Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tom@dvnspc1.Dev.Unisys.COM (Tom Albrecht) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Birth control Message-ID: Date: 4 Jan 90 06:23:23 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Unisys Corporation, Devon, PA Lines: 550 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Given the recent comments in soc.religion.christian on the subject of birth control, here are some observations I made a couple years ago for interested members of my own congregation. I would appreciate feedback, public or private ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the Matter of Sterilization Preface This paper was presented to the session of Immanuel Presbyterian Church as part of their investigation into the matter of birth control and steriliza- tion. It represents the view of the author only. Introduction The purpose of this paper is to examine the subject of birth control, in particular sterilization, and answer the questions: 1) is birth control or sterilization a legitimate option for Christian couples and 2) how should the church instruct its families on this subject? May God be glorified in our decision and may His will be done in our lives! The Purpose of Sterilization and Birth Control Birth control, and in particular voluntary sterilization, is a means of limiting the size of one's family. Davis gives evidence of Egytian writing from 1900 B.C. giving birth control information via salves and potions. (1) In this country, birth control and sterilization gained public acceptance through the efforts of Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood. As recently as 1968, states outlawed the use of birth control devices by even married couples. Those legislatures which enacted laws forbidding the use of birth control did so in the belief that the widespread use of such devices would harm the family by lowering the fertility rate. It was also argued that once contraceptives were available to one group, married couples, it would be impossible to control their use by others engaged in unsanctioned sexual intercourse, e.g. unmarried youth. However, through the concerted efforts of humanists like Sanger, birth con- trol was soon seen as a means to bring about true sexual freedom. No longer would women be afraid of unwanted pregnancy. It is difficult to examine today's practice of birth control without understanding the rela- tionship between it and the feminist movement. It is interesting to see how the increase in the use of birth control and abortion on demand parallels the rise in the feminist movement. Feminism at its very heart is a movement to "unshackle" women from the traditional bonds that have "enslaved" them, namely childbearing and homemaking. Christians would be quick to note that the "bonds" of the feminists are those things central to the teaching of the Bible; family and work. Birth control is a means by which women can have a career and children on the side. To the feminists, children become yet another possession like a house or a car. You can have as many or as few as you want. (2) Voluntary sterilization, vasectomy for the male and tubal ligation for the female, is an extreme form of birth control. Except for rare cases of med- ical necessity, all sterilizations are done for birth control purposes and should be considered permanent.(3)In the US, the number of elective sterili- zations performed has been steadily increasing so that today vasectomy is the most popular form of birth control among couples. Some 750,000 are performed on American men each year. (4) It must be pointed out that the most popular methods of birth control, namely sterilization and the contraceptive "Pill", involve some degree of risk to the patient. The Pill has been linked to conditions in women such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and many lesser problems. Vasectomy is thought by some to cause problems in the autoimmune system of the man. In certain situations, the body can actually produce antibodies against its own sperm cells which may lead to autoimmune disease. (5) The ultimate purpose of birth control and sterilization, then, is to allow the couple to engage in sexual intercourse without fear of pregnancy. The Creation Ordinance "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" (Gen. 1:28; cf. Gen. 9:7) The command to be fruitful and multiply was also repeated to Jacob as part of the covenant promise when God changed his name to Israel (Gen. 35:11). In Genesis 2:23,24 we read, "The man said, 'This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.' For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Both Jesus and Paul restate this verse in their discussions on the subject of marriage (Matt. 19:5, Eph. 5:31). It seems clear from Scripture that there is an inseparable relationship between the companionship aspect of marriage and the procreative aspect. It is said that for Adam "no suitable helper was found." No suitable helper for what? Obviously, someone to help Adam carry out God's commands regarding work, worship and procreation. Marriage and sex involve more than meeting the need for companionship. If all Adam needed was a compan- ion, any of the beasts would have been suitable. Dogs make wonderful com- panions. But a dog could not help Adam be obedient to the command "be fruitful and multiply." On the matter of marriage the Westminster Confession of Faith says the fol- lowing: Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife; for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue, and of the church with an holy seed; and for preventing of uncleanness. (6) In commenting on this section with regard to the error of the Roman Cathol- ics and the error of the "Puritans", G.I. Williamson says: To say that Scripture does not state that the satisfaction of the sex desire must always include the procreative purpose is not the same as to say that the