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Christianity Today, February (Web-only), 2009 |

Deconstructing the Quiver

A review of Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement.

Review by Elrena Evans | posted 2/20/2009 12:07PM

Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement
by Kathryn Joyce
Beacon Press, March 2009
272 pp., $25.95

It's a Monday night. Two back-to-back episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8 are on TLC. Tomorrow ...

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Rita	Posted: February 26, 2009 4:46 PM

The author's question, "How many children should we have?" must be answered on biblical grounds. I believe she fails to do that. Whatever name you want to give to it, our decision to trust God for our family size is based upon the scriptural truth that one of the purposes of marriage is procreation, or as it says in Malachi 2, that God has given a wife as a companion in covenant for the purpose of seeking a godly seed. God made the two one that the man might have a helper. He meant for us to enjoy our sexuality, but not to separate it from procreation. This author gives no scriptural support for her assertions that we should limit our family, but rather appeals to a vague understanding of "common sense." Rather than attacking Christians who have the faith to raise godly children in a corrupt world, she should be noting that the Muslims are obeying the dominion mandate much better than we are. They are the ones we should be observing for a "takeover" of our society. We should trust God.

JVK	Posted: February 25, 2009 11:09 AM

The article seems to treat as ethically equivalent 3 very different cases: 1. married couples who have babies through a series of natural conceptions and deliveries; 2. married couples who use reproductive technology to have a bunch of babies all at once; and 3. a single woman who uses that technology to have a bunch of babies all at once. In Case #1, the only ethical concerns are whether the mother is being coerced (physically or ideologically) into bearing lots of babies; whether the family has the means to support the children; and whether the couple imposes their decision as a divine mandate on all believers. In Case #2, there's a further issue of whether it's right to use a technology that risks either the lives of the babies (through "selective reduction") or the health of the mother (through carrying to term more babies than the womb was designed for). In Case #3, there's yet a further ethical problem: whether a single woman should be birthing children at all.

Sandy

Posted: February 25, 2009 9:30 AM

This article is a poor representation of the thinking of quiverful as evidenced by the person saying it's no one's business telling how many to have. The concept is to accept God's will for your family size, even if that will is ZERO children. We're quick to want God's blessing on the temporal money but think that God's blessing of children is somehow a curse despite the potential for them being eternal beings. We wouldn't tell God to give us no more money please, but we think we know better than him how many is good and right. In my experience, children don't cost near as much as society tells us, and God provides in ways we couldn't comprehend. We have 8 children, 3 are in college now. We have no debt except our home and we live comfortably yet frugally. Unlike many with 2 or 3 who say they couldn't stand being with them all the time, we enjoy all of being together immensely!! So the idea is do you trust God to help you live well with many or accept if his plan is very few?

Bree	Posted: February 24, 2009 11:01 PM

It must be nice to be Mrs. Duggar--she's got her older daughters doing all the work caring for her littlest kids. I have 2 kids under 2 and most days it is a massive challenge to make it to their bedtime with my sanity intact. I think it is awful the way the Duggars expect their older kids to do the lion's share of the work--in the episode just tonight it showed the older daughters' room with 2 very young toddlers in pack n plays in there. So these growing teens have to get up with the toddlers while, pardon the expression, mom and dad are blissfully sleeping away or making #19?

dude	Posted: February 24, 2009 10:48 AM

Has anyone actually been going around telling other Christians how many children they should have? Get a grip people! The problem is with our attitude toward having children and the reasons that we give for limiting family size. The reason that many Christians limit the size of their families is for convenience and to maintain a certain lifestyle. This is wrong. Children are a blessing! My wife and I had to repent of a lot of ungodly attitudes. We were waiting to have children b/c "we could not afford them." Hogwash! We were selfish. And so are many other Christians. And by the way, for those of you who think that you are doing your children a favor by depriving them of siblings so that you can give them stuff and a good education, think about what you are communicating to your child about what is really important in life.

Jonathan

Posted: February 23, 2009 9:30 PM


How can we Christians call ourselves Pro-life when we all seem so eager to make up excuses for preventing life??? Is "Pro-life" a misnomer? http://polemos.net/A%20Misnomer.html

Davo	Posted: February 23, 2009 9:39 AM


The Bibllical injunction in Geneis says that man was to "have dominion" over the beasts. Dominion in the Biblical sense of the word means to manage. Every farmer knows that to breed livestock with no regard to how you will feed, water, shelter, or care for the offspring, is not good management. We should manage the size and care of our families even more carefully than we do our animals.

craigb

Posted: February 22, 2009 10:08 PM


the fun part is that these quiverfull parents have even less control over how their children turn out than the average parent. my buddy is an atheist and one of nine children of a Baptist preacher. i'd say over half of his siblings are not religious whatsoever.

craigb

Posted: February 22, 2009 10:08 PM


the fun part is that these quiverfull parents have even less control over how their children turn out than the average parent. my buddy is an atheist and one of nine children of a Baptist preacher. i'd say over half of his siblings are not religious whatsoever.

sc	Posted: February 22, 2009 12:53 PM

Before my husband and I married, we prayed about this, and suddenly John 1:12-13 came up, but not in the evangelistic context we'd always seen it. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." In other words, children are born of human decision. We felt that to "be fruitful and multiply" was our calling, but that the number was up to us. We relied on NFP both to become pregnant and to avoid, and feel like "our quiver is full" with the 4 wonderful kids we have. To be "fruitful and multiply" in the natural is also a picture of how we are to "be fruitful and multiply" in manifesting the fruits of the Spirit and in making disciples. The 4 children we have invested in will, in turn, "be fruitful and multiply" both in the natural and in the spiritual sense, so that we ourselves will be multiplied through the generations.

anonymous

Posted: February 21, 2009 9:02 PM


The Muslims are having 4 or 5 kids with each wife and some Muslim men have multiple wives. That is an easy way to turn a nation in one or two generations.

