The Equal Rights Institute Podcast: Recent Episodes
Equal Rights Institute
This is the Equal Rights Institute podcast. It is focused on helping pro-life people to be more persuasive when they communicate with pro-choice people. The main feature of this podcast is a weekly episode of an ERI author reading his or her article, but will also include short clips from our Equipped for Life Course podcast, live speech audio, and ERI updates. Equal Rights Institute is an organization dedicated to training pro-life advocates to think clearly, reason honestly and argue persuasively.
Jacob Nels joins host Marylee Shrider on Voices for Life, a production of Right to Life of Kern County, to discuss his sidewalk counseling ministry and the resources that Equal Rights Institute provides to increase your effectiveness outside of abortion facilities. In this episode, Jacob provides insight into fostering dialogues with abortion-minded women, including conversation starters, body language, clothing, signage, and graphic images.
0:30 — Recap of part 1
2:33 — Understanding what abortion-minded women are going through
6:53 — Conversation starters on the sidewalk
9:45 — Focusing on helping and loving the woman
10:49 — Body language and what to wear
13:18 — Keeping a calm presence
13:50 — All ages can be effective on the sidewalk
14:55 — Continuing the conversation throughout their time at the clinic
16:25 — Effective use of signs
18:42 — Graphic images
23:32 — Talking to pastors about sidewalk counseling
25:40 — Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass information
27:48 — Conclusion
Right to Life Kern County
http://rtlkc.org/
Jacob Nels joins host Marylee Shrider on Voices for Life, a production of Right to Life of Kern County, to discuss his sidewalk counseling ministry and the resources that Equal Rights Institute provides to increase your effectiveness outside of abortion facilities. In this episode, Jacob provides tips and tools for engaging with alternative protestors as well as conversation starters for talking to abortion-minded women.
2:38 — Introduction to Jacob Nels, Speaker/Sidewalk Counseling Trainer at Equal Rights Institute
3:30 — Introduction to ERI and Jacob’s story beginning sidewalk counseling ministry
6:40 — Dealing with alternative pro-life presences on the sidewalk
11:30 — Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass information
12:25 — Dealing with alternative pro-life presences on the sidewalk, cont.
24:13 — Understanding and reaching out to abortion-minded women in conversation starters
26:03 — Conclusion
Right to Life Kern County
http://rtlkc.org/
Josh sits outside the ERI office to share our May 2021 update on what has been going on behind the scenes at ERI, including a recent speaking trip featuring two new seminars and an expansion to the Equipped for Life Course.
Related Links:
Josh's relational apologetics speech at Life Fellowship Church:
https://youtu.be/ndO3nByqVrM
Integrity, Hypocrisy, and Witness: Learning from the Failures of Ravi Zacharias:
https://youtu.be/siCmqKtoR0o
Pastors, You Can Reduce Abortions in Your Church | Pro-Life Theology in Practice:
https://youtu.be/szw8ASoUZGw
Article: One Thing Every Pastor Can Do to Prevent Abortions in Their Congregation:
http://bit.ly/2ICXWbo
Josh's speech at a seminar on the pastor pledge:
http://bit.ly/2NIrABS
Steve Wagner: It’s Her Body
http://bit.ly/2DfsYJ4
Equipped for Life Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Support Equal Rights Institute:
https://equalrightsinstitute.com/donate/
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:59 Speaking trip in Oregon
07:25 Ongoing video production & SEO work
17:33 Bragging on our other staff
21:19 Updating our bodily rights training
24:46 Equipped for Life Course workbook 2.0
28:17 Wrap up and thank you to donors
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
First Track: Odessa — LiQWYD & Scandinavianz [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: https://youtu.be/jNy-Dp3lgcg
Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/odessa
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Equal Rights Institute Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
Equal Rights Institute Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass:
http://SidewalkCounselingMasterclass.com
Audio/Video Editor: Josh Brahm
Publisher: Jen Westmoreland
After hiking Crabtree Falls Josh shares what has been going on behind the scenes at ERI, including finding Rachel's replacement and his three big goals for the rest of 2020.
Josh recorded this in the field with just his camera mic so the audio isn't the best. Also, the camera ran out of space 20 seconds before he finished so the audio noticeably switches to his backup phone recording at that point. Sorry about that!
0:00: Intro;
0:50: Footage and Pictures from Crabtree Falls;
1:36: Rachel's resignation;
2:22: Rachel's replacement, Emily Albrecht;
5:14: Goal #1;
6:51: Goal #2;
8:25: Goal #3;
16:24: Exactly what we would do with your increased giving right now.
To watch the YouTube version, click here:
https://youtu.be/wSRfkG02Kio
Related links:
How One Student Group Radically Changed Their Campus Culture
Abortion as "Self-Defense"
Example Dialogue Podcasts:
- Pro-Life Tim and Pro-Choice Rachel
- Pro-Life Josh and Pro-Choice Tim
- Pro-Life Rachel and Pro-Choice Tim
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Track: Odessa — LiQWYD & Scandinavianz [Audio Library Release]
Music provided by Audio Library Plus
Watch: https://youtu.be/jNy-Dp3lgcg
Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/odessa
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sound effects from Zapsplat.com
In February 2020 Josh Brahm was invited to speak at multiple pro-life events in Ireland. This is from a Q&A session after one of those events.
Questions:
- 0:00: How would you respond to someone who counters your argument about freedom of conscience for physicians by saying that doctors are in an occupation where they can’t opt out for personal reasons, just like ambulance drivers can’t decide not to help someone with a swastika tattoo?
- 3:04: What about doctors being obligated to refer women to abortion practitioners?
- 6:05: How should we respond to people who wonder how we would manage a pregnant woman who is suicidal over her pregnancy?
- 9:14: How do you respond to people who say that you should be able to kill people if they’re using your body?
- 17:36: What is a good approach to pro-life protesting, especially given that our abortions happen in hospitals?
- 29:22: Do you think displays of white crosses are a good idea?
- 31:46: How does the dynamic change if you’re debating in front of an audience or in a TV studio?
- 36:44: Dealing with relativists who happily contradict themselves, even saying 1+1 can equal 3, and people who admit the unborn is a human but say that human rights should begin later.
Related Links:
Jordan Peterson / Cathy Newman debate
William Lane Craig vs. Christopher Hitchens debate
Survey of biologists Josh referenced
In February 2020 Josh Brahm was invited to speak at multiple pro-life events in Ireland. This is the edited audio from a speech he gave made particularly for their pro-life movement based on what is going on right now in their country, but includes helpful advice for movements in other countries as well.
Related Links:
Equipped for Life Course
Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass
Purchase ERI outreach brochures
ERI Update Video January 2020 (with more explanation of what Josh was doing in Ireland)
Josh Brahm took a walk along the cliffs of Ireland to share with you what the ERI staff are up to lately. We've intercut the footage with a lot of beautiful pictures and videos Josh took around Ireland, so if you want to watch instead of just listen, here's the link: https://youtu.be/yeyxlhFrJUU
Here's the video Josh mentioned of people from around the world sharing how ERI has helped them:
https://youtu.be/Q8JUkI88dYg
Links to both of ERI's podcast feeds:
https://equalrightsinstitute.com/podcasts/
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
Equipped for Life Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass:
http://SidewalkCounselingMasterclass.com
Josh Brahm recently sat in our new studio to give you an update on what's been going on behind the scenes at Equal Rights Institute. There are a lot of visuals in this video, so it's best watched instead of listened to on the podcast, but both are available.
Topics:
- 01:14 - New studio;
- 03:55 - Tim's resignation;
- 05:01 - New Director of Training and behind the scenes of the new Equipped for Life extension;
- 07:25 - Launch of the Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass;
- 11:29 - Encouraging testimonies from the Protect Life Michigan conference;
- 13:49 - Relaunching the Equipped for Life Podcast into a free, public feed;
- 18:42 - Our plans to make a bigger impact at the next March for Life.
Testimonials from the Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass:
"I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone wanting to get involved in sidewalk counseling. Before watching the course, sidewalk counseling seemed like an intimidating thing that should be left to others more knowledgeable and gifted. After watching this course, I feel very confident that I could get out there and do it." - Jessica
"This course has real-life lessons from seasoned sidewalk counselors. I appreciated so much that they not only make suggestions of what to do, but also shared their own mistakes and what they have learned. It's paced such that you don't need any experience in sidewalk counseling to follow it. The training is incredibly practical---- seriously, this course will be some of the best money you ever spend!" - Laura
"I found myself making exclamations out loud! I was totally drawn to the reasonings and stories. I felt I could finally put a finger on things that were wrong with my previous experience. I felt inspired to just go back out there (it's been a year). I am sure that if the material was presented in a teaching format, I could not have processed everything in a personal way. When one video ended, I wanted to just see what was next on the next video." - Debra
On October 1st, 2019 the city of Jackson, Mississippi passed a buffer-zone law prohibiting free speech near healthcare facilities, which includes the last remaining abortion facility in the state of Mississippi. By looking at the events leading up to this ordinance being passed, pro-life advocates can learn to make better strategic decisions to prevent buffer-zone laws from being passed in their city. Some pro-lifers argue that buffer-zones are unconstitutional, but whether or not this ordinance is eventually upheld (like Hill v Colorado was in 2000) or dismissed, it is undeniably a devastating blow to sidewalk counseling in Mississippi as well as throughout the country.
Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass (use code "HELP"):
http://SidewalkCounselingMasterclass.com
For more information:
Consent Decree Pro-life Mississippi v Horton 2016:
http://bit.ly/2IkFnLS
City Council Meeting Sept. 26th, see item 8:
http://bit.ly/34ZjN9H
Hill v. Colorado Supreme Court decision:
http://bit.ly/2V8Y0YB
News report from MSN:
http://bit.ly/30JuXf2
News report from the Guardian:
http://bit.ly/2M5ugYo
Clinic escort group Facebook page:
http://bit.ly/2Og16IF
Josh Brahm and Rachel Crawford discuss the abortion episode in the third season of "13 Reasons Why," how it misrepresents the pro-life movement, and what pro-life people ought to say when they hear people bring it up.
