by Chris Alexion, Copyright May 23, 2006, all rights reserved. 245 views
In a culture that wants birth control to be as accessible and as acceptable as tartar control, it's no wonder conflicts spill into the church. The lines are drawn: May Christians use contraceptives? Is there a time that birth control may be an act of wise prudence? This post will undoubtedly get me in the soup (to use a Wodehouse phrase), but it's something that needs to be addressed; even a young single guy like myself will have to face this issue eventually as part of marriage prep. I won't seek to come down decisively, but rather to dig past the cliched party lines on both sides, leading to slightly random but hopefully helpful discussion.
First things first. We can biblically rule out any view of birth control derived from secular western views of children and family. Contemporary couples are saying to their potential offspring, "Don't rock the boat, baby." What with rising interest rates, high daycare costs, and increasingly-demanding work schedules for both parents, we just don't have time for the little brats. The absorption of such a dim view of children by a worldly church is a cause for repentance. Scripture makes it clear that children are a "heritage from the Lord" and like arrows in the hand of a warrior. On top of this, it stands to reason that if cultural transformation comes mainly by generational faithfulness, it would help if the next generation contained more people.
The weight of these considerations is like a fat kid on a see-saw. But the see-saw has two sides. We have to realize that these passages aren't the end of the discussion. Too often anti-birth-control advocates quote these texts with an air of case-closed finality. But the fact that children are a blessing doesn't answer the question of whether there is ever a place for birth control. We have to look elsewhere in Scripture for the whole story.
Third, as Reformed Christians, we should approach the issue without leaning on a fundamentalist tendency to prescribe extrabiblical rules. God alone is lord of the conscience, and the fact that contraception isn't directly prohibited in the Bible lends some support to the advocates of birth control. Any case made against contraception must be exegetical.
Fourth, God's sovereignty and human responsibility both bear on the discussion. This is a particularly hard line to draw. God is ultimately in control of the womb; birth control may tacitly deny this truth. On the other hand, some Christians point out that a father is required to provide for his own (1 Tim. 5:8), and charge that having more kids than one can support is not Christian responsibility. The reply given to this is that children are God's gifts, and with them He will provide the means of support; our job is not to be faithless. Thrust, parry; thrust, parry.
Fifth, let's look at a major argument against birth control. Opponents point to the account of Onan, who married his brother's widow according to tradition, but, knowing that their first child would not be his heir but his brother's, practiced a crude form of contraception. Onan did this "lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also" (Gen. 38:9-10).
Some see this text as an historical disapproval of birth control. But logicians would warn us here of the post hoc; ergo, propter hoc fallacy. This little bit of Latin means, "After this; therefore, because of this." It isn't the case that A caused B simply because B follows A. If I spill my glass just before the clock strikes, does my spill cause the chimes? In Onan's case, we don't know for sure that his separating sex from procreation is what caused God's displeasure. Onan clearly had ill will for his brother, and denied him an heir. It's possible that Onan's death resulted from this offense.
To try to put some kind of conclusion on these ramblings: We've seen that contemporary societal prejudices against larger families are unbiblical, and that birth control shouldn't be used to keep babies from rocking our boat. Children are a blessing, and under most circumstances, it would seem foolish to limit these blessings through contraception. However, we bumped into a wall when we tried to prove that Scripture forbids contraception entirely. Where to take the discussion from here, I simply don't know. We need much prayer, hard exegetical work, and Spirit-led application.
1 • Shawn Dumas • May 24, 2006 • 8:38 AM
Read 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 and then read this: Those who have many children will have worldly troubles. I want to be free from anxieties. The man with few children is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the man with many children is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife and care for the well being of his many children, and his interests are divided. And the woman with few children is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the woman with many children is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband and how to care for her many children. My main concern is to promote good order and to secure for myself (and my wife) a less divided devotion to the Lord, for I feel that my appointed time is growing short. In my judgment we are happier if we remain as we are in having only few children. And I think that I have the Spirit of God in this.
And note this: Paul, having said that a deliberation needs to be made regarding even having a wife, even though having a wife is a blessing how can it not also be true regarding the having of children, even though having them is a blessing?
In fact Paul says that we should have no children when he says we should remain unmarred!
If even the question of marring or not marrying is one of discretion for a believer (and by implication the having of no children), how can having children or not having children not be a matter of discretion?
2 • Bonnie • May 26, 2006 • 11:56 AM
Hello,
I agree that a Christian view toward the limiting of a married couple's reproduction must be informed by proper biblical exegesis. The issue is quite complicated, however. I attempted to examine the various aspects in a series ("on contraception") at my http://www.takeanumberplease.blogspot.com blog, the links to which can be found in the sidebar.
I'd be interested to know what you think.
3 • Marissa Northwall • November 07, 2006 • 12:25 AM
Hey,
Shawn Dumas. try reading the ENTIRE chapter rather than only implying on one part that means something totally different if you read past it totally and thoroughly. Try reading 31-38 over again…slowly this time. Do not jump to conclusions about the Bible. It is not to be analyzed, but to be taken considerably.
the disciple Paul clearly stated that we are to do as we wish with our spouse as long as it is in the Lord's name. "I should like you to be free of anxieties."32. kind of clear as a helpful opinion… don't you think.