a question in people’s minds. They came to see the truth, that slavery dishonors God. Slavery was wrong, and this wrong needed to be made right.”
The same commitment can turn the tide on abortion and build a culture of life.
“Christ came to set the captives free, but it took civilization a long time to figure it out, and it cost 650,000 lives,” he said. “Slavery deprived men, women and children of freedom. Abortion deprives them of the most basic freedom, and that is life.”
Kevin and Sam Sorbo.
Sorbo starred in the film “God’s Not Dead” and perhaps is best known for the title role in the TV series “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.” He was the featured speaker at the Vitae Foundation’s Kansas City pro-life dinner on September 25 at Arrowhead Stadium. Vitae, based in Jefferson City, describes its mission as facilitating lifesaving research and applying the findings to create messaging strategies to share with others to build a future where abortion is unthinkable.
“The team at Vitae does amazing work to save the lives of innocent babies, but they also focus on the emotional needs of the women who come in to meet with them,” Sorbo said. “These are women who are scared, nervous and don’t know what to do. The Vitae Foundation wants to educate and empower them.”
Although Sorbo enjoyed a successful Hollywood career as an actor, writer and producer, a series of strokes caused him to rethink the purpose of his life. “You picked a broken man to be here,” he said. “I once was broken, but I have been revived, I have been redeemed and I most certainly have been reborn.”
Sorbo speaks boldly about the evils of abortion and the sanctity of life, despite hostility from the Hollywood cancel culture.
“There is a lot of violence in our world,” he said. “One of the greatest attacks on America was not a terrorist attack by Islamic terrorists or Antifa marching down the street attacking businesses, but it was an attack perpetrated by our very own Supreme Court — the legalization of abortion. Since then, 60 million babies have been taken from the wombs of their mothers. That’s more than the entire population of Canada and Australia combined.”
Last year’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade shifted the fight from the federal government to the states. Kansas voters enshrined abortion right in the state constitution, and Missourians may have an opportunity to do the same next year.
“I realize the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — 50 years too late — but the battle is still going,” Sorbo said. “We just changed battlefields. They will try to keep abortion going at any price. Child sacrifice is big business. Through six decades of brainwashing by the media, movies and television, the taking of life has become commonplace and is passively accepted as no big deal.”
Groups such as Vitae provide pro-lifers the tools they need to counter this culture of death.
“Battles are winnable, but they must be fought,” he said. “The courts of the United States have given mothers the responsibility of determining the value of the life inside her. But any Christian will tell you that only God has that authority. I believe it became a political issue so the government can shut down pastors and churches, to scare them into not discussing the sanctity of life. I like to tell rabbis, pastors and priests that if you work for God, you do not work for the government.”
Sorbo finds inspiration from those men who bravely took a stand against slavery.
“Seventeen men said it was worth the fight — and it was a heck of a fight,” he said. “It must have seemed like a losing battle to them. Those 17 men were morally compelled to take a stand for freedom, whatever the cost.
“How many will it take to create a revolution for life? The sheep are going to be the sheep, and we need to wake up the lions. We cannot be afraid. Jesus was an amazing example of somebody who was not afraid to tell the truth. We all need to follow him.”
Sorbo encouraged attendees to support Vitae’s important work. “The Vitae Foundation is there offering support at these struggling, stressful times,” he said. “They offer hope. Abortion is the absence of hope. Adoption gives hope to the unborn child. “
Although the task may seem daunting, future generations may look back at these times as they do to Wisconsin in 1854.
“I am grateful to serve in this battle for freedom,” Sorbo said. “If we do nothing, it certainly will break and destroy our country. Miracles happen. We saw it in 1776, and we saw it again in 1865. We live in a country that has a miraculous history. When you support the Vitae Foundation, you support the transformation of a desperate country. Let’s reverse the culture of death and replace it with the culture of life on which this nation was founded.”
To support the Vitae Foundation or learn more about its work, visit www.vitaefoundation.org. Find out more about Kevin Sorbo’s upcoming movie “Miracle in East Texas” or new children’s book, “The Test of Lionhood,” atwww.sorbostudios.com.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice