Asking the right question can be a life-changing experience

In a 1988 Richmond conference room full of pro-life advocates, presenter Mark Crutcher asked the question “What is a fishing lure designed to catch?”

Like everyone in the room, I answered, “A fish.”

I was a teenage dreamer wanting to soak in pro-life wisdom and take another step towards becoming an entrepreneur. But Crutcher’s answer to his own question – “What is a fishing lure designed to catch?” – wrecked my plans in less than an hour.

Before revealing Crutcher’s surprising answer, some background.

Crutcher passed away recently at the age of 74.

Crutcher was a renowned American businessman who left his career as a chief marketing executive in the auto industry. He had helped famed CEO Lee Iacocca turn Chrysler around from near bankruptcy to new heights. What was thought at the time to be an impossible venture turned into a case study in communications, strategy, and courage.

He walked away in his 50s from money and fame to dedicate himself to defending unborn children and helping the mothers who carried them. He launched Life Dynamics, an innovative approach for a movement that was still in its early development.

In his presentation, Crutcher challenged us to look past religious language and to start seeing the paralyzing fear that women with unplanned pregnancies were enduring. He explained the psychology of the “choice” and why women choose abortion even when they are morally opposed to it. He even stated that the more we focus on the baby, the less impact we will have on the mother.

I remember looking around the room and seeing many people get very angry at him. Religious language and moral lecturing were all some people knew and his presentation felt very unaffirming, even judgmental.

Crutcher didn’t seem surprised or affected by the vibe. I loved it. He knew something I didn’t. He had been through similar big challenges and overcame them by thinking outside of the box. Or box-shaped cars.

As an example, he recounted how in their news stories during the early 80s journalists spoke of the “financially strapped Chrysler Corporation.”

He heard that message over and over and wondered what could be done to shift the narrative. While many of us would have put our heads down and worked solely on the business, Crutcher took a different approach. He renamed the company “The New Chrysler Corporation” and sent notice to every media outlet in the country.

In the next day’s news cycle, he watched a news anchor struggle to put The New Chrysler Corporation into a negative sentence. By using simple words Crutcher had changed how people spoke about the company.

He pressed on at our pro-life event. “How many of you think that God will be pleased with you and your efforts if just one baby is saved?” Many people raised their hands. Crutcher stated, “I think you might be wrong.”

He died a lifelong and faithful Christian but he felt confident that what God wanted was for us to leave our pride at the door, think creatively, and be willing to sacrifice everything for the women and babies being destroyed through abortion. He suggested that we need to “put feet” to our prayers.

“What if God wants more from us and for us?”

In the Gospel of Luke we hear that to whom much is given, much will be expected. Crutcher was challenging us to stay humble and hungry while loving the person in front of us, whether we agreed with them or not.

So what is a fishing lure designed to catch? The answer, “A fisherman.”

Crutcher explained that no fishing lure ever caught a fish without first attracting the fisherman (or fisherwoman). “Our words and our willingness to sacrifice and love will define us,” he said.

In today’s Church, many people seem to have forgotten that loving our enemies is not optional. It’s an order from our CEO. We are in a time when it might be tempting as Christians to withdraw from the culture and stick with like-minded people. “I’ll take care of my kids and my close friends but the world has gone crazy and I’ve had enough.”

Mark Crutcher knew that if Christians don’t show the world what true love is, all is lost. He taught me that God uses creativity, art, intelligence, and work ethic to share his truth in charity.

I still pursued business and his words reminded me often that worldly success would not define me. He taught me to not worry too much about the fish. The real catch was the fisherperson.

James Borkowski is the Archbishop’s Delegate for Operations.