Video version of this discussion is available at our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/EqualRightsInstitute
Related Links:
ERI Blog: "Sometimes It’s Not about the Argument"
http://bit.ly/2ws4nIW
Preorder the Sidewalk Counseling Masterclass:
http://bit.ly/2P3tL5O
This is the audio from yesterday's Facebook Live event where Josh Brahm talked about what he learned about the controversial Marshae Jones case, where a pregnant woman's baby died as a result of a gunshot in a fight, and yet the mother has been charged. Once you dig into the story, it's more complicated than the headlines imply.
Read Josh's article on this case here:
https://blog.equalrightsinstitute.com/bringing-clarity-shooting-marshae-jones-story/
Josh Brahm gives an update on what's been going on behind the scenes at the ERI office, regarding recent speaking trips, making the video series analyzing "Reversing Roe," and an update on the sidewalk counseling course.
Related Links:
Video Series: Reversing Roe - Exposing the Bias:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com/ReversingRoe
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh Brahm offers a few practical dialogue tips for pro-life advocates that will help with big family gatherings. Learn more with these two articles: - 6 Things Every Pro-Life Advocate Needs to Know Before the Holidays: http://bit.ly/2KfqhHz - 7 Tips for Handling a Forced Political Debate at the Holiday Dinner Table: http://bit.ly/2Klw0eC
In November of 2017 the Holy Family Respect Life Committee, in conjunction with Charles County Right to Life, invited Josh Brahm and David Bereit to speak at their annual pro-life conference in Southern Maryland.
After the keynote sessions, Josh and David did a panel discussion and Q&A, joined by Michele Hendrickson, Capital Area Regional Director for Students for Life of America and Heather Sells, CEO of the Catherine Foundation, a local Pregnancy Resource Center. The panel discussion was hosted by Ali Rak from the Southern Maryland Pro-Life Symposium.
Apologies for occasional audio issues in the panel discussion. They used tabletop panel discussion mics and when Heather would turn her head away from the mic sometimes her mic sort of cuts out. We've made some edits where possible, and you can always get the gist of what she's saying.
Questions:
- 0:01:29 - From your standpoint, what does the pro-life movement need to do to become more effective?
- 0:16:00 - What should pro-life advocates avoid and what hurts our cause the most?
- 0:31:00 - What is access to abortion like in Southern Maryland? Where does a woman who is abortion-minded go to terminate a pregnancy? How many of them tend to go to the local Pregnancy Resource Centers? Paint a picture of what it's like to be in crisis in Southern Maryland.
- 0:35:49 - What does counseling an abortion-minded woman look like in your Pregnancy Resource Center as opposed to sidewalk counseling where you often only have a moment to start that conversation?
- 0:43:39 - How are college and high school students shaping the pro-life movement? How do we get more youth involved, and why should there be a Students for Life club at every school in the country?
- 0:51:26 - Josh, as a "connoisseur of good arguments and gracious conversation," how can pro-lifers use Facebook and social media as a force for good?
- 0:56:06 - How do we build the pro-life community locally, one that is engaged and motivated toward action, rather than just being pro-life?
- 1:04:53 - Can we learn anything from the effectiveness of the gay marriage movement that we can apply to our movement?
- 1:09:55 - It seems like there is so much emphasis these days on individual rights, where for some people, even if they personally feel like abortion is wrong, they don't feel like it's their place to speak out against abortion because they don't want to offend someone. How do you get beyond that?
- 1:13:10 - You said that you don't approach this issue from a religious standpoint, and I'm struggling with the idea of stopping at the concept of equal rights because I think equal rights come from a religious standpoint. I'm assuming you talk to lots of college students who don't believe in equal rights. How do you deal with that without getting into the religious aspect that we're created in God's image and not a product of evolution?
- 1:19:32 - Josh, you mentioned utilitarianism. Can you explain what that is and how it might come up in abortion conversations?
- 1:21:33 - I was really struck by a statistic that was shared about one in four women in church having had an abortion. How can we effectively express that graphic imagery and very strongly worded signs almost create a PTSD kind of moment for a lot of women who have made a very difficult decision in their lives, and would like to be involved in the pro-life movement, but can't abide by being in that presence? How do we overcome that obstacle?
Related Links:
Timothy Brahm for the ERI Blog: Abortion Images: A Case for Disagreement without Division:
http://bit.ly/2uJWRcI
Live Speech Audio from Timothy Brahm: Using Digital Media to Save Lives:
https://youtu.be/dRulvkh9Vuw
Josh Brahm for the ERI Blog: Understanding What Richard Dawkins Actually Believes About Abortion and Down Syndrome:
http://bit.ly/2y4DZJq
Josh Brahm for the ERI Blog: Richard Dawkins Retweeted My Article, and What We Can Learn From That:
http://bit.ly/2y496oG
Amazon: Blueprint for Revolution:
https://amzn.to/2LnIRg4 (Affiliate link)
Amazon: After the Ball:
https://amzn.to/2utEiKR (Affiliate link)
For more on utilitarianism, read Timothy Brahm's recent article, Thanos Would Be Pro-Choice:
http://bit.ly/2H8zONi
Southern Maryland Pro-Life Symposium:
https://www.somdpro-life.com
David Bereit:
http://DavidBereit.com
Students for Life of America:
https://studentsforlife.org
The Catherine Foundation:
http://catherinefoundation.org
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
In November of 2017 the Holy Family Respect Life Committee, in conjunction with Charles County Right to Life, invited Josh Brahm and David Bereit to speak at their annual pro-life conference in Southern Maryland.
In this keynote David shares the story of how he got involved in the pro-life movement in spite of being an unlikely activist and encourages the audience to become more active in the pro-life movement, including practical advice on how to find your pro-life lane and get plugged in.
Related Link: DavidBereit.com
In November of 2017 the Holy Family Respect Life Committee, in conjunction with Charles County Right to Life, invited Josh Brahm and David Bereit to speak at their annual pro-life conference in Southern Maryland.
In this keynote Josh shares seven practical dialogue tips (including two that he's never taught before!) as well as explaining how to use the Equal Rights Argument to change minds about abortion.
Related Links:
Southern Maryland Pro-Life Symposium:
https://www.somdpro-life.com
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh Brahm recently sat in the conference room in our new office to give you an update on what's been going on behind the scenes at Equal Rights Institute:
- 01:41 - Sidewalk Counseling Course production update;
- 02:58 - Why following us on Facebook and Twitter will help us publish books;
- 07:18 - Introduction to my project to help pastors prevent abortions in their churches.
Related Links:
- Photo Album: Equal Rights Institute Turns Four
- Information about Josh's upcoming speaking events in Ohio and Berkeley
- Click here to like us on Facebook
- Click here to follow us on Twitter
- Article: One Thing Every Pastor Can Do to Prevent Abortions in Their Congregation
- Pastor Pledge Landing Page
- Click here to donate to Equal Rights Institute
- Contact Us form
- Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.
Timothy Brahm explains how now more than ever, pro-choice advocates are turning to the back alley abortion argument. Watch this video to learn how to respond graciously and persuasively.
Related Links:
- Audio Blog: Bodily Rights Arguments Necessitate Extremism
- Blog Article: Bodily Rights Arguments Necessitate Extremism
Click here to follow Timothy on Twitter.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh Brahm gives a mini ERI update because we're making some changes that will impact this podcast schedule.
ERI Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course: https://EquippedCourse.com
When the first Women’s March happened in 2017, Rachel was a senior in College. She was taking women’s studies classes, so she was surrounded by people who were promoting, organizing, and going to the Women’s March. She felt immersed in that culture, and it was a really interesting experience for her.
This post, inspired by that experience, takes that Women’s March and pro-choice activism and looks at what pro-life advocates can learn from what they did right and discusses what we should do differently.
Related Links:
Read the Washington Post article about the Women's March removing New Wave Feminists from the list of official sponsors:
http://bit.ly/2rTIsdA
See the list of Women's March partners and sponsors:
http://bit.ly/2kbfQsg
Josh Brahm: Fetus Tunnel Vision: 4 Reasons Pro-Lifers Need to Stop Doing This:http://bit.ly/2Fgx00M
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2Gmwn6A
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Rachel interviews Lori Navrodtzke, a Pregnancy Resource Center counselor and Justice For All volunteer, about how to dialogue with people about abortion if they’ve already had one.
In this clip, Rachel and Lori discuss how we should proceed in the conversation if we ask someone if they have had a personal abortion experience and they say “no.” They also give some examples of how to let people know about post-abortive healing, even if they don’t feel like they need it at this time.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
At the 2018 Students for Life of America Conference, Timothy Brahm gave a never-before-heard speech on social media dialogue. After the presentation, Tim answered some questions from the audience along with Josh Tijerina from Halcyon, another social media presenter at the conference who presented before Tim did. Below are listed some of the different points that he makes in the speech, in case you would like to jump around:
Problems with Conversations on Social Media: * 2:27: When people are in fight mode, they can’t hear you. It is not just about the arguments. * 3:43: Social media conversations are extra challenging because they are public, not private * 4:33: Social media breeds hypersensitivity to our own brand management. * 6:07: The structure of comment threads work against you. * 7:12: The “like” system influences how causal observers perceive your writing through an unfair filter. * 8:15: People on social media are almost immune from normal social pressures. * 10:07: Recent political hostility has conditioned people to be angry online. * 11:03: Social media is structured as an engine for constant outrage.
