Debunking Dr. Dixon

Why shooting abortion doctors might be justifiable homicide

Dr. Greg Dixon, former pastor of Indianapolis Baptist Church, has published an article in Freedom Phoenix Why It’s Wrong to Kill Abortion Doctors.

A few friends and associates, people whom I have grown to love and admire, have confided in me that they disagree with my position: deadly force to protect pre-born children may be justifiable. My few pacifist friends are in want of a reasonable argument as to why it is acceptable to use deadly force to protect a kindergarten class, but unacceptable to use deadly force to protect pre-born children. Dr. Dixon’s article attempts to reconcile these differences.

Dr. Dixon begins his article by telling his readers why he is declining an invitation to speak at Pastor Butch Paugh’s July 31st Camp Meeting. Pastor Michael Bray is also a speaker at this conference. In the 1980’s Pastor Bray served 5 years in prison for his part in the destruction of 5 Florida death camps. Pastor Bray wrote a book “A Time to Kill,” which offers a scholarly position on the justification of the use of force. Dr. Dixon does not want his name associated with Michael Bray.

Dr. Dixon accuses Pastor Butch of hypocrisy: “If you truly believe the use of force is biblical then why don’t you do it yourself?”

The answer is simple: Few (including myself) are willing to pay the price! Many believe it is biblically justified to smuggle Bibles into Cuba, but how many actually do it?

Dr. Dixon does not address the humanity and worth of the pre-born in his article. One must wonder if he is opposed to abortion as his arguments are pro-choice. Does Dr. Dixon doubt pre-born children are human beings? Are they not persons? Are they not entitled to equal protection under the law? Is abortion not murder? Are pre-born children not entitled to the same rights, privileges and protections as post-born children? If Dr. Dixon agrees he is a hypocrite to chide those who are consistent in this doctrine. Dr. Dixon castigates Pastor Butch for not paying the price, while criticizing Pastor Bray for paying the price.

Dr. Dixon cites many scriptures and makes strong arguments to support his position that individuals are forbidden to exercise vengeance. Vengeance is the God-given authority of civil government. We heartily agree. The only problem we have with his argument is nobody is advocating vengeance!

Dr. Dixon obscures his position by confusing vengeance with defensive action. One might shoot an abortion doctor to avenge the blood that was shed; this is murder, it is clearly forbidden by scripture. But if one shoots the same abortionist, on the same given day in defense of pre-born children as James Kopp, Scott Roeder, or Paul Hill did, it may be justifiable homicide. As the courts refuse to recognize the humanity of the pre-born, these men, and Pastor Bray, were deprived of this defense in their respective trials.  

There is a conflict of interests in our legal and political system is there not? Our government permits, protects, and promotes the wanton slaughter of 4000 pre-born children per day. Are we not to resist the systematic execution of the innocent? By burning several of them to the ground, Mr. Bray took a manly stand against the baby-killing butchertoriums. He paid a price that few of us are willing to pay.

Dr. Dixon’s solution to the baby-killing problem is due process and “personal repentance” Personal piety and pro-life sentiments mean nothing to children slated for abortion. Due process has long been exhausted. Writing your Congressman does nothing. Dial 911 at the abortuary and the police are likely to arrest you. The pro-life strategy of packing the U.S. Supreme Court with pro-life justices is shattered. Roe v. Wade is “settled law” to Justices Kagan and Sotomayer. The Republican Party is content to appeasing all sides while doing nothing to end the holocaust.

Dr. Dixon is critical of an individual’s authority to defend pre-born children from aborticide. Should we just pay our tithes, sit in our pews and pray as children are being slaughtered? This is the wrong-headed mindset of the American church. It breeds spiritual shut-ins, and stay-at-home pro-lifers. Jesus commands: “love our neighbor as our self.” Is not the pre-born child our neighbor? Should we not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned? Matthew 25:31-46 Are we not to rescue those who are unjustly slated for death? Proverbs 24: 10-12

Dr. Dixon cites Romans 13 as if it is our unconditional duty to obey civil government; he cites the 6th Commandment “Thou shall not kill.”  Does not the 6th Commandment apply to government officials? Is our government not murdering children under a color of law? Are we to obey government that is in open rebellion to God’s holy law? What did Peter mean when he said “We must obey God rather than men?” Acts 5:29

Dr. Dixon suggests we sit around with our hands in our pockets awaiting the 2nd Coming of our Lord. Will Jesus be pleased by our inaction? I think not! He expects a return on His investment. Our prayer is sin if we do nothing but pray while children are being killed. We might be powerless to stop it, but if someone puts himself into harm’s way to save these children; should he not be honored rather than criticized for his heroic deeds?

