Instant Guru Syndrome

Whenever it becomes obvious that one side of a conflict is prevailing, it is common for them to see an increase in the number of defectors crossing over from the other side.

This has been happening for some time in the war over abortion and it is bound to accelerate as the abortion industry continues to lose ground. Although this is a positive development for the pro-life movement, we often deal with these people in a way that is both unhealthy and counterproductive.

The problem is, when people defect to our side, the first thing we do is parade them around the countryside like trophies and, once that process has reached full speed, we install them into positions of pro-life leadership. Although we always claim the purest of motives for doing this, the harsh reality is that this is a knee-jerk emotional response done for one reason and one reason only: it makes the pro- lifers feel good.

To appreciate the sheer lunacy of this, imagine that an al-Qaeda or ISIS soldier defected and said he wanted to join the United States in the fight against Islamic terrorism. Obviously, our government would accept and use whatever intelligence they could get from him. They might even deploy him as a spy or counter-spy. But make no mistake, they would never make him a leader in the Department of Homeland Security and there is no possibility he would ever be sitting in on high-level counter-terrorism strategy sessions with the FBI and CIA.

Contrast that to the pro-life community where there appears to be this bizarre, yet widespread, belief that merely defecting from the abortion industry automatically transforms the defector into a qualified and trusted pro-life leader ready to participate in national strategy meetings.

Making the problem worse, this transformation seems to take place overnight.

It is literally possible for someone to be killing babies at an abortion clinic today and, three months from now, be a rock star in the pro-life movement with an almost cult-like following. As preposterous as this sounds, this exact scenario has been repeated in the pro-life movement on many occasions and it continues to happen.

By any rational analysis, this is a hopelessly naïve and potentially self-destructive practice. It also increases the pro-life movement’s vulnerability to infiltration and/or sabotage at the highest levels. This has to stop immediately. While there is no denying that people who have worked in the abortion industry can become valuable assets in the pro-life effort, we must not allow our excitement over their conversions to become a substitute for sound judgment.

When people leave the abortion industry and come to our side, our first action should be to gather as much intelligence from them as they are capable of providing. After that has been accomplished, we should get them the professional help they need to recover from the emotional and psychological damage that’s been inflicted on them from having worked in the abortion industry.

Admittedly, that process could take years and there is always the possibility it never happens. But we are not doing the pro-life movement or the unborn any favors by taking shortcuts and thrusting these people into leadership positions before that recovery and healing phase has been successfully completed. And this is true no matter how sincere, complete, or strongly felt their conversions might be.

Life Dynamics president, Mark Crutcher, goes more in-depth on the issue of Instant Guru Syndrome and other danger zones for the pro-life movement in his book, Siege. You can also listen to a discussion about this in episode 97 of the Pro-Life America podcast.