This past Sunday, former Police Detective Brad Ortenzi shared with our Petra community about his work with Zoe International in preventing human trafficking and the restoration that takes place after they rescue a young girl or boy from sexual exploitation. It always jars me.
In our church community, this issue is connected to the Sanctity of Human Life. We believe that human life is inestimably valuable from conception to final breath and requires a culture of protection and care. The unborn, the elderly, the vulnerable, the suicidal, the politically expedient—they each need political and social protections that provide them not just the integrity of life but the quality of life.
Here are some other articles we’ve written that may interest you.
Today, I wanted to reshare a segment of Brad’s blog post from August 2023 and appeal to us to “do something” about human trafficking. Popular author Eric Metaxas said, "God expects those who have a voice to speak out for those who do not." Trafficking isn't just across the ocean. It's on route 30, for heaven's sake. It's in Lancaster County! It's in Berks! Chester! People are waking up in a nightmare of abuse, mind control, financial pressure, shame, and hopelessness. I encourage you to visit ZOE INTERNATIONAL's website to learn more about the problems and solutions. Here are Brad's thoughts.
From Brad Ortenzi, August of 2023:
In a broken world where children are sexually exploited due to lust and greed, we need to look to scripture for an assurance that justice will prevail. Here in Isaiah, we are assured that God’s servant, Jesus, is at work despite the realities of our world. Notice how Jesus is synonymous with justice.
Isaiah 42:1-4
[1] “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.
[2] He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
[3] A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
[4] he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
How and in what timing Jesus brings justice to the nations is sometimes an enigma. What we do know is that Jesus often starts by inspiring his own people with a stirring in our spirit that causes us to no longer be able to look the other way. It’s something deep within us that enflames us with righteous anger and moves us to action.
Recently, through current events and a blockbuster movie, there’s been a buzz about child trafficking. The Church at large seems to be awakened to the atrocities of the sexual exploitation of God’s children. Those of us on the frontline of child trafficking are glad for this awareness as we’ve been beating the same drum for years. Now, finally, the Church seems to be listening.
The real question that remains is: What are we, as believers in God’s justice, going to do with this new sense of awareness we now possess? Awareness is great, and it’s a start, but awareness without action is dead (James 2:20).
If you’re looking for specific action steps, here are a few:
We can…
- PRAY
- EDUCATE ourselves about the trafficking in our own communities.
- ATTACK VULNERABILITY. Without vulnerability, traffickers have little to prey on.
- FINANCIALLY INVEST in trusted ministries, such as ZOE INTERNATIONAL.
- ENCOURAGE and SUPPORT those on the front lines of human trafficking.
Tags: abortion, education, life, protection, politics, restoration, liberty, care, intervention, rights, laws, human trafficking