Dr. Dixon maintains that our founding fathers acted under proper authority and were not rebels. We maintain the same for Pastor Bray. The Declaration of Independence declares the God-given “unalienable Right to Life” given to him by his “Creator.” The Declaration goes on to state that is the Right of the People to alter or abolish government which repugnant to this principle. The destruction of brick and mortar which supports child sacrifice is an appropriate biblical response. Gideon was justified in tearing down his father’s altar to Baal, which supported child sacrifice. Judges 6

Dr. Dixon accuses Pastor Bray of being a zealot and a vigilante. Again he confuses vengeance with defensive action. Pastor Bray destroyed facilities that were used in the destruction of innocent life; is a “zealot” someone who loves God and his neighbor too much? Dr. Dixon and I are not worthy to speak on the same platform with men of Paul Hill’s caliber. Paul Hill had more love in his trigger finger than the American Body of Christ.

Dr. Dixon argues that it is not the role of the church to use force to win the souls of men. No one is arguing that! What does winning souls have to do with saving innocent life? Amy Carmichael, upon being criticized for rescuing Indian children from child prostitution replied “Their souls are more or less attached to their bodies.” You cannot win the souls of the dead.

Dr. Dixon believes that those who use force to protect children deny the power of the Gospel. Do those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned deny the power of the Gospel? God commands us to do these things. We must at times use force to enforce his law. “Thou shall not murder” has both positive and negative connotations. We are not to murder and we are to prevent it.

There is “a time to kill” Eccleseasties 3:3 as stated in scripture, but there is never a time to murder. It is impossible to murder a serial killer, a paid assassin, one who kills over and over again; such a one who can only be stopped by death. If it is in our power, we are duty bound to stop him. I personally fall short of that. I cannot bring myself to kill another human being no matter how deserving of death. I acknowledge that such an individual deserves to die, but I know that I cannot squeeeze the trigger and kill him. Such are the defects of my character. I admit that I do not love God with my whole heart, my whole soul, my whole heart, and with all my strength; nor do I love my pre-born neighbor as myself. I am too selfish to spend the rest of my life in prison so that others may live. But I am not so much of a chicken butt that I cannot admit it. I will not cloak my selfishness and cowardice in phony piety at the expense of those who are more loving and courageous than I.

Our weak and feeble efforts do pay off. I received an e-mail today from a 12 year old girl who thanked us for our work. She was slated for abortion and someone persuaded her mother not to go through with it. She thanked us on behalf of whoever convinced her mother not to abort.

Dr. Dixon tells a story of an abortionist who repented. We are often told that Dr. So-in-
So might become another Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a former baby-killer turned to Christ. We say “So what?” How many children is the repentance of an abortionist worth? Who would sacrifice their living child so an abortionist MIGHT repent? Dr. Nathanson’s repentance is not worth one of the 10,000 children he killed. He should tell you so himself if he were truly penitent.

Dr. Dixon gives the example of Stephen crying out to God, not to lay the charge of murder to his murderers. I have heard similar arguments about turning the other cheek which is fine when it is YOUR cheek that you are turning. It is sin to permit injustice forced upon the weak and the helpless, it is phony piety.

Dr. Dixon writes of four times he was arrested for standing against for a righteous cause. We congratulate him for doing so, though none of it was for the babies. We ask “What have you done for the babies lately?” They are murdered every single day.

Lastly Dr. Dixon gives the example of Moses smiting an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. He said “if you examine the text closely, Moses used the same logic that the killers and bombers use today.” Suppose that were true. Where in the Bible does it say that Moses murdered the Egyptian? The scriptures say “Moses slew the Egyptian.” David slew Goliath and was hero for it.

Just because a person slays an abortionist, that does not make him a bad person! Some of the nicest and most loving people that I know have slain abortion doctors.

Dan Holman

Missionaries to the Pre-born, Iowa

P.O. Box 135

Keokuk, Iowa 52632

Truthvan@yahoo.com

(319) 524-5587