16 Tips for Social Media Dialogue: * 16:08: Move your conversation to private message, Skype, or in person as soon as possible. * 17:06: Make minimal persuasion goals. * 18:00: Be aware of the lack of nonverbal communication. * 18:34: Post things with your pro-choice friends in mind. * 19:22: Try hard to assume the best about people. * 19:34: Take a step back if you’re feeling defensive. * 19:57: Point out every piece of common ground. * 20:14: Try to only use neutral language. * 20:31: Ask lots of clarification questions, make few statements and arguments. Try to wait to do so until the conversation is one-on-one. * 20:48: Choose a friendly looking profile picture. * 21:17: Don’t name-drop philosophers or logical fallacies. * 21:36: Don’t feed the trolls. * 22:08: Use links very sparingly. * 22:28: Only cite neutral sources. Do not link to pro-life websites. * 22:36: Point out when they teach you something. * 23:18: Sow intentional, positive seeds with people who you hope to dialogue with someday.
Q and A with Tim Brahm and the other presenter who spoke before him, Josh Tijerina: * 25:25: “When is the appropriate time to use snark in dialogues?” * 26:39: “In regards to your point about liking pro-choice friend’s comments when you think they are being charitable or gracious in dialogue, do you think that could be misinterpreted or come off as strange to your pro-life friends?” * 28:01: “Have you done any studies on the effectiveness of graphic abortion images on social media?” * 30:01: “In tip number four, you suggest we post on social media with our pro-choice friends in mind. I am a Christian and this influences my pro-life view, so sometimes I post Christian things or bible verses. What do you think about this?”
Related Links:
Listen to the ERI team tell stories from the SFLA 2018 Conference:
http://bit.ly/2F0hRQy
Timothy Brahm: On Virtue Signaling:
http://bit.ly/2FuIrSz
Timothy Brahm: Don’t Be Too Nice:
http://bit.ly/2vPMDX4
Josh Brahm: Don’t Name Logical Fallacies:
http://bit.ly/2ikWwed
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel finish the six-part series on how to be an effective pro-life advocate on social media. They give 7 more practical tips on argumentation.
In these clips, the team gives 2 tips for how to use sources or research studies in online conversations.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
This is the last in a series of three pieces that Josh wrote on the topic of fetus tunnel vision. The first piece defines fetus tunnel vision and gives four arguments for why pro-life people should not have it. The second responds to some concerns and complaints about the piece. And this third piece addresses more questions.
Related Links:
Josh Brahm: Fetus Tunnel Vision: 4 Reasons Pro-Lifers Need to Stop Doing This:http://bit.ly/2FieZz1
Josh Brahm: Responding to Concerns Regarding My “Fetus Tunnel Vision” Piece:http://bit.ly/2r6YaBO
Watch Josh lead a discussion about a meme that a friend and colleague of his distributed right after the Aurora movie theater massacre:
https://youtu.be/SNuuKaRqiio
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2rmJXAQ
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course, Josh, Tim, and Rachel continue a multi-part series on how to be an effective pro-life advocate on social media. They give 9 more practical tips.
In this clip, the team discusses the sometimes unseen dynamics at play in a conversation and how this should affect our approach. Especially online, we need to remember that people are watching, whether it is in the public comments or in a private message which may be taken in a screenshot and spread publicly.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh walks around a botanical garden in Denmark and shares about what's been going on behind the scenes at ERI lately:
- 00:00 - What Josh did in Denmark
- 13:02 - Why Josh had to completely rework the way we do webinars
- 17:07 - Speaker training for Rachel and her first speaking tour in Oregon and Pennsylvania
- 19:35 - Where we're at with the big Equipped for Life Course extension and why it's taking so long
- 22:02 - Why we're building a video studio instead of renting studio time like we did when we first filmed the course two years ago
ERI Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course: https://EquippedCourse.com
The previous audio blog, “Fetus Tunnel Vision: 4 Reasons Pro-Lifers Need to Stop Doing This,” was a relatively controversial piece that Josh wrote about 5 years ago. Some people loved it, some hated it, and some had really good questions. Josh ended up writing 2 follow-up pieces responding to the concerns and questions he was seeing as he publicly engaged people on this issue. This is the first.
Related Links:
Josh Brahm: Fetus Tunnel Vision: 4 Reasons Pro-Lifers Need to Stop Doing This:http://bit.ly/2FieZz1
Purchase The Sex Slave Murders: The True Story of Serial Killers Gerald & Charlene Gallego by R. Barri Flowers:
https://amzn.to/2Hxs5gB
Timothy Brahm: On Virtue-Signaling:
http://bit.ly/2FuIrSz
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2r6YaBO
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel continue a multi-part series on how to be an effective pro-life advocate on social media. They give 12 more practical tips.
In this clip, Josh introduces an idea from game theory, Rapoport’s rules. He talks about the value of the third rule: recognize when the other person teaches you something.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Here at ERI we like to help pro-life people not be weird. About 5 years ago, a Students for Life staff person reached out to Josh asking for an example of a weird thing pro-life people do. The first thing that came to his mind was what we call fetus tunnel vision.
This was something Josh had been thinking about for years. In the first several years after 9/11, every time the anniversary came around he would see a lot of pro-life people posting on social media comparing the number of people who died on 9/11 to the number of babies aborted every day. This article and the following in the series explain why this is a bad idea.
Related Links:
Watch an interview of a survivor of sex slavery describing the hell of her experience:
http://youtu.be/tdzQMmL_bZE
Learn about the term "abortion juke":
http://bit.ly/2Hl1P4Y
Watch me lead a discussion about a meme that a friend and colleague of mine distributed right after the Aurora movie theater massacre:
https://youtu.be/SNuuKaRqiio
Listen to Part 2 and a bonus discussion (#155: Is it Wise to Make Comparisons to the Aurora Movie Theater Shooting? - PART 2 and BONUS: Post-Episode Discussion from #154–155):
https://apple.co/2qRhylj
Share the original article:
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ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course, Josh, Tim, and Rachel continue a multi-part series on how to be an effective pro-life advocate on social media. In this episode, they begin a series of 35 practical tips in five categories.
In this clip, Tim explains why we should be trying to make minimum persuasion goals when we dialogue on Facebook. Josh makes an important point about posting comments with a lot of text.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Many conversations about abortion succeed or fail because of your rapport, or lack thereof, with the pro-choice person. Even a perfectly articulated pro-life argument will just glance off of a combative pro-choice mind, so people who are skilled at dialogue use wisdom to build rapport and make the tone of the conversation friendly.
This piece gives a kind of interesting dialogue tip that has made a huge difference in building rapport in Tim's conversations. He didn’t even notice it was significant until Rachel pointed it out.
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2ypoOre
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course, Josh, Tim, and Rachel continue a multi-part series on how to be an effective pro-life advocate on social media. Tim discusses virtue-signaling. What is it? Are there different types? Are some of them actually okay? And when is it a valid or helpful accusation?
In this clip, Tim explains how the philosophy team has organized the way that we think about different kinds of virtue-signaling.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
“My body, my choice” is possibly the most common slogan in defense of abortion right now, and an embarrassing number of pro-life people completely misunderstand it. This misunderstanding is so common, and it is so destructive. For Tim, and the rest of the team at ERI, it is a point of particular frustration. This piece is a response to a particular meme that completely misunderstands bodily rights arguments, and is therefore really harmful to the pro-life cause. Please stop sharing it.
Related Links:
Timothy Brahm: Autumn in the Sovereign Zone: Why “It’s My Body, I Can Do What I Want” Won’t Do: http://bit.ly/2x3TugP
Timothy Brahm: Bodily Rights Arguments Necessitate Extremism:
http://bit.ly/2rv5ju8
Josh Brahm: Understanding and Responding to Bodily Rights Arguments:
http://bit.ly/2mZugjg
Josh Brahm: Two Bad Pro-Life Responses to Bodily Rights Arguments:
http://bit.ly/2gBTlv8
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2gBf9XR
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel begin a multi-part series on how to be an effective pro-life advocate on social media. They begin the series by talking about some of the obstacles that often prevent good dialogue from happening on social media, like image management.
In this clip, Tim introduces the idea of image management in public conversation online.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Right before we released the Equipped for Life Course, we realized that one of the videos seemed to include Virtue-Signaling. Since Virtue-Signaling is a negative thing, it was rather confusing that this particular instance seemed okay. Finally, after about a year and a half, Tim gained some clarity and wrote this post.
In this piece, he offers some distinctions between types of Virtue-Signaling with the hope that people will be able to distinguish the objectionable types from the acceptable types. He closes with suggestions about how and when to accuse someone of Virtue-Signaling, all with the desired end of helping dialogue to be more productive between parties that disagree.
Related Links:
Timothy Brahm: How to Turn the Tables on Four Pro-Choice Arguments:
http://bit.ly/2xam2VC
Read an explanation of the term "woke":
http://bit.ly/2uAk3xs
Timothy Brahm: How Your Brain Tricks You into Thinking the Other Side Is Stupid:
http://bit.ly/2xCL0RK
Timothy Brahm: Snidely Whiplash Is Not on Facebook:
http://bit.ly/2GoowsO
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2FuIrSz
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel respond to questions on double-effect reasoning and how they would respond to someone who is pro-life for the wrong reasons. Afterwards, they talk about how to respond to the Freakonomics argument that abortion has resulted in a drop in crime rates, as well as a new technique Josh has been using when talking to utilitarians.
In this clip, Tim talks about how pro-life advocates should respond if someone brings up the abortion section from the popular book Freakonomics.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Even before ERI officially began, Josh and Tim cared a lot about helping pro-life people to think well and take pro-choice arguments seriously. They don’t think every single pro-choice argument is a good argument (there are a lot of really bad arguments on both sides), but we won’t be persuasive unless we can recognize and take the stronger pro-choice arguments seriously. In this piece, Josh addresses two bad pro-life responses to some of the stronger pro-choice arguments.
Related Links:
Josh Brahm: Understanding and Responding to Bodily Rights Arguments (includes Josh's speech):
http://bit.ly/2mZugjg
The Alan Guttmacher Institute’s 2005 survey of more than 1,200 abortion patients:
http://bit.ly/2IQs9VO
Timothy Brahm: Autumn in the Sovereign Zone: Why “It’s My Body, I Can Do What I Want” Won’t Do:
http://bit.ly/2x3TugP
Judith Jarvis Thomson’s violinist story or “people-seeds” analogy:
http://bit.ly/2I0D4v0
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2gBTlv8
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel respond to a bunch of listener-mail questions related to the thought experiment about a burning in vitro fertilization lab—particularly the concern that it is too easy for pro-choice people to get traction with strawmen tweets when pro-life people have to answer with longer, more thoughtful responses that fewer people will read.
In this clip, the team begins to answer a question about how the pro-life movement is supposed to compete in the world of meme-driven, fast-paced internet culture.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Sometimes it is tough to be a pro-life college student. Most challenges students face are found on campus during a tabling event or with the administration, but sometimes they are inside the classroom. Far too often when pro-life students dare to speak up in defense of the unborn, professors attempt to humiliate and silence them.
This piece is about two real stories. One of them happened to Rachel, and one of them happened to Ellen, a student we heard from firsthand on Twitter.
Related Links:
Learn about the Equal Rights Argument:
http://bit.ly/2yIII3u
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2tLFeuG
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel talk about their recent outreach at Davidson College, which was a particularly difficult outreach for Tim and Rachel. They discuss what made it difficult as well as share some practical tips for handling discouragement at an outreach.
In these clips, Tim discusses why it is important for volunteers to take breaks at outreach.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
This piece is an outreach dialogue story. Despite Josh not being excited to write it, it went viral on lifenews.com. We suspect this had to do with the title, which could give the impression that this is one of those “The brilliant pro-life person destroys the stupid pro-choice person” posts.
That’s not an attitude that we want to nourish. We think it’s more intellectually healthy to get outside of your echo chamber and think about the smartest arguments that are coming from the other side. But some people like those kinds of pieces because they feel good. Though Josh didn’t intend to write a bait-and-switch piece, we think he sort of did, and we're glad it got some people who otherwise wouldn’t read our blog to learn a little about what we do when we’re trying to create a good dialogue.
Related Links:
Learn about Right to Life of Central CA:
http://bit.ly/2p12Kjl
Learn about Justice for All:
http://bit.ly/2oeSnYO
Read Dr. Rich Poupard's thought experiment:
http://bit.ly/2twIn2N
Timothy Brahm: Autumn in the Sovereign Zone: Why “It’s My Body, I Can Do What I Want” Won’t Do:
http://bit.ly/2x3TugP
Read a definition of an ad hominem fallacy:
http://bit.ly/2FuQDC2
Learn about Secular Pro-Life:
http://bit.ly/2oW78Rw
Josh Brahm: 6 Tips for Arguing with Analogies Clearly:
http://bit.ly/2yKzcwU
Read a definition of a straw man:
http://bit.ly/2FqbtGU
Timothy Brahm: Don’t Be Too Nice:
http://bit.ly/2vPMDX4
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2Ft3aWI
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel share how they respond to pro-choice students who ask about life-threatening pregnancies. They also talk through some of the more difficult philosophical issues that sometimes come up when discussing this.
In this clip, Rachel shares a sound bite to help you respond to this question, and the team discusses how to begin a response.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh wrote this piece a few years ago. Someone had asked him a really tough question in an email, so he decided to address the question in a blog post in case others were interested. He addressed the need to respond to this pro-choice objection relationally. To his surprise, it seemed to touch a nerve. For the past 2 years, this piece has been the #1 most-read piece from a previous year on our blog. It certainly seems to be connecting with people.
Related Links:
Watch a video where I address how to respond to the issue of rape:
http://bit.ly/1i9Uj7X
Josh Brahm: Responding to the Question of Rape with Wisdom and Compassion:
http://bit.ly/2w2JW5q
Learn about 40 Days for Life:
https://40daysforlife.com/
Josh Brahm: Top 5 ERI Articles & Podcasts of 2017:
http://bit.ly/2EvDw3l
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2n3K18P
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel sit down to answer one of the most frequent questions about the Equal Rights Argument: “How do you respond to someone who says that you need to be ‘human plus something else,’ like sentience, to have equal rights, given that it seems like that combination gets around the problems in the Zoo Shooting thought experiment?”
In this clip, the team introduces this question while Rachel and Tim roleplay an example dialogue to demonstrate how this comes up in conversations.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh gives an update on the main things that have been going on at ERI in the last month and what we're working on next.
- Highlights from Josh's Canadian speaking tour;
- Rachel is in Charlotte, and we hired Andrew Kaake and John Ferrer;
- Doing a lot of research on A/V equipment for extending the course as well as a new project we're starting this year;
- Update on course extension we're going to shoot this year;
- Update on the search for an office.
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Click here for the podcast episode where we discuss highlights from the Students for Life conference.
ERI Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course: https://EquippedCourse.com
When Rachel was president of Students for Life at the University of Michigan, they tried to do an outreach at least once per month because they felt that once per semester wasn’t quite enough. With that experience and help from the rest of the team, she put together a list of 10 tips that will help student leaders as they prepare for an outreach. Especially if you’re doing this for the first time, you want to prepare for whatever might arise by having a strategic plan and practical supplies.
Related Links:
Download the volunteer agreement ERI uses:
http://bit.ly/2ovKm1y
Create a Doodle poll:
http://doodle.com/
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2onpRD6
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel interview Casey Mattox from Alliance Defending Freedom on how students should deal with free speech violations and respond to common arguments from typical leftists defending free speech violations.
In this clip, Casey gives advice to students about what to do if people try to silence your outreach event.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
If you are a part of a dialogue-oriented outreach, you should be paying attention to who should be in a given conversation, and who should not be. This is one of those advanced practical outreach tips that you just learn by doing outreach a lot and by talking with the rest of your team a lot about different kinds of situations. The idea for this piece came to Josh as we were debriefing an outreach our staff did at Davidson College here outside of Charlotte, NC.
Related Links:
Justice for All:
http://bit.ly/2oeSnYO
Equal Rights Institute Blog: Relational Apologetics:
http://bit.ly/2BOVX0s
The lore behind the name of "The Vampire Rule":
http://bit.ly/2HowcIn
Rachel Crawford: 10 Practical Tips for Leading a Campus Outreach:
http://bit.ly/2onpRD6
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2DyxFdi
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Jacob answer listener mail.
In this clip, the team responds to a question about the “Rephrase What They Said” lesson in Module 2. How should we respond if they say that they didn’t actually say that, not because we misunderstood, but because they are changing their views during the conversation?
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
This is a follow-up piece to the previous audio blog on logical fallacies and the danger of accusing people of fallacies they did not commit. This piece focuses on how to effectively expose logical fallacies that are committed during a dialogue. Because this piece became one of the most popular posts, Josh began including this practical dialogue tip in a lot of his talks.
Related Links:
Josh Brahm: You Should Know What a Logical Fallacy Actually Is:
http://bit.ly/2go17bp
Watch Trent Horn talk about exposing logical fallacies on an episode of Life Report:https://youtu.be/c3zDGEtf6Rw
Download the mp3 of the same Life Report episode:http://bit.ly/2EVsZPB
Buy Greg Koukl's Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions:http://bit.ly/2nSIjoM
Read about Justice for All's "Three Essential Skills":
http://bit.ly/2nXPIm5
Read explanation of post hoc ergo propter hoc:http://bit.ly/2EgRSbj
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2ikWwed
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast. Josh, Tim, and Rachel dissect the confusing video created by actor James Franco as he interviews Princeton professor Elizabeth Harman on her abortion argument. They go on to explain and refute the argument Harman makes in her original paper.
In this clip, the team discusses the reaction of the pro-life community after this video was published.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
This is a piece that Josh wrote a few years ago. He was responding to an annoying trend that he had been seeing, at least among pro-life people. We are tempted to talk about fallacies all the time in conversation, but one danger of accusing people of committing a logical fallacy is that you may not actually know what you’re talking about.
Related Links:
Josh Brahm: You Should Know How to Disagree Well
http://bit.ly/2gAq0kT
Read the essay by Paul Graham on different ways to disagree with people, in their order of effectiveness:
http://bit.ly/2FH2HzE
Watch William Lane Craig explain an ad hominem fallacy:
http://youtu.be/a2OnY4d_1Is
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2go17bp
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh, Tim, and Rachel sat down to share some of their favorite stories from the people they talked to at the 2018 Students for Life East Coast Conference. We walked away from that conference glowing, excitedly telling each other stories, because that was one of the most encouraging days we had experienced at ERI. We decided that you should have a chance to listen in on those stories, especially if you're a financial supporter that made this work, and the amazing results we witnessed, possible.
Related Links:
Timothy Brahm: On Virtue-Signaling
http://bit.ly/2FuIrSz
JohnBCrist on YouTube: Trying to Play Guess Who in 2018https://youtu.be/0cjckG-NoIQ
Josh Brahm: Why You Shouldn’t Face the Person You’re Talking To
http://bit.ly/2z6QdCr
ERI Blog: Relational Apologetics articles
http://bit.ly/2BOVX0s
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Jacob sit down to respond to 12 listener mail questions about sidewalk counseling.
In this clip, Jacob talks about reaching out to women who are being rushed into the door and the importance of learning the names of facility escorts.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
A couple months ago, a series of tweets about abortion went viral. They used the pro-choice argument involving a burning fertility clinic thought experiment. As a pro-life advocate who occasionally gets questions about abortion issues, Tim received questions about this thought experiment from maybe 20 different individuals.
For some reason, pro-choice people tend to think this argument demolishes the pro-life view, so it’s important to be ready to respond to it efficiently (meaning you need to focus on just a couple of disanalogies, not all of them) and persuasively (meaning you need to convince them that you aren’t just weaseling out of a problem with your view). Tim's focus in this piece is practical dialogue—how to respond to this argument in a way that pro-choice people are most likely to find compelling.
Related Links:
Read the series of tweets that went viral:
http://bit.ly/2Bws1WV
Buy Robert George and Christopher Tollefsen’s book Embryo: A Defense of Human Life:
http://amzn.to/2iaiCwA
Read the article by Robert George:
http://bit.ly/2DGRoLA
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2xspITm
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel answer listener mail.
In this clip, Josh shares a question that he received over email from a guy named Jason. He asks how he should respond to a friend who received healthcare from Planned Parenthood regarding legitimate health concerns that she had, including an inverted uterus. Because of that positive experience, she now says that she will always stand by Planned Parenthood.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh spoke at Stonebridge Church in Charlotte again last November after they finished going through the Equipped for Life Course, to answer their questions.
The topics are listed below in case you want to jump around:
- 1:00: "Tell us a little bit about who you are and who ERI is."
- 3:59: "So you've talked about relational apologetics. Let's say I'm pro-life and I hate conflict. I don't want to offend people, so I basically end up never talking about my pro-life convictions. I'm pro-life, but I don't talk about it because it's a very controversial topic. How do I get over that fear? What do I do?"
- 14:21: "How do we make conversations about abortion more common and less weird?"
- 18:32: "In your opinion, how can we as a pro-life group at a large church, more effectively stir up passion for pro-life advocacy within our walls?"
- 22:59: "How can we have a greater impact in our community? In your experience and convictions, assuming that the foundational call is to love God and our pro-choice neighbor, what do you think are the most effective ways to turn the tide of our culture toward valuing the life of the unborn more?"
- 31:52: "I'm going into professional counseling and have been learning about not imposing values onto clients. So if a client came up to me and said that they want to have an abortion, how should I approach that without imposing my values?"
- 37:14: "If I'm buying a whole lot of baby diapers or something to give to the pregnancy center, and just by chance someone from Walmart or wherever strikes up a conversation, I think I'd probably keep it real short and sweet, but that was an idea that came to me."
- 39:08: "I didn't attend the [Equipped for Life] course classes and I don't want to cheapen your 35-hours of course material, but is there 60-seconds that you could give...?"
- 42:10: "I hear you saying that most pro-choice people believe that an [unborn] baby is a human being, but the woman's right to choose trumps that."
- 44:51: "In your opinion, if you were to give a state of the union address on the status of the pro-life movement in America and the culture, what's the wind of the culture right now when it comes to this? 60-second state of the union address. Where are we culturally? Is abortion going to end in 2017?"
Josh asked Eric to read the email he sent his friend to initiate a series of conversations about abortion. With Eric's permission, here is the full text of that, and you can feel free to copy any part of it if it would be helpful to you:
Awhile back I had mentioned the idea of the two of us sitting down to discuss our thoughts about abortion. I'm writing you now to tee that idea back up and hoping that you'll say yes. I've been taking a class that has been geared toward having great conversations with people who think differently about controversial topics, and one of the assignments is to literally have at least one actual conversation with someone about a controversial topic. All too often, people on different "sides" of a topic like abortion spend all their time defending their own view and criticizing opposing views without actually listening to and learning from people who have differing views. I want to be a person who listens and learns. Will you help me do that? I'd like to buy you breakfast, lunch, or just a cup of coffee sometime and learn from your views on this. What do you say?
At one point Josh talked about the idea that we don't change people's minds, but that people change their own minds. He neglected to cite him in the moment, but he owes that insight to Timothy Brahm.
Related Links:
Pew Research Center: Few Clinton or Trump Supporters Have Close Friends in the Other Camp:
http://pewrsr.ch/2BgxW1Y
Timothy Brahm: How Your Brain Tricks You into Thinking the Other Side Is Stupid - Two Practical Tips for Better Social Media Conversations. (This post has the meme Josh mentioned.)http://bit.ly/2xCL0RK
Josh Brahm: Can You Explain Why You’re Pro-Life in a 30-Second Sound Bite?
http://bit.ly/2lMvm15
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel continue the conversation on relational apologetics. They explain why to use relational apologetics and give 12 practical tips.
In this clip, Rachel discusses why we should share the pro-life vision for the world and why we should talk about more than just debating the issues with friends.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
This piece is an unofficial part 3 to the pieces about Tim's conversation with Brent. Those articles ended up touching on the important issue of the role of the right to sex in the argument for abortion. When Tim came upon an article about Planned Parenthood’s view on whether or not someone has an obligation to disclose HIV to a sexual partner, he saw the connection and thought it was worth pointing out.
Related Links:
Read the DailyWire article about Planned Parenthood's view:
http://bit.ly/2FyXlas
International Planned Parenthood Federation’s booklet for teens with HIV:
http://bit.ly/2D8xYy7
Timothy Brahm: Is Abortion Justified by an Inalienable Right to Sex?
http://bit.ly/2i26IrV
Planned Parenthood's graphic about consent:
http://bit.ly/2FygoC1
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2r1aDJT
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel discuss their experiences with relational apologetics.
In this clip from the full episode, you’ll hear some conversation about Josh’s early experiences and how he came to value relational apologetics.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Unfortunately, there may be a time when threats or acts of violence against you become a reality while sidewalk counseling. It is important to know how to handle such a situation, and, in particular, when and how to involve the police.
Jacob shares about a pretty scary situation that happened to him at an abortion facility, what he did, and why. He follows up with eight practical takeaways.
Related Links:
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2rTAuPj
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, it’s Rachel’s turn to play pro-life while Tim plays pro-choice.
In this clip from the full episode, you’ll hear the first eight minutes of the example dialogue.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
This is a continuation of Tim's previous post "Four Practical Dialogue Tips from My Conversation with Brent." That piece was focused on specific dialogue strategies he used in that conversation. This one is focused on a major aspect of Brent’s view that they were able to get into in detail: the role of sex, the right to it, and how that interacts with his pro-choice view.
Related Links:
Timothy Brahm: Four Practical Dialogue Tips from My Conversation with Brent
http://bit.ly/2yaMxKT
Buy Dr. Charles Camosy's book Beyond the Abortion Wars:
http://amzn.to/2kNeAMu
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2i26IrV
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh plays pro-life and Tim plays pro-choice in an example dialogue.
In this clip from the full episode, you’ll hear Josh discover the key to Tim’s pro-choice view and hear them debate utilitarianism.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Often, as pro-lifers, we can assume that if we’re going to have people outside an abortion facility reaching out to those walking in, women will be far more effective than men. Women might seem less intimidating and easier to trust, and we want to be as inviting and friendly as possible.
However, men have more influence with other men in front of an abortion clinic than women do. This is why Jacob tries so hard to get the attention of the male escorts. Men can say things to other men that are much harder for women to say. Men can issue challenges to other men without either party feeling degraded, whereas if a woman says the same thing the man is more likely to perceive it as an attack.
Related Links:
Timothy Brahm: Are We Afraid of the Truth?
http://bit.ly/2uJdPbe
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2onGNxT
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh gives an update on the main things that have been going on at ERI in the last month and what we're working on next.
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ERI Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course: https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel discuss how to use humor in a dialogue and give many practical examples of how to find places to inject humor.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear some of the preliminary discussion and three examples of ways they use humor.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
A couple years ago, Tim had a conversation with a student that he calls Brent. This conversation became very useful as a teaching tool. Brent was a very interesting person and they had a long conversation that allowed them to cover a lot of material. Tim was also able to test some of his new ideas during this conversation. He wrote two blog posts about his conversation with Brent. This is the first.
Related Links:
The paper De Facto Guardian and Abortion:http://bit.ly/2jCBsOh
A speech Josh Brahm gave on the topic of responding to bodily rights arguments:
http://bit.ly/2BoXSNr
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2yaMxKT
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel discuss a question that is often used to critique the pro-life position, whether women should be prosecuted if abortion becomes illegal. You’ll certainly want to prepare for this question before you do a campus outreach.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear some of the discussion about misleading pro-choice rhetoric that is commonly associated with this topic.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh spoke at Stonebridge Church in Charlotte last month after they finished going through the Equipped for Life Course, to offer some practical tips on relational apologetics and take their questions. This is the audio from the Q&A portion of that event. The topics are listed below in case you want to jump around:
- 4:50: "One of the things this course doesn't cover is the origins of Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger. Is that done purposefully, that you don't alert pro-choice advocates about the underpinning theological basis of their position?"
- 8:44: "There also aren't a lot of biblical references in your course. Again, purposeful?"
- 15:37: "You talked a lot today about meeting with Mormons. Is your intentionality there to talk about the truth of Christianity instead of having pro-life conversations?"
- 19:37: "How many pro-choice people have seen the [Center for Medical Progress] videos, or know what abortion is?"
- 21:53: "A friend of mine and I were talking about contraception and Plan B and some of those things, and they agreed that the Bible prohibits the shedding of innocent blood, but their standpoint was that human life doesn't begin until implantation when the blood actually flows. So that was their defense of contraceptives. How do you respond to that?"
- 25:58: "That 'reacting to stimuli' thing, how do you prove that or explain that?"
- 27:56: "I almost hate to ask this question because I've got enough excuses not to do anything. Sometimes I feel like a class like this is like when you go to the county fair and a guy selling pennywhistles can play the Hallelujah chorus, and then you bring it home and can't play it at all. What is your sense of, do you just turn us loose on the masses and then risk us making pro-life people look dumb. What is your sense of that?"
Related Links:
Listen to my Planned Parenthood Unveiled speech and Q&A sessions:
http://bit.ly/2tPPaDh
Read the LDS webpage on abortion:
http://bit.ly/2BGaL2L
Buy Embryo: A Defense of Human Life by Robert George and Christopher Tollefsen:
http://amzn.to/2iaiCwA
Read Dr. Maureen Condic's whitepaper, When Does Human Life Begin: A Scientific Perspective:http://bit.ly/2j9NHS7
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Tim plays pro-life and Rachel plays pro-choice in an example dialogue.
In this clip from the full episode, you’ll hear the first part of their dialogue.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh has written a series of blog posts on what pro-lifers should say to someone who wishes they had been aborted, is happy about her abortion, or has post-abortive friends. But what should pro-lifers say to someone who performs abortions? He received this question from a Canadian named Daniel as a follow-up to his series.
Josh wrote this piece after thinking, looking at other discussions, and getting feedback from Abby Johnson. After he published it, an abortion practitioner from the midwest reached out and said that she would love to have coffee or lunch with him if Josh is ever in her area.
Related Links:
Josh Brahm: What to Say to Someone Who Says “I Wish I Had Been Aborted”: http://bit.ly/2n3K18P
Josh Brahm: What Should You Say to a Woman Who is Happy That She Had an Abortion?
http://bit.ly/2jX5q2l
Josh Brahm: 7 Tips for Talking to Someone Who Has Post-Abortive Friends:
http://bit.ly/2znBhw8
The discussion on Secular Pro-Life:
http://bit.ly/2B9WYAo
The discussion on Jill Stanek's blog:
http://bit.ly/2n44sm8
Abby Johnson's book "Unplanned":
http://amzn.to/2BdvnOB
The online discussion on the best word to use to describe the medical practitioner who performs an abortion:
http://bit.ly/2uIHwJf
The interview with a Fresno Pregnancy Care Center director:
https://youtu.be/eNl7461QzVE
Josh Brahm: My Formerly Pro-Choice Friend Now Self-Identifies as Pro-Life!
http://bit.ly/2BbEqzG
Josh Brahm: Understanding and Responding to Bodily Rights Arguments:
http://bit.ly/2mZugjg
Josh Brahm: The Most Undervalued Argument in the Prolife Movement (Equal Rights Argument):
http://bit.ly/2yIII3u
Abby Johnson’s "And Then There Were None" ministry:
http://www.attwn.org
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2AWkoKb
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, incoming staff person Rachel Crawford joins Josh and Tim to give some advice on how to best handle outreach situations with angry feminists. They discuss Rachel’s experiences as a women’s studies minor, how to think about the women’s studies field, some of the common feminist jargon, how to think about when to end a conversation, and how to respond effectively to their conversational power plays.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear some of the discussion about feminist jargon, such as “intersectionality” and “woke,” and how to interact with it when you hear it.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Millennials are terrified of offending people.
They are surrounded by a world of trigger warnings and microaggressions. They worry that they’ll be shouted down if they say something that could be perceived as racist, sexist, homophobic, or somehow bigoted. They also really don’t want to be any of those things. Fair or not, many have gotten an impression of pro-life activists that we are ready to yell at them or hit them with a Bible if they set us off.
Put all of those things together, and you have a recipe for dialogue roadblocks. We hate dialogue roadblocks. This post is about how to improve your dialogues with people who are worried about offending you.
Related Links:
Share the Original Article:
http://bit.ly/2vBy3mm
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Missy Stone of Students for Life of America joins Josh and Tim to discuss the consistent life movement, the pro-life label, and to what extent the pro-life movement should focus on abortion.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear Josh, Tim, and Missy discuss whether student groups should focus on abortion.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
This is a short story about one of Tim’s early pro-life experiences. When he shared it in a podcast, we thought it was a great story, so he decided to write this piece.
Related Links:
Share the Original Article:
http://bit.ly/2y308UV
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh and Tim discuss the challenging subject of confirmation bias.
In this clip from the full episode, you’ll hear a discussion between Josh and Tim on how they perceive music in film, which then becomes an insightful way to think about confirmation bias. The full episode is available in this podcast feed as well.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
In Tim’s early pro-life apologetics days he tended to think that changing someone’s mind about abortion was primarily about making good arguments, being clear, being fast on your feet, and maybe having a little bit of relational skill. The more that he actually has dialogue with other people, the more he realizes that it’s the opposite. Changing someone’s mind about abortion involves primarily relational work with a little argument thrown in there.
This piece came out of his processing this reality and deciding to expand on the idea.
Related Links:
A short, hilarious example of the stereotype of married couples:
https://youtu.be/-4EDhdAHrOg
Steve Wagner's book Common Ground Without Compromise:
http://amzn.to/2A7Deg6
Timothy Brahm: Ben Shapiro’s Response to Abortion in the Case of Rape:
http://bit.ly/2r1zQzG
Life Training Institute with Scott Klusendorf:
http://bit.ly/2zxJ4v0
Share the Original Article:
http://bit.ly/2ws4nIW
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh and Tim follow up on a previous episode about results-oriented reasoning.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear Tim clarify his view by offering definitions and responding to questions.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
This is a short follow-up piece to the article Josh Brahm wrote about Richard Dawkins and his views on abortion and Down Syndrome that he read in last week's audio blog. The response that we got from that piece when it was published was quite remarkable, so he uses it as a case study for some of the things we talk about. Being extra intentional about understanding people and having clarity before responding to their views can make a huge difference for how pro-choice people respond.
Related Links:
Dawkins' explanatory blog post:
http://bit.ly/2zF8zas
Josh Brahm: Understanding What Richard Dawkins Actually Believes About Abortion and Down Syndrome:
http://bit.ly/2y4DZJq
Share the original article:
http://bit.ly/2y496oG
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh and Tim continue their interview with Jacob on the topic of sidewalk counseling.
In this clip from the full episode, you’ll hear Jacob explain how he often starts a conversation outside an abortion clinic.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Several years ago, Richard Dawkins tweeted something that became very controversial and blew up in pro-life and pro-choice circles. He was attempting to explain why, given the choice, he would abort a baby with Down Syndrome. Dawkins published a very helpful article the following day, apologizing and explaining his views more clearly.
This audio blog is a piece Josh wrote attempting to help pro-life people better understand where he is coming from as well as how better to refute his argument. We think trying to get into Dawkins’ shoes will be a good exercise because if we’re going to refute a bad idea, we really need to understand it first. We need to refute the strongest version of an argument if we’re going to offer the strongest possible refutation.
Related Links:
Dawkins' explanatory blog post:
http://bit.ly/2zF8zas
Josh Brahm: Refuting Those “After-Birth Abortion” Philosophers:
http://bit.ly/2wWVHtX
Share the Original Article:
http://bit.ly/2y4DZJq
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Josh gives an update on the main things that have been going on at ERI in the last month and what we're working on next.
Note from Josh: Sorry about the heavy breathing. I was hiking around 8,600 feet above sea level, and I hadn’t acclimated to the elevation yet.
Click here to register for the SFLA Webinar.
Click here to subscribe to our email list.
Click here to email Kim with your mailing address if you want to get our quarterly newsletters in the mail.
ERI Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course: https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh and Tim interview Jacob on the topic of sidewalk counseling.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear Jacob share some of his thoughts on how much training people should have before they start sidewalk counseling as well as an outstanding tip for building rapport and buying the baby critical time.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
How do you get someone to change their mind about something?
When we've had long conversations about abortion, we have often gone through a process of figuring out any possible creative way to communicate our ideas or arguments in a way that the other person might actually receive. We have found that forcing someone to argue against their own unfair arguments is the most efficient way to help someone realize that their arguments are actually unfair.
Tim provides four examples of unfair pro-choice rhetoric, and the ways he turns the tables.
Related Links:
Timothy Brahm: Sometimes It's Not about the Argument
http://bit.ly/2ws4nIW
Timothy Brahm: Bodily Rights Arguments Necessitate Extremism
http://bit.ly/2rv5ju8
Timothy Brahm: Learning to Allow Space for the Thinking Pause
http://bit.ly/2i1rhVk
Share the Original Article:
http://bit.ly/2xam2VC
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh and Tim respond to a question from a listener about how to evaluate the #ShoutYourAbortion campaign and others like it.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear some of Josh and Tim’s thoughts on the effectiveness of #ShoutYourAbortion.
ERI Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course: https://EquippedCourse.com
Wording and phrasing significantly influence discussion. Pro-choice advocates constantly describe the intentions of pro-lifers with the language of “forcing” women. Timothy Brahm explains why this is dishonest rhetoric, whether it's intentional or not.
Share the Original Article: http://bit.ly/2goklgB
ERI Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course: https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh and Tim respond to questions from listeners about the difference between a debate and a dialogue, how to think about arguments with question marks, and how to deal with people that are equivocating.
In this clip from the full episode, you’ll hear part of our response regarding arguments with question marks.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Any time guys do a pro-life outreach on a college campus, they can count on being reminded that they cannot get pregnant. Inevitably, then the pro-choice person will ask, “How can you have an opinion about abortion when you can’t get pregnant?” Through our own experience, we have developed a strategy for responding that can help pro-life men be reasonable and winsome.
Share the Original Article:
http://bit.ly/2vV31tA
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Rachel react to Donald Trump winning the presidential election.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear Rachel’s hilarious Trump impression and a few minutes of our discussion about the ramifications of the election.
It’s not often that we are pleasantly surprised by the way pro-choice people act on the internet. This is the story of a pro-choice redditor who looked into the details of an Indianapolis woman’s conviction for feticide and discovered that many media stories about this case were withholding crucial details. Josh Brahm encourages you to follow this person’s example by fighting against confirmation bias.
Related Links:
- The original WNCN piece mentioned is no longer available.
- Click here to read the pro-choice redditor's comment.
- Click here to read the Slate article quoting a pathologist who gives pretty convincing reasons to believe that the tests used during the autopsy of the baby are outdated and inconsistent.
- Click here to read another reddit comment on confirmation bias.
- Click here to read the WSBT article regarding the toxicologist's testing of Patel's blood.
- Timothy Brahm: Are We Afraid of the Truth?
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These six tactics not only helped Josh Brahm navigate a 90-minute debate with three LDS missionaries when he didn’t know anything about Mormonism, they can also help you have better conversations with pro-choice people.
Related Links:
Josh Brahm: Why We Should Accurately Describe Other People’s Positions:
http://bit.ly/2uJ0uiS
Josh Brahm: Should We Call ANYBODY “Pro-Abortion?”
http://bit.ly/2uJlczs
Josh Brahm: Responding to the Question of Rape with Wisdom and Compassion:
http://bit.ly/2w2JW5q
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Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Tim explains the problems with results-oriented reasoning, or evaluating decisions on the basis of the results.
In these clips from the full episode, you’ll hear a brief summary of Tim’s argument and two thought-experiments illustrating the point.
Josh Brahm gives an update on the main things that have been going on at ERI in the last month and what we're working on next.
Click here to listen to the radio interview Josh did on the Ask Dr. Brown show.
Click here to download the course clips that we've already released.
Click here to subscribe to our email list.
Click here to email Kim with your mailing address if you want to get our quarterly newsletters in the mail.
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Two months ago Josh Brahm spent about four hours in two sessions answering questions from Rock for Life activists before their outreach tour this summer. This is the audio from the second of those two sessions.
Click here for the audio from the first session:
http://bit.ly/2tQxasB
List of topics below in case you want to jump around:
00:52: "Can you clarify about the use of the word 'humanness' in the Equal Rights Argument?"
9:32: I recommend asking Christian pro-life people how they would explain their pro-life views to a non-Christian.
13:44: "How do you approach this issue with Christians who very well might be post-abortive?"
18:52: Discussion about why pro-choice people would grieve miscarriages and that they can often find more comfort opening up to pro-life people about that than some pro-choice activists.
27:51: "How do you be open-minded, yet never sway from your opinions?"
40:13: "What are your thoughts on the difference between confidence and faith?"
47:12: "How should we think about birth control?"
1:04:12: "How should we handle pro-life activists who think differently than we do about how we ought to behave around pro-choice people?"
1:26:41: "What would be one suggestion for us as far as what arguments or topics to avoid given that we're going to be speaking to a diverse group of people that we don't want to needlessly offend more than necessary?"
Related Links:
6 Resources on Whether or Not Birth Control Pills Cause Abortions:
http://bit.ly/2utCxvr
Jacob's article, From ‘I Don’t Want to Talk About Religion’ to ‘I Will Pray Tonight’:
http://bit.ly/2xRzgqK
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Blog:
https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
ERI Course:
https://EquippedCourse.com
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Tim gives a fuller explanation of the argument Josh presented in the course about avoiding burden of proof shifts, and responds to counter-arguments.
In this clip from the full episode, Tim explains a pragmatic reason to not be quick to shift the burden of proof and responds to a counter-argument.
Timothy Brahm explains how little conversational agreements create clarity about the kind of conversation you’re having. This is especially helpful with difficult people, because it clarifies for you and for them that they’re being difficult and calls them to a higher standard of dialogue.
Click here to read the article Tim referenced about how to graciously call someone out who is being rude.
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Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Jacob joins Josh and Tim again to talk about two areas related to training pro-life advocates to respond to the question of rape that we've changed our minds about.
In this clip from the full episode, Josh and Tim explain one of the ways we've changed our mind and what that process looked like.
It is one of the questions we're asked the most often. We’ve all experienced it. You’re talking to someone about abortion or something else and it’s just not going very well. You start doubting whether any good will come from letting the dialogue continue. If you do decide to end the conversation, you have to figure out how to graciously bring the dialogue to a close, which can also be tricky. How do you know? What factors should you consider?
Related Links:
- Click here to watch Josh Brahm's speech at the 2014 Students for Life Conference: "I'm Pro-Life, But..." The section explaining the three essential skills is from 4:41 to 17:43.
- Click here to watch Josh Brahm's speech at the 2015 Students for Life Conference: "6 Practical Tips for Having Good Dialogues."
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Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Jacob conclude their discussion of how to respond when people bite the bullet by discussing the examples of infanticide and moral relativism.
In these clips from the full episode, Josh and Tim argue about whose approach to responding to relativists is more effective.
Note: As we explained in the first clip, the audio from the first three episodes of the podcast is distorted due to a technical problem. This was resolved before the next recording session. Please excuse the low quality of these first three Equipped for Life Podcast clips.
Sometimes when I talk about abortion with strangers, it feels like I’ve already had that conversation before, because they’re making familiar statements. But the truth is, I haven’t had that conversation before, because I haven’t heard that statement from that person before. Even though some statements are very common, different people mean very different things by them. A recent conversation I had with a hotel shuttle driver named “Mark” reminded me that while I may have heard the same words before, I hadn’t heard his story before. I think there’s a lesson you can learn from this situation that will help you have better dialogues with pro-choice people.
Related Links:
Click here to watch my speech at the 2015 Students for Life Conference: 6 Practical Tips for Having Good Dialogues.
Click here to share the original article.
ERI Website:
https://EqualRightsInstitute.com
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https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com
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Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Jacob continue their discussion of how to respond when people bite the bullet, but now get into specific examples.
In this clip from the full episode, you'll hear us discuss one of Josh's stories he uses to try to respond to extreme animal rights activists.
Note: As we explained in the first clip, the audio from the first three episodes of the podcast is distorted due to a technical problem. This was resolved before the next recording session. Please excuse the low quality of these first three Equipped for Life Podcast clips.
Censorship is at its strongest when it is hidden in the shadows, so Timothy Brahm shares six experiences where he has seen attempts to censor pro-life people.
Related Links:
Click here to read about how ERI uses graphic abortion images in our brochure and why.
Click here to read an incredibly effective and persuasive way to respond to the "you're a man" objection.
Click here to understand why the pro-life movement is not responsible for Robert Lewis Dear's shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood facility.
Click here to share the original article.
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Josh Brahm give an update on the main things that have been going on at ERI in the last month and what we're working on next.
Click here to see descriptions of our open staff positions.
Click here to subscribe to our email list that Josh talked about.
Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.
In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Josh, Tim, and Jacob discuss the things they generally do when people “bite the bullet,” or accept the awful natural conclusion of their argument.
In this clip from the full episode, you'll hear us discuss:
- Why this topic is especially important for ERI-trained students;
- How the dialogue atmosphere influences whether or not people will bite the bullet;
- A summary of Tim's general responses to people biting the bullet.
The way our society uses the word “shaming” is complicated. In this piece Josh Brahm discusses three different types of shaming and how they relate to abortion.
Related Links:
Click here to read the internet discussion on the topic of labels for a person who does abortions that Josh referenced.
Click here to read why Dr. Leah Torres doesn't want there to be any stigma attached to abortion.
Click here to read Josh's response to Leah.
Click here to read Josh's Facebook comment with a real-life example on why the closeness of the friend is relevant regarding the third category of shame.
Click here to share the original article.
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Timothy Brahm reads an article that represents the one time we've gone public with our thoughts about one of the most divisive topics within the pro-life movement.
Every single one of our staff has personally seen people change their minds because of graphic abortion images, and yet we don't put them on signs. In this article Timothy explains what our reasoning is as well as some suggestions for talking about this issue without being divisive.
Related Links:
Share the Original Article
http://bit.ly/2uJWRcI
The Atlantic: The Coddling of the American Mind
http://theatln.tc/2uKh9To
The Atlantic: That's Not Funny!
http://theatln.tc/2uJLCRl
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It’s not always easy for a pro-life person to go from using the label they’ve always preferred to a different one. When we talk to people we form habits, and getting out of habits is always difficult. In this video Josh Brahm tells the brief story of a woman named Rhonda who decided to change one of the labels she used to favor.
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Every other Tuesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, “Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion.” Generally these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on occasionally making exceptions, and we’ve decided to make this episode available to everybody.
In this episode Josh and Tim Brahm talk about confirmation bias and why that’s a difficult thing to avoid during this political season.
Some of the questions we respond to in this episode:
-
How hard should we work to balance our social media feeds so that we see both sides of multiple issues when we log into Facebook or Twitter?
-
Are there any pro-choice films that you recommend to anti-abortion thinkers? In addition, are there any pro-choice films you deem to be morally reprehensible and therefore undeserving of pro-life viewership?”
The episode begins with some pre-show banter, which is common for this podcast. In this case the topic ends up directly tying with the main topic for the show.
