• Balance of grace and truth. In most places, the MD commendably attempts to comingle grace (embracing its writers and others despite intrinsic weaknesses and sins) and truth (lawful/factual content that clarifies and demands holiness). It is a refreshing example of this balance, and we heartily recommend its study by life-affirming people as a tonal example and encouragement.
• Relevant. The MD is timely and accurately contextualized to our modern situation.
• Holistic regarding the life ethic. The document rightly connects abortion, embryonic killing, and euthanasia within the same ethical category of destroying the judicially innocent. This is a helpful corrective for traditional “pro-life” advocates who may view abortion as the only “true pro-life cause.”
• Historically rooted. It helpfully roots its imperatives in Christian history.
• Biblical precedent. Documents like the MD find precedent in general in the prophetical literature and ministries of the Bible.² It also finds more specific precedent in the case where Esther presented her petition to King Ahasuerus.³ 

• Lack of gospel clarity. Though it claims to be a “truly prophetic Christian witness,” the MD lacks any explicit explanation of the gospel as the motive for its existence, the core of its content, or the ultimate solution to the evils it reveals. Therefore, it is sub-Christian and we urge caution on the part of The Church and Christians. This is not to say that it is a bad or useless document. It is to say that as Christians, we must be careful to ally ourselves with expressly Christian manuscripts, and that the only thing that makes any manuscript expressly Christian is the gospel.⁴
• Weaknesses inherent to ecumenical documents. The MD bears some of the weaknesses inherent in documents that attempt to unify people from a broad spectrum of faiths. For example, it muddies the waters on the purity and motive of the gospel.
• Potential for negative stereotype reinforcement. Like it or not, Christians in general, and life-affirming people in particular, are largely viewed negatively by our culture as the “graceless, intolerant moral police.”  Though this is not entirely fair, it is a reality that could be reinforced by a gospel-absent, law-focused document such as the MD.        

Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.