Contraception, Part III: Contraception and Stewardship

In this post, I will examine the eschewal of contraception as it impacts matters of stewardship.

And I'll ask more questions :-)

I know of several large families in which the father holds a high-paying job. The families live modestly but well and the mothers stay home with the children. In families like these, apparently there are financial means to making a go of having many children.

Other large families I know of live a very “homesteading”-type life; they recycle, keep gardens, and otherwise conserve resources. I respect this tremendously but it's a full-time occupation. (I know; my family of origin lived like this although there were only 2 kids in the family.) Certainly not all large families can take the time to do all these Tightwad and conservation-minded things: they toss cans, bottles, etc. without bothering to rinse, crush, and recycle; they throw out leftovers instead of carefully saving them; they resort to using paper plates and plastic cups a lot; and they take many other more costly or wasteful “shortcuts” because when you’re in a crunch, something has to go. But how does one balance management of resources, monetary and otherwise, with being populous? I don’t believe that wastefulness and consumerism is included in the command to “subdue the earth...”

If you’re a mother with a baby in her arms most of the time and other children to tend to or to homeschool, you simply can’t take the time to do the most conservation-minded things. You may have to toss stained clothes rather than work all the stains out. You may need to throw out damaged or no-longer-useful things and purchase replacements rather than take time to get them fixed. (Or just live with them anyway, like we tend to do :-) ) You may need to pay someone to do stuff you can’t because you’re occupied with children – like housecleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping. Chores like mowing the lawn, raking leaves, cleaning gutters, and innumerable other household jobs may need to be hired out as well. And BTW, all of this is part of stewardship of one's property.

And I do realize that once children are old enough, they can help with some of these things.

The resourceful family with enough time and hands can do most of these chores for themselves and thereby "save" money. The family that's short on time/hands but not on money can afford to hire help. But for the family short on both...what are their options? Seems they must either take out a loan, slow down in having children, send their children away from home for schooling, or live in a dump!

And what about lifestyle and debt? How much debt should a Christian take on in order to support even a modest lifestyle? By “modest lifestyle” I mean a still essentially comfortable way of life, one that provides basic needs and is conducive to developing innate talents and educating children thoroughly. Which begs the question: Is the American way of life sinful, at it’s core? (I.e., wealth, enjoyment of life, indulgence in pursuits beyond basic survival.)

To carry this idea further, is it right to update one’s home or put in a swimming pool when money could instead be sent to World Vision or other worthwhile organization? (This is an area in which I think Tony Campolo is a true prophet and living example. Although he also wears nice clothes and probably eats well too :-) ) By extension, then, one may ask: should I be paying for ballet classes and music lessons,for example, for my child when I could instead be helping to keep a few children in Africa alive with that money?

All of this frames my two primary questions: 1) Does God want us to compromise what we may be able to provide for our children, development-wise, by having more of them rather than less? Does He want children’s talents to go undeveloped because families cannot afford instruction due to their resources being spread thin? Would He rather a family come down to a choice between sending their kids to public school and producing less children in order to have the resources to homeschool them properly? Or choosing to send them to public school rather than homeschooling them so that there is money for the “extras”? (Or “essentials,” depending on your point of view.)

2) Does God want families to have many biological children when there are thousands upon thousands of children already in existence who are barely surviving? Does it honor God to pour money into one’s own children, regardless of how many one has, when that money could instead be used to adopt an orphan or otherwise benefit a needy child?

Or...does He want us to just churn ‘em out and leave the rest "in His hands?"


Part IV: “A Mother’s Talents and Training: Forsaken?” to follow.