A recent CT survey tells us that nine out of ten of our married readers and their spouses have used some method of birth control—no surprise here. What was striking was the admission that only 28 percent of our readers said moral considerations entered into their choice of contraceptives. As the preceding essays show, birth control and family planning are full of ethical issues and pitfalls. What conclusions should Christians draw?
First, birth control relates to the much larger issue of family planning. This is why we need a theology of the family, grounded in what the Scriptures teach about marriage, sex, children, and parenthood. Spouses need prayerfully and continually to consider together the purpose of their family in the overall plan of God. And these questions involve decisions about children—how many, and when.
Second, Scripture does not dictate the number of children, but does expect husbands and wives to be good stewards of their fertility. The Bible assumes that openness to children is part of the marriage commitment of spouses to each other and to God. We should scrutinize any exceptions.
On the other hand, though the Scriptures assume that marriages will yield offspring and will greet children as good gifts, the Bible does not condemn childlessness. We should therefore exercise care in distilling blanket prohibitions. While parenthood is the biblical norm for marriage, we must be prepared, as Paul was, to allow for exceptions that may also faithfully express God’s mission for that family.
A husband and wife could therefore be warranted in deferring, limiting, or excluding children from the marriage, providing they employ morally appropriate methods. Christian spouses may appropriately choose the timing and spacing of children to maximize the resources and energy they can invest in each child. To make such decisions, prayerfully and in mutual submission, is not an affront to divine sovereignty.
Third, we can clearly say that Scripture does not categorically prohibit birth control. It does, however, give us some guidance about the appropriateness of various methods. Some are morally reprehensible (such as those that cause the death of an unborn child). Abortion, of course, is never an acceptable method of birth control. Others (such as those that prevent fertilization and thus block conception) are morally neutral, though subject to certain common-sense considerations. These might include convenience, cost, and physical and emotional side effects. Sterilization, though highly effective, is often irreversible, and it requires careful reflection before its use.
Fourth, Scripture gives us guidance on when birth control is inappropriate and immoral. Birth control should not be used, for example, to justify or facilitate illicit sexual union. Contraceptive practices are wrong when they permit the degradation and devaluation of one spouse by the other.
Contraceptives are also unacceptable if their use simply makes it more convenient for husband and wife to indulge themselves, pursuing materialistic values at the expense of their spiritual growth in parenthood and obedience to the divine will. For instance, when a relative value (a new sports car, for example) is preferred over a lasting value (a child), birth control is not justified. Nor can the Christian condone the imposition of birth-control practices on a group or “underclass” as an expression of racism or socio-economic oppression.
Fifth, there clearly are situations where some form of birth control will be acceptable—even preferable. Take a couple whose marriage is seriously threatened and the basic relationship between the spouses is in jeopardy. Rarely does the coming of a new child heal or strengthen a troubled marriage.
As we have learned more about congenital defects and genetically transmitted diseases, some Christian couples have had to weigh carefully the risks in conception. A couple that has received genetic counseling and finds itself at high risk of bearing children with debilitating diseases, such as Tay-Sachs disease, may quite responsibly opt not to have children.
Additionally, we ought not forbid the use of contraceptives when a pregnancy would put the health and well-being of the wife at grave risk, physically or psychologically. Similarly, an ill or weak child perhaps should not be asked to compete with a new sibling for a time.
Finally, the nature of marital love calls for a regular sexual relationship, a goal for which birth control may be responsibly used. Paul the apostle urged married believers not to “deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time” (1 Cor. 7:5, NIV). Sexual intimacy can be a regular high point in the ongoing relationship, a tasting of exalted joy that has roots in the receiving and expressing of deep affection. This aspect does not depend on the sex act’s procreative dimension to be valid. Our freedom in Christ will permit us to use that which is not forbidden or immoral, as we seek to be obedient and faithful in service.
Eugene H. Peterson is pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church, Bel Air, Maryland, and author of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (InterVarsity) and Answering God (Harper & Row), both of which are about the Psalms.