Basil

Posted: February 21, 2009 10:18 AM


Of course there were large families in biblical times (sometimes many wives too) because half of your children wouldn't make it to age 5. Things are different now. I would hope that the Quiverfull movement would never advocate the financially struggling couples seek to have large families. Sadly such movements as this often view women as baby machines or clown cars.

Stan	Posted: February 21, 2009 9:07 AM


Why are we so intolerant of one (or a few) persons opinion? Typical response, unfortunately, from many Christians..."We are always right!"

Jenny

Posted: February 21, 2009 12:44 AM


Someone had to say it! And I believe she did so eloquently. I can personally attest that the "anti-feminist" movement can be just as damaging to Christian women as the "feminist" movement. I for one would rather be a part of the "bringing glory to God" movement. Re-examining our views is just what the doctor ordered.

Stephen

Posted: February 20, 2009 11:50 PM

No matter what Joyce's premise and intent in writing, (mostly it appears against a relatively small group of Christians taking Psalm 127 and 128 seriously) this is the primary way the Muslim religion is growing. Converts are not flocking their way by choice, and to leave Islam promises a death sentence. Their women are not just in submission, they are dominated and oppressed. And the Muslim religion truly is growing through big families and spreading through immigration into all the world. If this is a genuine concern of Joyce, why doesn't she turn her attention there?

Anonymous

Posted: February 20, 2009 9:59 PM

Oh please, just set all exteremes aside and its ok to admit the Lord allways Blesses with children! They may seem an inconvenient blessing at the start but in the end real love conquers. So some times people just aren't wiling to see them as such. Hey, happens all the time in modern societies with other blessings such as talents and abilities we don't appreciate enough and ignore or condemn...or even misuse! So sad. Why is it so difficult for folks these days to see relationships as above the value of anything? Stuff, things, self-enjoyment far out weigh what is most reasonably the only thing of eternal value; Those we Love!

JohnH

Posted: February 20, 2009 7:18 PM

Very complex issue. 6 Billion and rising. Do you believe in slavery? Do you believe in the old fedual structures, that each pesons role is set and cannot change? I think our culture has moved on a bit. Every time I travel north to SE Asia / India I am struck by the degree of air pollution. Remember the last Olympics? SW Australia is comparatively very clean. We forget what is good. Social security for the family/aged is dependant on large families in those cultures with poor national social security. The other concept from that area of the OT is to be the Stewards of the Earth. Sure, Christ is coming, but that does not give us permission to trash the place first?

doranna

Posted: February 20, 2009 6:25 PM

Determining how many children should be in your family should be approached with much prayer and study. Eight kids in a rural commiunity may fit. Some churches are more open to large families than others. FAith missionaries should really be careful on the size of family since they have to raise the money for travel and support. If the husband wants more than the wife he must defer to her in this matter and not endanger her mentally and physically. I have seen that also. Just because the "quiverfull" is a movement doesn't mean it is for every Christian, it comes down to between the couple and God.

susan

Posted: February 20, 2009 6:23 PM

I think that the OT passage on this subject in Genesis is quite different than what the NT would ask us to do as Christians. I did not read this whole article, but I don't think I need to in order to think what I believe to be true. Being 'fruitful' in the NT is what each of us will be if we are being true followers of Jesus Christ, and what follows is that the number of Christians will multiply if we are DOING what Jesus has commanded, to love God and to love our neighbor as self. In addition, true disciples, by His Spirit, each as God uses them to do this, WILL make others disciples and so forth, and so forth. This matter is no longer a Genesis matter, so let's not be silly to think that all Christians should follow this OT Genesis teaching. God gives us choices and life gives us circumstances to live through with God our merciful, loving Redeemer always with us. Fruitfulness comes from our life in Christ and multiply means bring others to Christ with sincere love for others.

William

Posted: February 20, 2009 5:33 PM


Sounds like an interesting book on a loaded topic.

alison

Posted: February 20, 2009 5:25 PM


For Pete's sake, just don't be irresponsible.

Jim	Posted: February 20, 2009 4:58 PM

An interesting article. By mentioning the "extremes" (domestic violence, etc) Joyce seeks to denigrate the entire "movement". She refers to it as "Patriarchy", even though the "quiverfull" concept was founded by a woman (Mary Pride). She reveals her own bias by speaking of the "anti-feminist" practice of submission, even though this practice is biblical for both male and female. Might I also suggest that she overlooks the "feminist" demand of "my body, my choice" that is used to promote abortion in her condemnation of those women who choose another path. Personally, I would have liked to have more children, but medically we could only have one. With this one, both my wife and I are content.

brouije

Posted: February 20, 2009 3:09 PM


The number of children a couple has should be determined by how well they can provide materially , emotionally and spiritually to the their needs.

Robyn

Posted: February 20, 2009 2:45 PM


How dare these Quiverfull people tell me how many children I "should" have? And how dare anyone tell them how many they "should" have? That is between me, my husband, and God. It's none of anyone else's business. Period.

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