Show & Tell: A"Quiverfull" of Great Finds

First off, we've been buying fresh produce and organic cheeses at the Dallas Farmers' Market, and lo and behold, I looked down, and check out the label on our organic mozzerella (sorry it's a blurry picture!). It strikes me as funny that I've been reading about and considering the issues surrounding birth control, and then come to find out I'm buying my cheese from "Full Quiver Farms" (this is GREAT FIND #1 in today's show & tell extravaganza).

(For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about regarding my own struggle through the birth control issue, you may want to read some of my previous posts about Christians & birth control: Who You Calling a Liar?, Birth Controlled, and The High Stakes of Determining God's Will Regarding Birth Control. And FYI, I'm still not solidly in one "camp" or another, but I'm definitely searching the scriptures and the counsel of wise and godly people on this important family issue.)

GREAT FIND #2: Here is a VERY insightful and well-thought-out dialogue about Christians and birth control, written by one of my favorite authors & teachers, Randy Alcorn. Written as though it's a conversation between two friends, one of whom is very open to any birth control, and the other who is (basically) a quiverfuller, I believe you'll find it interesting to examine this issue from many different angles as Alcorn does in this article.

GREAT FIND #3: If you don't know what the quiverfull movement is, here is a video of a fairly balanced ABCNews segment specifically focused on this growing movement (incidentally, it's hosted by Martin Bashir, the man who did the infamous Michael Jackson interview).

GREAT FIND #4: A journalist peers into the lives of quiverfull moms, particularly in light of the Andrea Yates tragedy, in order to see the real day-to-day issues that come up as a mom of a large family. Her interviews of many different moms reveals perspectives and misperceptions that people have about the quiverfull movement.

GREAT FIND #5: One quiverfull mom writes a thoughtful response to a letter written to her husband which reprimanded him, saying, "Mr Phillips, Stop Having Children!"

GREAT FIND #6: This well-written thought-provoking article, called "Imagine," will challenge you to see children and family in a much more eternal perspective.

GREAT FIND #7: Another favorite author, Elizabeth Elliot, writes a great letter addressed to young moms who may not understand their mother's hesitancy to rejoice in each additional pregnancy. It begins, "When I learned that my daughter Valerie was expecting number five, my insides tied themselves in knots."

Where do I find my own conviction in the midst of all these opinions?, you may be asking. Here's what I've come to, thus far: the Bible certainly puts children in positive terms (as a blessing, an inheritance, and a gift), and so if we ever find ourselves viewing children in a negative way, we are not having a biblical perspective. It could be that a worldly "lie" has snuck into our worldview, or it could be that we are not operating our family and home according to biblical principles. But whenever we start seeing children as burdens rather than blessings (even in our day-to-day interactions with our kiddos), we can be sure that "somethin ain't right!"

Additionally, one of the primary biblical purposes for marriage IS having children, so if you are considering marriage, being open to children is a part of that. If you say, "well, I'm ready for marriage but not for children," then you are not seeing it from a realistic (nor a biblical) viewpoint. Though you may think you can "prevent" against children, there are way too many people I know that have conceived while actively using contraception of various kinds.

I do think that if you compare the church's views on these things today with what the church believed 100 years ago, it is evident that we have taken on more of the world's perspective on this issue than we would like to admit. It was not until the Planned Parenthood mentality (that children are to be prevented and it's *right* to do so) became pervasive that Christians began openly and unapologetically using birth control. It is not coincidental that the rise of a society that devalues children has happened alongside the rise of the church's devaluing of children.

Generally speaking, these are the things I've learned on this issue so far. I have so much more I could share, but so many things I'm considering and thinking of fall under the realm of "personal conviction and thoughts." I hope you if you haven't already clicked on some of them, you'll scroll back up and pick out one of these "Show & Tell" finds to read!