RELATED LINKS:
Washington Post - Two-thirds of Clinton and Trump supporters had few close friends supporting the other candidate:
http://wapo.st/2uQfWwa
Andrew Unyk for the ERI Blog - Why Pro-Life People Should Watch “After Tiller:”
http://bit.ly/2uPtF6E
David French - Democrats Won’t Fix Their Religion Problem Any Time Soon:
http://bit.ly/2uPA01M
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody – Isolated Vocal Tracks:
https://youtu.be/KHYjIIJ14MI
Peter Hollens:
https://www.youtube.com/user/peterhollens
Taylor Mali - What Teachers Make:
https://youtu.be/RGKm201n-U4
To hear the other podcasts, plus 29-HD video lessons, group activities, a private Facebook group, and a members-only forum, buy the Equipped for Life Course and support our work:
https://EquippedCourse.com
As of 7/24/17, here is a list of the rest of the Equipped for Life Podcast episodes:
1: When They Bite the Bullet – Part 1
2: When They Bite the Bullet – Part 2
3: When They Bite the Bullet – Part 3
4: Taking the Training Wheels Off: Responding to the Question of Rape 201
5: On Shifting the Burden of Proof
6: The Problems with Results-Based Reasoning
7: Abortion Pill Reversal
8: Post-Election: Our Reaction
9: Listener Mail: Debates vs. Dialogues; Arguments with Question Marks; Dealing with Equivocation
10: Listener Mail: Is the #ShoutYourAbortion Campaign an Effective Strategy for Abortion Advocates?
11: Sidewalk Counseling Tips – Part 1: The Primary Things Jacob Says While Sidewalk Counseling
12: Sidewalk Counseling Tips – Part 2: Graphic Images, Opening Lines, Resources, and Dealing with Mistakes
13: Listener Mail: Follow-Up Questions About the Results-Oriented Episode
14: Listener Mail: Questions About Confirmation Bias
15: To What Extent Should the Pro-Life Movement Focus on Abortion?
16: How Should We Respond to Angry Feminists?
17: Example Dialogues - Pro-Life Tim and Pro-Choice Rachel
18: Should Women be Punished if Abortion Becomes Illegal?
19: Humor in Dialogue
20: Example Dialogues - Pro-Life Josh and Pro-Choice Tim
21: Example Dialogues - Pro-Life Rachel and Pro-Choice Tim
22: Should Pro-Lifers Make Comparisons to the Holocaust?
23: Relational Apologetics - Part 1: Personal Stories and Reflections
24: Relational Apologetics - Part 2: Arguments and 12 Practical Tips
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Timothy Brahm reads a piece he wrote with Josh Brahm after last year's attack at a Colorado Planned Parenthood. Many pro-choice people responded to that shooting by blaming pro-life advocates. In this piece Timothy show why such claims are completely unjustified by analyzing culpability and what it means to incite violence.
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Josh Brahm reads a piece he wrote about a change we made to our poll table that was inspired by a book by Dr. Charles Camosy.
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Josh Brahm gives an update on the main things that have been going on at ERI in the last month and what we're working on next.
See the photo album of the highlights from our last year of work: http://bit.ly/2u52SST
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Last month I spent about four hours in two sessions answering questions from Rock for Life activists before their outreach tour this summer. This is the audio from the first of those two sessions.
I'll list the topics below in case you want to jump around:
- 2:32: "Why are you pro-life?"
- 6:57: My views on capital punishment and how pro-life people who are pro-capital punishment can justify those two views.
- 14:31: Are pro-choice people inconsistent for criticizing pro-lifers who are pro-capital punishment, since they're for the choice to kill people in abortions?
- 18:06: How to think clearly about life-threatening pregnancies.
- 31:03: How do I talk about this issue with a couple that I know who have said that if they were in a situation where they had to choose between the mother dying and the child dying, that they would never do something that results in the death of the child. (This includes an analogy that explains why I'm not a pacifist.)
- 44:52: Thinking clearly about really difficult pregnancies that are not life-threatening.
- 46:37: "What about a woman who has an awful but not life-threatening pregnancy, but also does not have any support system?"
- 52:17: "That was really helpful, but what is a soundbite we could use when people ask us about life-threatening pregnancies at outreach?"
- 53:37: How should we think about birth control?
- 1:06:40: "I recently met someone who said that they're 'personally pro-life' but they also identify as 'pro-choice' because they think that should be a decision that people can make. What should I have said?"
- 1:20:46: "Sometimes when I tell people I'm pro-life I tell them about my mom who chose life for me in extraordinary circumstances. Is that a good idea?"
- 1:24:07: "What if a 10-year old is a rape or incest victim? Can she have an abortion?"
Notes:
- I said that the youngest premie to have been born was 18 weeks and six days. While I have seen that fact somewhere, I can't find a source for it now. We do have a source for a premie being born at 19 weeks and five days though: Folkard, Claire. “Guinness World Records 2004 (Guinness Book of Records).” By Guinness. Random House, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.
- The point about how different people need different tools to change their mind is from Timothy Brahm, and he expands on this a lot in episodes six and thirteen of the Equipped for Life Podcast.
- The movie that depicts the true story I told about the mountain climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates is "Touching the Void."
- Click here for the "6 Resources on Whether or Not Birth Control Pills Cause Abortions" piece.
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Timothy Brahm reads a piece he wrote two summers ago explaining three categories of damning evidence in CMP's fifth Planned Parenthood video.
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This is a speech and Q&A session Josh Brahm gave at a homeschool conference in Atlanta this year. He describes what it's currently like to be a pro-life student on a college campus as well as the concepts that teenagers should be equipped in before they graduate high school.
After the speech Josh answered these questions:
- 50:09: When do you tell your kids about abortion?
- 54:17: What are your thoughts about sidewalk counseling ministry?
During Q&A Josh spontaneously talked about what youth pastors can do to prevent abortions in their churches because there was at least one youth pastor in the audience. That part starts at 52:34.
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Josh Brahm reads a piece he wrote two summers ago summarizing the strongest four arguments from the CMP videos that Planned Parenthood is selling, not donating, baby body parts.
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The silence from pro-choice people in response to the Planned Parenthood videos is deafening. Timothy explains why they should be furious with Planned Parenthood too.
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Our Experience at the OMSI Prenatal Exhibit Displaying Real Preserved Children: Article | Podcast
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Josh Brahm gives an update on the main things that have been going on at ERI in the last month.
Three ways pro-life students should dialogue differently than Ben Shapiro debates.
Includes an endnote from Josh on what we learned yesterday that affected how we edited this podcast.
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A description of the OMSI prenatal development exhibit, whether we think it should exist, and how grief should be balanced in our work.
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Bodily rights arguments for abortion are always extremist arguments, at least in the way people present them. No bodily rights argument that I have ever seen (or even heard of any pro-choice advocate making) leaves room for abortion exceptions.
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There’s another common reason that I change topics from abortion to something else: I discover that there is something more seriously wrong with their view than that they are pro-choice about abortion. Sometimes you can’t realistically make progress on abortion unless you deal with something else first.
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At Equal Rights Institute, we encourage our students to be open to the possibility that when someone changes the subject to something else, that other subject might be something that they really need to discuss.
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ERI President Josh Brahm summarizes what has been going on at the ERI office in the last month, and what we have planned for the next few months.
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You can’t dialogue well about abortion or anything else unless you learn to listen well. It should be obvious to anyone that if you want to listen well you shouldn’t interrupt people when they’re in the middle of a sentence. Something much less obvious is that you shouldn’t interrupt people when they’re in the middle of an important thought. An excellent listener should develop both the wisdom to recognize and the patience to allow space for a thinking pause.
Name-dropping can be frustrating and intimidating to some pro-life students, so here are my three suggestions for how to deal with the name-dropper.
In a recent interview, Will Smith demonstrated why moral relativism, even if it sounds deep, is a nonsensical worldview.
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Adopt the idea that there is no Snidely Whiplash and have more accurate beliefs and much better dialogue and understanding of people with whom you disagree.
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Josh Brahm reads an expanded version of a piece he wrote for Life Matters Journal, answering a reader who asked for help responding to the question of rape.
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Every other Tuesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, "Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion." Generally these podcast episodes won't be available to the general public, but we plan on occasionally making exceptions, and we've decided to make our 11th episode the first one we make available to everybody.
This is the first part in a two-part series on practical sidewalk counseling tips, from the person who has impressed me most with the way he thinks about decision making in front of abortion facilities, our Operations Coordinator Jacob Nels.
Topics include:
- Understanding the mindset of a lot of the people who show up at abortion facilities;
- Learning important facts about the abortion facility, like when they do abortions;
- The primary things Jacob says while sidewalk counseling;
- The very careful way Jacob invites people to view a graphic abortion image;
- Two reasons why Jacob offers to buy meals for the people he talks to;
- What Jacob says when his main “pitch” falls on deaf ears, that he would never say at the beginning of the conversation.
To hear part two as well as all of the other podcasts, plus 29-HD video lessons, group activities, and a members-only forum, buy the Equipped for Life Course and support our work!
As of 3/24/17, here is a list of the rest of the Equipped for Life Podcast episodes:
- When They Bite the Bullet - Part 1
- When They Bite the Bullet - Part 2
- When They Bite the Bullet - Part 3
- Taking the Training Wheels Off: Responding to the Question of Rape 201
- On Shifting the Burden of Proof
- The Problems with Results-Based Reasoning
- Abortion Pill Reversal
- Post-Election: Our Reaction
- Listener Mail: Debates vs. Dialogues; Arguments with Question Marks; Dealing with Equivocation
- Listener Mail: Is the #ShoutYourAbortion Campaign an Effective Strategy for Abortion Advocates?
- Sidewalk Counseling Tips - Part 1: The Primary Things Jacob Says While Sidewalk Counseling
- Sidewalk Counseling Tips - Part 2: Graphic Images, Opening Lines, Resources, and Dealing with Mistakes
- Listener Mail: Follow-Up Questions About the Results-Oriented Episode
- Listener Mail: Questions About Confirmation Bias
- To What Extent Should the Pro-Life Movement Focus on Abortion?
- How Should We Respond to Angry Feminists?
Timothy Brahm reads an article arguing that if you oppose dehumanizing fetuses, you should oppose dehumanizing anyone. Call them evil people. Never call them animals.
ERI President Josh Brahm summarizes what has been going on at the ERI office in the last few months, and where we are speaking in the next few months.