Love Unleashes Life By Stephanie Gray

Have you ever been in a discussion with anyone on an important topic and you refute their claims? How often do they go “Well I guess you just refuted my position. I’ll join your side!” Almost never.

That is why the method of dialogue is even more important than having the right arguments and data on your side. Few people seem to realize that. Stephanie Gray in Love Unleashes Life shows us just that in dealing with abortion. I have had the honor of meeting Gray on a couple of occasions and hearing her speak. She’s been a professional pro-life apologist for over fifteen years. Most of that was with the Canadian Centre For Bio-Ethical Reform where she functioned as Executive Director, but now she works independently and can be found at stephaniegray.info.

The book approaches the subject of dialogue in a very human way. More of the book is focused on the how to communicate as opposed to what to communicate. While the proper arguments are a must, they are almost useless if you don’t communicate them correctly. It’s like having gasoline without a car.

In the first chapter, Gray employs the example of Jesus Christ and the scholar of the law in Luke 10:25. She points out that instead of Jesus responding with an answer, he responds with a question to draw the knowledge out of his interlocutor. This is what must be done with abortion supporters. Gray shows that we can lead them to the truth not by beating them over the head with the answer but by kindly leading them to the truth with a few questions. They almost always have the answer within them and we just need to ask the right questions to draw it out.

Love Unleashes Life also gives us numerous examples of Stephanie and her colleagues dialoguing with pro-choice people. One of the most important things that keeps surfacing in these dialogues is that you need to love and understand who you’re dialoguing with.  This area is key to communication because if you don’t love your opponent, how do you expect to convert them?

In addition to stressing the importance over the form of communication, she also gives us the proper arguments to use once we’ve mastered the proper art of communication. She goes objections one by one whether it be rape, poverty, the mothers life being at risk, and many others. Most people don’t know how to respond to these objections but Gray shows how it can be done.

Regardless of the arguments, the main message of the book is communication. It comes as no surprise that the subtitle of the book is Abortion And The Art Of Communicating Truth. Communication is important when discussing any topic but when discussing a sensitive topic like abortion, it has to be taken seriously. We must communicate with love, respect, and understanding.

Overall, Gray has done a wonderful job of giving pro-lifers the tools they need to dialogue on abortion. If you haven’t dialogued on abortion before, don’t worry. This book is for everyone whether you’re an activist, a volunteer for a pro-life group, or someone who is just getting their feet wet on this topic. I have many pro-life works in my library and am now happy to add Love Unleashes Life. Thank you Stephanie!