God's Babies: Natalism And Bible Interpretation In Modern America
by John McKeown /
2014 / English / PDF
3 MB Download
The human population's annual total consumption is not sustainable
by one planet. This unprecedented situation calls for a reformation
in religious cultures that promote a large ideal family size. Many
observers assume that Christianity is inevitably part of this
problem because it promotes "family values" and statistically, in
America and elsewhere, has a higher birthrate than nonreligious
people. This book explores diverse ideas about human reproduction
in the church past and present. It investigates an extreme fringe
of U.S. Protestantism, including the Quiverfull movement, that use
Old Testament "fruitful" verses to support natalist ideas
explicitly promoting higher fecundity. It also challenges the claim
by some natalists that Martin Luther in the 16th century advocated
similar ideas. This book argues that natalism is inappropriate as a
Christian application of Scripture, especially since rich
populations' total footprints are detrimental to biodiversity and
to human welfare. It explores the ancient cultural context of the
Bible verses quoted by natalists. Challenging the assumption that
religion normally promotes fecundity, the book finds surprising
exceptions among early Christians (with a special focus on Saint
Augustine) since they advocated spiritual fecundity in preference
to biological fecundity. Finally the book uses a hermeneutic lens
derived from Genesis 1, and prioritising the modern problem of
biodiversity, to provide ecological interpretations of the Bible's
"fruitful" verses.
The human population's annual total consumption is not sustainable
by one planet. This unprecedented situation calls for a reformation
in religious cultures that promote a large ideal family size. Many
observers assume that Christianity is inevitably part of this
problem because it promotes "family values" and statistically, in
America and elsewhere, has a higher birthrate than nonreligious
people. This book explores diverse ideas about human reproduction
in the church past and present. It investigates an extreme fringe
of U.S. Protestantism, including the Quiverfull movement, that use
Old Testament "fruitful" verses to support natalist ideas
explicitly promoting higher fecundity. It also challenges the claim
by some natalists that Martin Luther in the 16th century advocated
similar ideas. This book argues that natalism is inappropriate as a
Christian application of Scripture, especially since rich
populations' total footprints are detrimental to biodiversity and
to human welfare. It explores the ancient cultural context of the
Bible verses quoted by natalists. Challenging the assumption that
religion normally promotes fecundity, the book finds surprising
exceptions among early Christians (with a special focus on Saint
Augustine) since they advocated spiritual fecundity in preference
to biological fecundity. Finally the book uses a hermeneutic lens
derived from Genesis 1, and prioritising the modern problem of
biodiversity, to provide ecological interpretations of the Bible's
"fruitful" verses.