procreative purpose may be neglected. God has ordained marriage not only for the proper satisfaction of sex desire, but also "for increase of mankind with legitimate issue, and of the church with an holy seed." This is the divine commandment (Gen. 1:28). The chief end of man is to glorify God in every sphere of life. When sex desire is not governed by this purpose it is most certainly abased. When it is governed by the desire to glorify God it becomes the instrument of God for the increase of His church with the promised seed (Mal. 2:15, Acts 2:39, etc.). To avoid bearing children for selfish reasons is the very opposite of a proper fulfillment of the divine purpose of marriage. We must fully recognize this present-day abuse of the modern knowledge of convenient means of avoiding the beget- ting of children. And this abuse must be condemned. But abuse of a thing does not justify absolute condemnation of it. (7) John Murray concludes his discussion of the marriage ordinance with this observation: We have been following the course of the history of progressive revelation in reference to the first institution regulative of human thought and conduct with which revelation as deposited in the Scripture confronts us. It is that of procreation and fruit- fulness (Gen. 1:28). We have found that there is no suspension of this institution but rather repeated emphasis upon it. The entrance of sin into the world radically affected the conditions under which it was to be exercised but, however aggravated these conditions of curse and travail are, they do not remove the obli- gation to be fruitful and multiply: they rather intensify the necessity or the urge to its exercise. Indeed it is the tendency to abuse the instinct and impulse to the procreative act that makes the necessity of marriage all the more urgent.(8) On the matter of the purpose of sexuality, Philip Hughes writes, The biblical teaching concerning the scope and purpose of sexual- ity is clear and consistent. The primary function served by the creation of the two sexes is the _procreation_ (emph. orig.) of children and the propagation of the race. The design of the sex- ual organs is obviously for this purpose, enabling man to contri- bute and woman to receive the male sperm for the impregnation of the ova in her womb, ... Erotic stimulation is meant to serve this end, not to be an end in itself. Hence God's command to man, whom He created male and female, to 'be fruitful and multi- ply, and fill the earth' (Gen. 1:28). Before all else, then, human sexuality is designed for the increase and perpetuation of mankind. (9) In the Bible, marriage is linked to childbearing to such an extent that one hardly ever finds mention of a couple without reference to their children. In the case of Abram, his wife is named and then follows the statement, "Now Sarai was barren; she had no children." (Gen. 11:30). The begetting of children was considered an act of God's will. (Gen. 25:21, Gen. 29:31, Gen. 30:2, 1 Sam. 1:10ff). John Murray says: We cannot think of the duty of procreation in abstraction from marriage. And we cannot think of marriage apart from the dignity and privilege of the procreative acts and processes which are bound up with it. (10) The Blessing of Children Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord. (Psalm 127:3-128:4) Throughout the Scripture children are described as a blessing from God (Psalm 127). One measure of a man's success and his favor with God was the number of children he had. The story of Job is a prime example of this fact. Job was blessed by God with material wealth and a large family. Satan's first attack was directed at Job through his material possessions, then through his children. But like everything else, Job understood that his children were a gift from God, not something of his own making. After the death of all his children is announced by the messenger, Job declares, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:21). After the final exchange between Job and his "comforters", the Bible records how God gave Job twice as many possessions as he had before his time of trouble. It also states that God blessed Job with ten children, and that the daughters were the most beautiful women in all the land (Job 42:15). Finally, he was blessed to see his children's children to the fourth generation (cf. Ps. 128:6). This was the ultimate mark of Job's prosperity. Where is the longing today among God's people to see their children's chil- dren? What has happened to the extended family in the Christian church? Paul tells Timothy that we are to provide for our relatives, especially our immediate family (1 Tim. 5:8). In our modern lives, Christians have lost that sense of family so prevalent in the Bible. The Role of Women Woman was created to be a helper to the man in Eden. She was to assist him in his God-ordained purpose which included work, worship, dominion and fruitfulness. She was to be a spiritual as well as a physical companion. After the fall, and working under the effects of the curse, man and woman brought forth children in the image of God. With varying degrees of suc- cess, believing parents raised up believing children. But the model for family life was established: husband as head, wife as helper and co-worker, and children in loving obedience to them both. Husbands are to work to pro- vide for his family while the wife stays at home to care for their chil- dren. A principle role for a woman in the family is homemaker, what Hughes calls "the loving focus of family life."(11) Proverbs 31, the description of the ideal wife, makes it very clear that women as mothers are to be workers at home, bearing children and raising them up to the glory of God. This is what Paul told the older women to teach the younger women, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanders or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." (Titus 2:3-5). First of all, it says that the elders (Titus) are to teach this to older women, and that the older women are to pass that wisdom on to younger ones. And Paul's reason: so that, in the eyes of the world, the integrity of the word of God can be maintained. Mothers are not to bear the burden of breadwinner outside the home. Hus- bands are commanded in Scripture to provide for the financial welfare of their family (1 Tim. 5:8). In times past, a husband often worked two or three jobs to give his family food, clothing and a place to live. This seems to have fallen out of fashion with some. Today, it seems easier to send mom out into the workforce. This should not be, especially in the church. The apostle Paul gives us two statements as to legitimate areas of author- ity for women: But women will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety 1 Tim 2:15 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 1 Tim 5:14 The first verse is given within the context of Paul's admonition that women are not to teach or exercise authority in the church. It says that the woman's responsibility to bear children and to raise them up to the glory of God is a good work which gives evidence of salvation.(12) Paul is making the point that women do have areas wherein they exercise a great deal of responsibility. The primary area is the home. They are the childbearers, teachers, doctors, counselors, and nurturers. The second verse teaches that young widows, like other young women, should marry and manage a home in order to avoid the temptation that comes about as a result of having too much free time. Paul says, in verse 13, "Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house." Idleness is a habit that needs to be broken, and for young widows, marriage is the best cure. They are to be "busy at home". God is Provider The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God is the one who provides for all our needs, wants and desires. All that we possess is a gift from Him. Too often we hear the excuse among Christians that they don't want more children than they can provide for financially. But who is it that pro- vides for our family's needs? Who gives us the job that provides the salary to put food on the table and clothes on our backs? Is it not the Lord himself? When we take our eyes off Him then we will begin to worry about where the next meal is coming from regardless of how many children we have. But are we not told in Scripture that we are not to worry about tomorrow? Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about you body, what you will wear. ... For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matt. 6:25,31-33). Selfless Love As stated earlier, the ultimate purpose of birth control and sterilization is to allow the couple to engage in sexual intercourse without fear of pregnancy. Except in rare cases of medical necessity, the fear of preg- nancy is a selfish fear. It is certainly a sinful fear because God has declared over and over again that He is in control and that He wants to bless His people by giving them children. What other blessing that is offered to us in the Bible creates this type of behavior among God's peo- ple? What other blessing that is offered to us do we respond to God by saying, "Enough!"? We are commanded to love God first and foremost, and to love our neighbors are ourselves. This is the definition of selfless love: thinking of others before we think of ourselves. We must ask, is sterilization an act of obedient love, or something less? If it is something less, then how can we as elders recommend it to God's people as even an option for them? But sex without reproduction is subversion of the primary purpose of sex; sex merely for the pleasure of the individual is the perversion of sex to selfish and licentious ends which will soon pall in surfeit and disgust. (13) Be Not Conformed The question we must ask ourselves as evangelicals is this: how much have we allowed the thinking of the world to influence our decisions in the whole matter of human sexuality? Have we been leaders on this subject, especially the matter of birth control, or have we been taking our cues from the world? The Bible says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom. 12:2,3). What is God's perfect will for married couples? If we allow God's word to be our guide the only conclusion is to pray for God's blessing of children. The paramount concern for the Christian is faithfulness to God and His word. We must not accept any of the world's thinking without a critical examination of the issue in the light of God's word. Compromise with the world has always meant the downfall of God's people. Francis Schaeffer says, It is hard to imagine how far these things have gone (speaking of homosexuality and feminism in the church, ed.). Evangelicalism is deeply infiltrated with the world spirit of our age when it comes to marriage and sexual morality. Few would go so far as the extremes mentioned above. But there are many who quietly tolerate these views and in practice, if not in principle, view the biblical teaching on marriage and order in the home and church as quaint anachronisms which are culturally irrelevant in the modern world. For some the accommodation is conscious and intentional; for many more it involves our unreflective acquies- cence to the prevailing spirit of the age. But in either case the results are essentially the same. (14) John White says much the same thing in his book "Flirting with the World": The sexual behavior of Christians has reached the point of being indistinguishable from non-Christians. ... in our sexual behavior we, as a Christian community, are both in the world and of it. (15) Conclusion We need to acknowledge three essential facts from Scripture in order to resolve the problem of the use of birth control. First, man was commanded by God to "be fruitful and multiply". This command was repeated three times and has never been rescinded. Second, that