Gabriel Mizrahi

It drives me crazy and makes me sad when I hear about abuse, coercion, manipulation, and the like done in the name of God.

So when I hear stories like the one Jordan shared about the pastor who told the husband what the wife said in counseling, it drives me up the wall.

And since you're going to read this letter on air, I can't say what I said when I heard you tell that story.

Doing what that pastor did is pastoral misconduct.

It's abusive, and it is not Christian behavior.

Moreover, morality from scripture is more complicated than simply citing a verse.

Christian ethics involves wrestling with the tenets of our faith and trying our best to apply them to modern life.

Wrestling rather than reconciling.

I am pro-life, but I also acknowledge that there is no one specific verse about abortion in the Bible.

Yes, my belief that it's wrong is based on scripture, but I also recognize that the nuances of modern life don't always lead us to black and white understandings.

The woman who originally wrote in needs counseling.

She knows what her faith says about her decision to end the pregnancy, and she needs to unpack that with a true counselor.

A good therapist meets you where you are, respects your beliefs, and then works from that basis.

A good therapist isn't going to try and convert her.

So it's simple.

See a counselor.

In fact, I was taught in seminary that all pastors should have counselors.

I have a counselor.

She's a great resource to me to talk about what I'm going through and to help me process.

So it's healthy that this woman from the first letter is struggling.