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Christianity Today, May (Web-only), 2007 |

SoulWork

Surviving a Family-Wrecking Economy

What the church can do about working mothers.

Mark Galli | posted 5/17/2007 09:12AM

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Then again, maybe it's just a pipe dream to think that the modern church, driven often by managerial principles that encourage growth, choice, freedom (capitalist values that undermine the family!) would really act like a family. But with God, all things are possible, no?

Mark Galli is managing editor of Christianity Today and author of Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untameable God (Baker). You can comment on this article below or on his blog.

Related Elsewhere:

Frederica Matthewes-Green addressed this perennial issue in "Moms in the Crossfire."

Previous SoulWork columns include:

The Real Secret of the Universe | Why we disdain feel-good spirituality but shouldn't. (May 3, 2007)

Peace in a World of Massacre | What Jesus calls us to when we're most frightened. (April 17, 2007)

The Good Friday Life | We need something more than another moral imperative. (April 4, 2007)

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May (Web-only) 2007, Vol. 51

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Ben	Posted: May 30, 2007 7:15 AM

My wife and I decided to try to live simply and split the young child raising phase between us - 3kids, 5 years each. Armed with my two masters degrees, I took my turn first. It's the toughest thing I've ever done, but the one accomplishment of which I am most proud. (I know it is a tough transition for educated or accomplished mothers too.) For all the rhetoric about mother is best, I would say that all things being equal, kids bond most with whichever parent is home with them. Also we discovered that I enjoyed the baby phase best, and my wife enjoys the older kids more, so it worked out great for us. Among my network of long-term at-home-dads, almost all the couples agreed that in their situation, the dad was best suited for the role of primary caretaker. Lest you confuse this with being effeminate, all my friends were quite macho, and one of them was a retired semi-pro rugby player from New Zealand. So friends, for men with the courage to be real men, there is another way.

Fiona

Posted: May 29, 2007 11:22 PM

Good to see an article like this. Overdue. The church has intentionally stayed out of this debate for fear of offending those who do choose to work. Unfortunately, this has left many Christians struggling to find an alternative to the 'consumeristic' family model. We need to go further than encouraging and supporting mothers in their role, to actively teaching from the Bible what a life-creating, culture-changing, disciple-making role motherhood can be!

Michelle

Posted: May 29, 2007 12:28 AM

This article brought nothing new to the story of working moms. If anything I found it paternalistic. I've been in ministry now for over 15 years and have many stories to tell of women whose husbands have left them and are now struggling because they never worked during the child rearing years. Men can move on. Women are left to struggle because of no fault divorces, laws created by men which create extra burdens for women. It would really be nice to see Christian men stand up for what is right and work to change these laws.

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