Too many Christians have adopted a Pagan worldview when it comes to supporting the use of birth control and having a limited size family. Research proves that the early Church Fathers believed it was a sin to use birth control, and it was considered that way until the 1930s - the point at which the Church slowly started to accept it.
The majority of Christians see nothing wrong with using permanent and temporary birth control methods, and believe the Bible is silent on the issue. Although the Bible never comes out and says, "Thou shalt not..." it is implied. Believers today view the area of birth control and family size as a personal decision. But is it really a private matter, or does God want to be a part of every aspect of our lives - especially when it comes to the Temple of the Holy Spirit (our bodies). With that, let's look closer at both sides of the issue.
Quotes
Pastor and Bible teacher John MacArthur is a firm believer that the scriptures are silent. He said,
Charles Provan, whose son Nathanael is in the following presentation, made this statement:"Nothing in Scripture prohibits married couples from practicing birth control, either for a limited time to delay childbearing, or permanently when they have borne children and determine that their family is complete ... In our viewpoint, birth control is biblically permissible. At the same time, couples should not practice birth control if it violates their consciences (Romans 14:23)—not because birth control is inherently sinful, but because it is always wrong to violate the conscience. The answer to a wrongly informed conscience is not to violate it, but rather to correct and rightly inform one's conscience with biblical truth."
"Be fruitful and multiply" ... is a command of God, indeed the first command to a married couple. Birth control obviously involves disobedience to this command, for birth control attempts to prevent being fruitful and multiplying. Therefore birth control is wrong, because it involves disobedience to the Word of God. Nowhere is this command done away with in the entire Bible; therefore it still remains valid for us today."David Crank, the publisher of Unless the Lord magazine has said:
"The 'Quiver Full' approach is universal in the sense that it is not something unusual that only a few are called to. Rather it is God's basic design and plan for mankind, and it was the way most of mankind lived most of the time, until the 20th century."[1]In this video, you will hear quotes from the early Church who were completely opposed to the use of birth control.
(Vimeo Link)
Here are some further links that lead to some birth control facts.
- For quotes and scripture, go to The Bible and Birth Control.
- Historical timeline of Birth Control: PBS: The Pill (Note the year 1930.)
- Denominatonal views on Birth Control
Reconstructionism + Dominionism = Warfare Theology
A Rabbit Trail: Dominionism/Reconstructionism
As many of you have become aware, Bible-believing Christians who have embraced the Quiver Full/Patriarchy movement, have been hijacked unknowingly by the Christian Dominionist/Reconstrutionist social/political movement. Essentially they seek to influence secular civil government through political action. Ministries such as Vision Forum and Christian Patriarchy ministries are two such ministries, and both have a clear agenda.
The aspect of the Reconstructionist movement we should be concerned about deals with having children, and the roles of men and women. Reconstructionist thought gives Christian men (not women) "dominion" over the Earth, and the responsibility to bring the world into line with their understanding of scripture. Charles Provan was one of these individuals who had this viewpoint. [2] The same person who was involved in discouraging birth control. He did have some radical ideas, but should we throw the baby out with the bathwater if he supports unrealistic social/political views?
Many aspects of the Quiver Full and Patriarchal ministries do teach truth, but its some of the extreme ideas that we should question - particularly things you've never heard before or if they sound weird. We should be cautious by listening very carefully and try to notice something, if you choose to use these ministry materials. Just as any cult, some information is true, and parts of it aren't. How do we determine if they are true? The principles can actually be found in your Bible - not to include extra-biblical text - and they aren't distorted in order to fit each case. Compare the verses they may be using in a modern Bible version and compare it to the King James Bible.
As you have used homeschool curriculum and purchased specialized books to train your sons and daughters, many of these false philosophies of the social/political reform movement are taught in their materials. I personally have used ABeka Curriculum and some of the American History has been laced with false information. Through their teaching materials you can be slowly indoctrinated to share their social transformation beliefs. One of them being that the Founding Fathers were Christian God-fearing men. The opposite is actually the truth, and there are many implications to this lie.
Thomas Jefferson's Masonic Obelisk Tomb
Some of the key words of the Dominionist/Reconstructionist movement can be found in most ministry bookstores online. If you see words like: Kingdom Now, taking dominion, Theonomy, Theocracy, prophet, Christian Right, Christian Zionism, and terms associated with warfare - these is a red flag.
In the following DVD being offered in the Vision Forum website, Geoff Botkin teaches you how to raise dominion-oriented daughters. Many of man's philosophies are woven through teaching tapes like this.
Geoff Botkin has ties to the Heritage Foundation .[2]
Attack from Discernment Ministries
Since the Quiver Full/Patriarchal movements both proclaim self-sacrifice and submission as model virtues of godly womanhood - which is true - opponents believe that women live within stringently enforced doctrines of wifely submission and male domination. Discernment ministries believe that families who live by the Quiver Full/Patriarchy philosophy of following God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply,” and believe in the husband's headship in the family, are trying to win the religion and culture wars through demographic means.[2]
So, let's look at this realistically. How many of us have actually been affected by these false teachings of Dominionism and Reconstructionism? Since a biblical teachings on the family have unknowingly been adopted by the Right Wing, have you been influenced to live each day to take dominion of your community? Does the idea of it seem absurd? Or have you been living by the fundamentals taught in scripture, and filtering out the strange concepts offered through some of these materials?
The Bates family
One of the greatest principles that stick in the craw of some of these Discernment ministries are the roles God planned for men and women. They are:
- God ordained distinct gender roles for man and woman as part of the created order.
- A husband and father is the head of his household, a family leader, provider, and protector.
- Woman was created as a helper to her husband, as the bearer of children, and as a “keeper at home.” The God-ordained role for a wife is the household and that which is connected with the home. [3]
So, many believe that the Quiver Full and Patriarchy leadership are manipulating the conscience of couples, thus causing them to become legalistic and fervent in their views. I see that as a matter of misguided opinion.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment