Church

I just heard a sermon online that made me so very thankful for our church.  Our little church has only a few families, but two elders who love us.  Chris told me several times how much he appreciated the time he spent with our pastor before he left for his class. 

I know every speaker addresses his audience.  Mark Driscoll may be hip and cool but he sure knows how to make fun of people.  Does no one in Seattle homeschool?  How can he get away with dissing (I know my language is pretty bad...bad company corrupts?) such a huge group of people?  What got him started on his rant about homeschooling was talking about Mary Pride and how she became an advocate of homeschooling.  He said, "I will tell you that sometimes homeschooling networks are petri dishes for legalism and self-righteousness, fundamentalism and sectarianism and all kinds of other ism.  It's religion at its worst.  We're the good people, they're the bad people.  We know we're the good people because we make our own clothes.  Our wife has a dress with a really big collar.  We don't use birth control.  We breastfeed til they're 27.  We read the King James Bible.  That's what I'm talking about.  That wasn't very nice.  NO, but it was very funny.  And it's very accurate."  What he was preaching about was on birth control.  He wanted to contrast between the prominent women who are against birth control and so he said that what these women wrote aren't all bad, but they dared to say that birth control was not good.  He did his homework and knew who he's up against:  Nancy Campbell, Mary Pride, Vision Forum, Nancy Leigh, and those religion at its worst homeschoolers.  I was really surprised at what I was listening to.  I wasn't going to use his name at first, but I guess if he's going to throw in all those names, he wouldn't mind if I gave him some publicity, too. 

He really was just preaching to the choir.  To the choir that is pro-choice.  Pro-choice about having their say in having children.  Or not.  I wonder if he felt threatened by those "legalists" who argue against birth control.  Or maybe he just wants to reassure his followers that he's behind their pro-choice stance and actually would be willing to condemn those who are against it.  He has nothing to worry about.  Nearly everyone is on his side.  Hardly anyone goes into marriage without having a prescription for the Pill.  And they dutifully get back on it they go in for their 6 week appointment after their baby is born.  If he wanted to preach a show stopper, all he needed to say was to let go and let God.  But that message would not be pro-choice.

I was discouraged after listening to his sermon (rant against people who are against birth control) but I know that I don't need to be.  There are people who are turning away from their own understanding and desiring God to be fully in control of their fertility and rejoicing in an abundance of children.  Many of these people are homeschoolers and I guess that's why Mark Driscoll felt compelled to attack this particular group of people.  But it all makes sense really.  It takes a homeschooling family to go against the norm.  To say no to birth control.  To continue to welcome children into their families.  It's distressing, though, to see Christians being hateful about the very things that they should rejoice in.  I'm learning that if someone holds a conviction, there will be criticisms about being legalistic and judgmental.  I should have made a count of how many times Mr Driscoll used those words.  "You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."  :)

Mark Driscoll is wrong in what he was preaching.  He may feel comfortable in limiting the size of his family, but that surely is not God's intent.  If God intended to give us small families, He would do it.  He doesn't need us to preempt him and make our bodies incapable of having children.  Do people not believe in prayer anymore?  If a couple didn't want to have any (more) children, and they thought it important enough to bring it before God, wouldn't God answer?  Well, of course, God would.  He would either bless them with children or not.  Where is the faith?  Daily faith in trusting in God to be wiser than we are.  Faith that says that we will be content in whatever situation.  Faith that believes God's promises to take care of us always.


It's just saying yes.  Yes, God.  Lots of children?  Yes, God.  Even when I'm tired of breast-feeding?  Yes, God.  Mark Driscoll gave a few examples about people who are in situations where they felt that being on birth control would be in their best interests.  He said that he could see the wisdom in that.  But does he see God's wisdom?  Does he see that God uses difficult situations to conform us to Christ?  No.  Let's just focus on what is at hand.  And say no to God.  Birth control is not just making a choice against children, but  a choice against God. 


How can we not keep our children at home?  Not only will they hear all this pro-choice propaganda from the world, but they will surely hear it from God's people.  Mark Driscoll is smart to know that the homeschool movement is big.  Too big to be stopped by the government.  Or the church.  He knows that people who teach their children themselves will most likely produce children who think differently.  I pray that God will give us many generations who aren't afraid of having too many children.  May our children rise up and say yes to God.  Yes to children.  Yes to asking God for more faith, rather than appealing to the pharmaceuticals for answers.  Yes to a life that is not about what feels right but living by His Word.