I was disappointed to read this article in Evangelicals Now about how Christians should respond to a drop in the fertility rate. Now, it certainly is the case that this has declined sharply over the years and that there are some reasons which we might be unhappy to hear. However, I don’t know whether that is replicated in he church or not. It would be good to have some facts and analysis before we jump to act. I had three specific concerns about the article.
First of all, after assuming that Christians are not having babies, he makes assumptions as to why. It would have been helpful if he had asked the question first before seeking to apply solutions. To be sure, it may be that some Christians are intentionally opting not to marry and if they do marry, to not have children for lifestyle reasons. If so, some those lifestyle decisions may reflect a lack of trust in God. However, I’m not convinced that those not having children are delaying out of desire for an idealistic future as portrayed.
There is little consideration or concern for other factors at work, particularly health issues. These may affect a couple’s fertility if they are unable to have children at all or find conceiving difficult. There may also be physical or mental health factors that affect a potential mother’s ability to carry their baby through pregnancy or a couple’s ability to care for their child after birth. It is also worth noting that this is not a binary matter of having children or not having children but rather the choice between sticking with one child and having a second or third.
When it comes to questions of family size, whether or not to have a larger family, then I would encourage caution before assuming that economic decisions are frivolous. I am mindful of James’ warning about piously saying “be blessed” if we encourage people to “trust God” without serious attention to what practical support looks like. Knitting a few blankets might be a beautiful gesture but do not pay the mortgage, rent, fuel, clothing or food bills. Throw away, dismissive judgements about desiring a “cottage with a white picket fence” or assuming that parents expect the £2k designer pram are really pastorally unhelpful.
Secondly, I’m concerned that there seems to be an assumption that large families must be the norm for Christians, that we are under a mandate to have families of a certain size. Beyond that the human race was intended to multiply in order to fill and subdue the earth, something that it has pretty much already done in physical terms, I cannot find any Scriptural support for legalistic presumptions about how many children you should have.
Thirdly, beyond a general and vague notion of trusting God, I searched and searched the article for the promised, Gospel solution in the article and could not find it. I believe that there are Gospel answers to the challenges faced, whether those are the challenges of childlessness or the challenges of raising a family of whatever size. Unfortunately these were not identified in the article.
Faithroots 