When someone thinks of Portland, the first thought is not about its religious figures. After all, Portland regularly ranks at the bottom of rankings of the most religious cities in the United States. Nevertheless, the Portland suburb of Gresham is home to a notable Christian author who has made the area the scene of his works, as well as made the area the scene of his work against abortion.
In his recent novel "Safely Home," Randy Alcorn tells the fictional story of two friends, one of them a Chinese preacher for an illegal house church, and the other a successful Portland businessman whose travels to China renews him to faith after he has made a mess of his life at home.
Randy Alcorn uses the permissive, but subtly anti-Christian mentality of the Portland area as a foil for his call to Christian missionary work, and does so from extensive personal experience.
Randy Alcorn's call to missionary work is not limited to faraway places like China, though. In fact, the author regularly stands outside of a local abortion clinic to protest the practice. Though Christian activism is not the most obvious quality of the Portland area, Portland provides a vital sense of place for both the writing as well as the activism of Randy Alcorn and his religious organization.
With tomorrow serving as the 40th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision, it is not a surprise in the least that the author's Facebook page has posted a wide variety of anti-abortion material, showing that his activism and his concern for the local community of Portland remain strong.
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