Going back to my two posts prior to the give away (have you signed up to win yet???), one of the thoughts that has occurred to me is this: If our past church decisions concerning contraception and women's ordination have led us farther and farther away from creedal Christianity, what will our current and future decisions do? Here is a point in case:
After the election of Gene Robinson to bishop (an openly gay man in an non-celibate relationship), ScrappleFace posted this farce. This was a joke. The point was to provoke the question, "What's next?". Well, the farce has now COME TRUE a mere 4 years later.
Hat tip to First Things. They have an excellent article (all their articles are excellent) discussing this at length and the implications for interfaith dialogue. Otherwise, I'm still digesting....
Monday, July 23, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Another link along the same lines...
Heather from Stepping Heavenward left a wonderful comment (thanks, Heather) and a shocking quote from GK Chesterton. It is so good that I had to put it into a regular post so that it wouldn't be missed....
"Given an attempt to escape from the nature of things and I can well believe that it might lead at last to something like 'the nursery school for our children staffed by other mothers and single women of expert training.'
I will add nothing to that ghastly picture, beyond speculating pleasantly about the world in which women cannot manage their own children but can manage each other's."
Here is a link to the entire essay. It was written in 1927....and again (why am I so fascinated by this reference? :) ) there is our old friend Malthus. I think I'm going to have to go read some of his writings.
"Given an attempt to escape from the nature of things and I can well believe that it might lead at last to something like 'the nursery school for our children staffed by other mothers and single women of expert training.'
I will add nothing to that ghastly picture, beyond speculating pleasantly about the world in which women cannot manage their own children but can manage each other's."
Here is a link to the entire essay. It was written in 1927....and again (why am I so fascinated by this reference? :) ) there is our old friend Malthus. I think I'm going to have to go read some of his writings.
My mind is kind of whirling around right now.....I need to spend some time distilling this down a bit before I post more or I'm afraid it will be just 'gobbldygook'!
Do you have any thoughts or comments?
Friday, July 20, 2007
She wore a lovely green Malthusian belt....
Birth Control. Whew, that is a subject that can cause some real divisions even among like-minded folks, isn't it? And it is a subject that is frequently on my mind. I've gone from extreme to extreme in my life and I'm trying to find, if not a middle ground, a godly understanding.
Last week, I read a post from a pastor in my own denomination concerning feminism, birth control, women's choice, etc. The subject matter was typical feminist rhetoric, but with the addition of some personal attacks against women to whom she disallows the freedom of chosing their own values. Remarks were also made directly about another pastor in our denomination concerning her fitness for motherhood because she also held values with which the author disagreed. (The article has since been modified to remove some very offensive statements, but the gist of the article is still the same.) In the comments, I found this statement...
"And I have no sympathy for those who would teach that contraception is wrong and that you should just leave the pregnancy up to God - if you do that, there's going to be lots of pregnancies"
Keep in mind that this is from a Christian who is supposed to believe that God is GOOD - and what he gives you is GOOD - and that his will for you is GOOD (Matt 7:11; Luke 11:13). Do you see the contradiction in this statement? Whether or not you believe Christians should be using artifical contraception, let's hope your argument doesn't rest on "if you leave it to God, there will be lots of pregnancies". Geez - you've practially made the argument for your opposition!
Yes, if you leave "it" - "it" being the size of your family - up to God, he very well may BLESS you with a large family...but on the other hand, He may BLESS you with a medium or small family. The point being what He gives us is always GOOD! Why do we trust our own limited "knowledge" and "understanding" when there is a God of perfect wisdom to whom we may turn? If we trust Him, he will lead us through seasons of fruitfullness and seasons of fallowness. Both are needed for a bountiful harvest!
Back to the original article, the woman whose motherhood status was questioned has responded with a godly grace and restraint. She also linked to an interesting Touchstone article on the history of the birth control question in the church.