children are a blessing from the Lord and evidence of His promise to bless a faithful couple. And, third, that God is sovereign and in control of all the event of our lives; including the giving and withholding of children (see Gen. 29:31ff for one of the clearest statements on this fact). He has promised to provide all our needs when we seek to be faithful to His revealed will. This provision extends to our covenant children as well. "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." (Ps. 37:25). Sexual intercourse is an expression of godly love between a husband and wife and is a source of pleasure for both. It is also designed to provide covenant offspring for the couple and the church. Not every instance of sexual intercourse results in pregnancy. That fact, however, does not give Christians the right to permanently alter their sexual capability in order to prevent conception. There may be times when the use of birth control is justified, such as when the health of the woman is in question or when the spacing of children would seem prudent. But this action should involve much prayer and seeking after godly wisdom and counsel. God alone is the Lord of the womb; we may not take any action which puts this fact in jeopardy. Simply because medical science gives us the ability to prevent conception, doesn't mean we have the right to use that ability. This is especially true if our purpose in preventing conception is a self- ish one. If a Christian decides that another child would be a burden, rather than a blessing, then their motive for preventing conception is cer- tainly selfish. Birth control is not a private matter to be left up to the discretion of couples. It is a matter that strikes at the very heart of the family and the church. With all the positive statements in the Bible about children as the fruit and blessing of marriage, and the absolute silence on the matter of birth control,(16) it seems that it would be better to trust in God's sovereign love for us and avoid anything that could interfere in His plan for our families. Finally, the advocates of birth control bear the burden of proof on this subject. What biblical reasoning can be offered to support the notion that birth control is a private matter? Doesn't this strike at the very heart of Christian faith and practice? Doesn't it say to the world: we can trust God for salvation (eternal) but I am in control of my own body (temporal). Our bodies are not our own, they were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19,20). Recommendations This outline should be the clear teaching of our church on the matter of children and birth control: o Children should be viewed as a blessing from the Lord and desired within the framework of a Christian family. o God has revealed Himself in Scripture as the sovereign provider of all material needs, both for us and our children. o Conception does not happen apart from the sovereign will of God. He has formed us in the womb (Isa. 44:2). o The bearing of covenant children should be viewed as an effective means of enlarging the church. o Birth control, and especially sterilization, is a means of circumvent- ing God's prerogative in the creation of new life. o Sterilization should not be undertaken by Christian couples except in the rare case of medical necessity. Other forms of birth control may be used only if their use is not meant to permanently prevent concep- tion and should only be undertaken after much prayer and godly coun- sel. o Childless couples, and those who have come to question their own sterilization, should be encouraged to pursue adoption as an alterna- tive to natural children. Tom Albrecht 7/12/88 v. 2 (nroff) Footnotes 1. Davis, John J., Evangelical Ethics: Issues Facing the Church Today (Phillipsburg, NJ, 1985) p. 22-24 2. For a more detailed look at the relationship between birth control and the modern feminist movement, see Davis or Pride. 3. Through new surgery techniques it is possible in a few cases to reverse the sterilization, but the operation is long and costly. 4. Davis, p. 33 5. Davis, p. 34-35 6. WCF, XXIV:2 7. Williamson, G.I., The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes (Philadelphia, 1964) p. 182 8. Murray, John, Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics (Grand Rapids, 1957) p. 78 9. Hughes, Philip E., Christian Ethics in Secular Society (Grand Rapids, 1983) p. 151 10. Murray, p. 45 11. Hughes, p. 166 12. 1 Tim. 2:15 literally says that woman will be saved in (or through) childbearing. The translators of the NIV apparently thought that the idea expressed by Paul sounded too much like salvation by works so they came up with the improper wording, "kept safe through child- birth." 13. Hughes, p. 167 14. Schaeffer, Francis, The Great Evangelical Disaster (Westchester, IL, 1984) p. 138 15. quoted in Alcorn, Randy C., Christians in the Wake of the Sexual Revolution (Portland, OR 1985) p. 24 16. The case of Onan was not an issue of birth control, but rather of Onan's levirate obligation to his dead brother's wife. Bibliography Alcorn, Randy C., Christians in the Wake of the Sexual Revolution (Portland, OR 1985) Camping, Harold, Feed My Sheep (Nutley, NJ) Davis, John J., The Christian's Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth (Westchester, IL, 1986) Davis, John J., Evangelical Ethics: Issues Facing the Church Today (Phillipsburg, NJ, 1985) Gilder, George, Men and Marriage (Gretna, LA 1986) Hughes, Philip E., Christian Ethics in Secular Society (Grand Rapids, 1983) Murray, John, Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics (Grand Rapids, 1957) Pride, Mary, The Way Home: Beyond Feminism and Back to Reality (Westchester, IL, 1985) Schaeffer, Francis, The Great Evangelical Disaster (Westchester, IL, 1984) Williamson, G.I., The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes (Philadelphia, 1964) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Tom Albrecht