- God has never rescinded his command to “be fruitful and multiply.”
- There are numerous passages in the OT that view children as a blessing from the Lord (eg. Ps. 127:3).
- Contrary to much conventional wisdom, the world’s birth rate is declining rapidly…
- Christians have hope for the future because of our faith in God.
- All abortion and some forms of contraception should be rejected by Christians.
- Christians need to submit their wills to God and accept children as gifts from Him, rather than as “projects” or “products” of our own wills.
(HT: James Grant)
7 comments:
This sounds like a fairly desperate way for pastors to increase church attendance.
If we take #1 seriously, the Jesus and the Apostle Paul were commandment breakers. Of course, they have many spiritual descendants. So maybe that's a better way to "be fruitful and multiply."
As for #2, the Bible also calls celibacy a gift. Surely spiritual children are also a blessing. And let's not forget, too many children can also be a curse--not only on the mother, but also on society.
As for #3, the world's birth rate is declining largely because of decline in infant death rates and availability of effective contraception.
As for #4, the hope of Christians is no license to be irresponsible. Many of the most selfless and generous people are those that have no children.
As for #5, adoption and safe forms of contraception are a better solution.
#6 makes it sound as if Jesus and St. Paul did not submit to the will of God. If you get pregnant--or if you get someone pregnant--accept responsibility. But also: learn to use effective contraception, and don't use "faith" as a substitute for wisdom, prudence, and responsibility.
Pete,
I would suggest that this post is attempting to think of families and children, especially, in a way that is in keeping with how the Bible generally speaks of them-- as blessings and gifts.
It seems, possibly, a bit cynical to say that this is an attempt by pastors to increase church attendance. The author of the post isn't a pastor. He's a theologian who, in some areas (such as this one), has been influenced by Catholic theology.
Being a happily Reformed Protestant Christian (5-point Calvinist and much of what comes with that paradigm), I am certainly no Catholic. However, I will be the first to admit that on issues of life, Catholics have often been more *Biblically* thoughtful than (most) Protestants. Catholics opposed abortion long before Roe vs. Wade. For much of this time, Protestants were largely silent on the issue.
As for celibacy, it is a gift for those to whom it is given. Paul himself teaches as much. By far, the normal paradigm in the Bible is for believers to marry and raise families. Jesus and Paul are not necessarily meant to be model for all or most Christians *in the area of marrying and raising children.*
Last thought-- where in the Bible is the model for (non-sterile) married Christian couples to remain deliberately childless? It doesn't exist.
Christopher,
Thanks for your comments. I agree with them fully. I have seen the damages on a society economically where people look at children as a curse. In Japan, where I live, the birth rate is so low that the government is now paying us to have children! They too are finally waking up to the reality of what a low birth rate is doing to their country.
The first and one of the most important commands - to multiply and fill the earth - is of course chiefly a spiritual one. But with the understanding that most Christians in the world are those that come from Christian families, we have a great responsibility, as married people, to bless the nations, and ourselves, by having more children.
Z, thanks for posting this.
Christopher, thank for your thoughtful response. As a father of seven, I agree wholeheartedly. "Children are a heritage from the LORD. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."
Wow! I'm surprised at how touchy this topic turns out to be!
I'm a huge fan of big families! I think that every christian should at least consider it! I love how Voddie Bauchom (or however it's spelled) talks about families and babies. It gets me so excited about the privilege of being a daddy!
I thought I should comment on this.
While I respect those who choose to have large families, I have to admit that's not the path for me. As a military wife, my husband works horribly long hours (if he's even home) and it can be taxing on me. That and I am only the mother of one child at this point (she's in her terrible twos, so I'm pretty worn out at the end of every day).
I admire those of you who choose to have large families (via adoption or childbirth) but I don't believe that God commanded us all to have large families. In fact, never in the Bible does God say we are to have as many children as possible.
I do love my child, she is my greatest blessing, but I would be foolish to think that I could handle a large family given my husband's career. We already have issues with him being gone significantly and playing a role in my daughter's life. His job and his committments make parenting on his part very difficult.
That's not to say that if I were to end up pregnant (although we are actively preventing)that I wouldn't accept the child as a great blessing from God, I surely would. But I just don't believe there is anything wrong with being wise and discerning about family size from a Christian perspective. It's not that I want to be selfish, it's that I don't think a large family is wise in my situation.
These are important questions and I thank Zach for bringing them up... I recent counseled some fellow congregants about precisely this issue, and I found John Piper's position on the matter to be exceedingly helpful.
It is on this issue, like so many others within the Christian paradigm, that we are to live in the Spirit of the teaching and not the letter.
As a father of four children, who intends to adopt once my babies have gotten a bit older, I highly value large families and many children... yet do I also prize those dear ones in whom is trusted a single child or none at all, in the same manner as those of my brethren who feel no call to marriage or children.
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