Ok, the Malthusian belt. I was positively thrilled to see to see this reference in the article. I'm currently reading Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Huxley uses a reference to Malthus with the contraceptive equipment/fashion statement known as the "Malthusian belt". I had a sneaking suspicion about Malthus' politics, but hadn't looked it up yet. This article provided the impetus. Here's what I found. If you've not read Brave New World - go out and purchase a copy pronto. You'll be ASTOUNDED and saddened by his "prophetic" vision of the future. Well, I was. It is particularly telling that he wrote his book in the early 30s - right around the time discussed in the Touchstone article.
Now, off to pizza, wine and a movie night with hubbie....
Last week, I read a post from a pastor in my own denomination concerning feminism, birth control, women's choice, etc. The subject matter was typical feminist rhetoric, but with the addition of some personal attacks against women to whom she disallows the freedom of chosing their own values. Remarks were also made directly about another pastor in our denomination concerning her fitness for motherhood because she also held values with which the author disagreed. (The article has since been modified to remove some very offensive statements, but the gist of the article is still the same.) In the comments, I found this statement...
"And I have no sympathy for those who would teach that contraception is wrong and that you should just leave the pregnancy up to God - if you do that, there's going to be lots of pregnancies"
Keep in mind that this is from a Christian who is supposed to believe that God is GOOD - and what he gives you is GOOD - and that his will for you is GOOD (Matt 7:11; Luke 11:13). Do you see the contradiction in this statement? Whether or not you believe Christians should be using artifical contraception, let's hope your argument doesn't rest on "if you leave it to God, there will be lots of pregnancies". Geez - you've practially made the argument for your opposition!
Yes, if you leave "it" - "it" being the size of your family - up to God, he very well may BLESS you with a large family...but on the other hand, He may BLESS you with a medium or small family. The point being what He gives us is always GOOD! Why do we trust our own limited "knowledge" and "understanding" when there is a God of perfect wisdom to whom we may turn? If we trust Him, he will lead us through seasons of fruitfullness and seasons of fallowness. Both are needed for a bountiful harvest!
Back to the original article, the woman whose motherhood status was questioned has responded with a godly grace and restraint. She also linked to an interesting Touchstone article on the history of the birth control question in the church.
Ok, the Malthusian belt. I was positively thrilled to see to see this reference in the article. I'm currently reading Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Huxley uses a reference to Malthus with the contraceptive equipment/fashion statement known as the "Malthusian belt". I had a sneaking suspicion about Malthus' politics, but hadn't looked it up yet. This article provided the impetus. Here's what I found. If you've not read Brave New World - go out and purchase a copy pronto. You'll be ASTOUNDED and saddened by his "prophetic" vision of the future. Well, I was. It is particularly telling that he wrote his book in the early 30s - right around the time discussed in the Touchstone article.
Now, off to pizza, wine and a movie night with hubbie....
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Our Labra-dudette
Our labra-dudette is Sophia - aka: Sophie, Soapie, Soaps, Dopey. She's a great dog: Just enough smarts to be dangerous, just enough goofiness to keep us always in stitches. She was a rescue "doodle".
The Common Room family shared some recent "then and now" photos of their dog Donovan. Now, Donovan may not be a labradoodle (waiting for comfirmation from The Common Room), but he sure looks exactly like our Sophia! What do you think? Go check out Donovan and compare him to Sophia...
THEN:
The Common Room family shared some recent "then and now" photos of their dog Donovan. Now, Donovan may not be a labradoodle (waiting for comfirmation from The Common Room), but he sure looks exactly like our Sophia! What do you think? Go check out Donovan and compare him to Sophia...
THEN:
Do you pour out your alabaster jar?
Baby Blue just posted an excellent essay about sacrifice, particularly women who serve their husbands and families with little or no earthly "recognition". It was written in response to a very distressing post by an Episcopal clergywoman who ridiculed women who chose the high calling of motherhood and wifehood eschewing the world's version of "fame" and "fortune". (These links are not at all necessary to enjoying the essay.)
The essay on the "Alabaster Jar" is an encourgement and challenge! I hope you'll take the time to read it.
The essay on the "Alabaster Jar" is an encourgement and challenge! I hope you'll take the time to read it.
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