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Christianity Today, July, 2008 |

Unplanned Parenthood

Amy Laura Hall argues that in God's design, family is a pretty messy thing.

Michelle A. Clifton-Soderstrom | posted 7/21/2008 09:21AM

Amy Laura Hall's Conceiving Parenthood (4 stars) might well be seen as science fiction in reverse.

Her journey into the cultural history of reproductive biotechnology reads like an eerie voyage into the ...

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Bradford Rosenquist

Posted: July 26, 2008 3:59 PM

To cut to the chase, Jesus loved everyone when here on earth, and loves everyone now. He did proclaim the way to salvation, and Paul defined it very clearly, that it is by faith in what Jesus did in the cross and out of the reserrection from the dead...total victory over the demands of death and the grave. How we live our lives is a direct reflection of our knowledge of Jesus and what he taught in the NT, as further elaborated on by Paul, Peter, James, Luke, et. al. If we are to be a family, Jesus says we must come to salvation through Him, so we become sons and daughters of God the Father. The Father is the head and declares who His children are. This life and the families we experience are to be a stepping stone for participation in the eternal family of God. We are to take what we are given and make the most of it in Christ. The local church is the place where we gain the greatest opportunity to hone our grasp of living successfully in all our relationships.

Leroy

Posted: July 22, 2008 3:52 PM

It's unclear as to what if any point this review is trying to make. In fact, its unclear why CT is reviewing this book, what relevance it might have, or even why Amy Laura Hall wrote it. Who said parent hood was planned or unplanned? What is the point of the play on planned v. unplanned parenthood? Does this point touch on one of the two pillars of modern neo-fundamentalism, ie, abortion, or is Michelle A. Clifton-Soderstrom (or was it CT) simply trying to be clever? What does this sentence mean "Hall offers a faithful reconception of parenthood that resists notions of the "progressive family" and instead summons the church to lovingly and actively incorporate all children." ? Lots of buzz words mixed in with sentimentalism, but what is Clifton-Soderstrom trying to say, and what difference does it make. This is a very convoluted review!

John	Posted: July 22, 2008 12:10 PM


As a review, this was awful! Full of lots of flowery language and very little substance as to what this book is about. Hopefully the book is a little more specific. I tend to have a very Catholic view on most things, but not on family planning. Birth control is the major source of empowerment for women worldwide, and the Catholic Church's stand on it is backwards and wrong.

Patrick Gann

Posted: July 21, 2008 11:52 PM

Great article, I'll probably end up purchasing the book. As to John Holecek, excellent citation! "Humanae Vitae" is an incredible bit of writing. Unfortunately, I have found myself disillusioned on all sides with reproduction and reproductive technology. I have followed (and, in a sense, gone down the same road as) Sam and Bethany Torode, who have articles written on this site and wrote the pro-NFP book "Open Embrace," also published by Eerdmans. If there is one thing we can be sure of, it is that God's design for family is far more messy than many of us would like for it to be. The lifestyle required of American (and other "Western" countries') citizens just doesn't seem to jive with family life as I understood it. The 1950s portraits of family life, the eugenics movement, all of this no longer seems "evil" to me, but just another failed attempt to "have your cake and eat it too." I look forward to reading this book, thanks for the article CT!

Raymond Takashi Swenson

Posted: July 21, 2008 3:51 PM

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church" or "Mormons") opposes abortion except under the most extreme circumstances. It does not forbid use of contraceptives, but encourages bringing children into the world. According to the recent Pew survey, Mormons have a much higher birth rate than Catholics and Protestants. One of the theological factors for Mormons is that they believe that all humans live as spirit children of God before birth, and that coming into mortal life is a necessary step in our progression to fully becoming "joint heirs with Christ." Just as Christ the Son of God was born, obtained a physical body, died, and was resurrected, Mormons believe that God's intent is for us to follow Christ and obtain a glory similar to his when we are resurrected. Mormons also believe that the family bonds of man and wife, and parents and children, were intended by God to be eternal in nature, and eternal marriage in the LDS temples is the means to that end.

John Holecek

Posted: July 21, 2008 1:51 PM

This Friday, 25 July 2008, marks the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical letter "Humane Vitae" which reitereated traditional Catholic teaching on marriage and family and which radically separated the Church not only from popular culture but also from the vast majority of Protestants. It is a beautiful work in its description of married love. Pope Paul VI spoke prohetically when he described what would be the outcome of widespread use of artificial means of contraception. Here's a link to the document for those who would care to read it: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc _25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html

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