I am an Ivy Leaguer, well-traveled, speak several languages, have a Master's Degree, MANY children with my husband, teach successfully and objectively in an elementary school AND am open to what God wills in my life for more AND am submissive to my husband (while expressing respectfully my own opinions!), believing us both to be equals in the sight of God BUT having roles in being a blessing and living out our faith. A woman's primary role IS to be a helper and a mother, but that does not exclude secondary and tertiary roles, like president of the US, Nobel prize-winning author, or the discoverer of a cure for cancer. Having children does not turn one into mush. It enriches one's life, IF you have support around you (and needing support is not a failure.) And it is also OK if a woman decides not to marry, not to have children, and to dedicate herself to being a blessing to others in other ways. The Bible says so. The commenter who says this set of beliefs concerning a quiverful lifestyle and "liberating" women is the reason s/he can't subscribe to Christian doctrine fails to realize that it is also among Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and in other belief systems that a woman and a man respect and honor each other's particular gifts, which is what submission is. RE victimhood: I come from a large family and remember the closeness when we were younger, so it is not that children of large families are "victims". Just children of SOME large families, and small, for that matter. And lastly, the daughter DOES belong to her father and mother until she is married, just as the husband BELONGS to the wife, and vice versa -- and not just for Christians. I was not "Christian" as a young woman, but I am now, having seen what the presence of God can do and how Jesus's death and resurrection excludes no one and is for EVERYONE. This fact -- these facts -- do not disrespect anyone, they do not preclude a girl from growing up and going off to college (STILL under cover of her parents' protection), or becoming a world leader, or becoming a stay-at-home mom, all her choice.
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How Full Is Your Quiver?
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There's a curious twist to all this. "What quiverfull looks like is a group of Protestants who are more Catholic than the Catholics," says John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Protestants have tended to embrace the contraceptive revolution that began in the 1960s. But recently, some conservative evangelical leaders—alarmed by what they deem a "contraceptive mentality" that has separated the act of sex from procreation—have begun to question mainstream Protestant stances. One possible explanation for the shift in thinking: the alignment between evangelicals and Catholics on some social issues, says Brad Wilcox, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Virginia. "The increasing cooperation of Catholic and evangelical leaders on abortion and same sex marriage has allowed some cross-pollination where evangelical leaders are starting to become familiar with Catholic thinking on the family."
Whatever the roots of their beliefs, adherents appear to be speaking up more. Some prominent quiverfull followers have recently helped raise the movement's profile. Among them: Jim Bob Duggar, a former Arkansas state representative, and his wife Michelle, who have 16 children and have been featured on several Discovery Channel documentaries. In September, a group of 250 Catholic and evangelical anti-abortion activists met in Chicago to launch an attack on birth control. They argued that contraceptives such as IUDs and the pill have an abortion-like quality because they might prevent implantation of a fertilized egg. Meanwhile, the Howard Center and the Sutherland Institute put out their manifesto on "The Natural Family," which encourages couples to be open to "a full quiver of children." That publication formed the basis of a "Natural Family Resolution" adopted by the town of Kanab, Utah earlier this year. Though nonbinding, the resolution drew on the manifesto's language in promoting the family as the most important social unit.
These activities have encouraged more discussion of quiverfull ideas among conservative Christians. Stephanie Coontz, director of research for the Council on Contemporary Families, says she has increasingly noticed articles on the subject in the Christian press. Part of the reason, she argues, is that conservatives are reacting to revolutionary changes in women's social roles and seeking to re-impose a more traditional order. "The rhetoric is getting more shrill because people are getting more desperate," she says. "It's a backlash that I don't feel will triumph. In the past, large families were helpful economically, but today, they become a disadvantage, especially to younger kids who don't get as many resources."
Don't tell that to Ken and Devon Carpenter. They live on 21 acres outside of Nashville, Tenn., with their 8 children, ages 1 to 15. The Carpenters are what some have described as "back-to-the-land" Christians, typical among the quiverfull community. They embrace homeschooling, grow some of their own food and reject television in favor of evening family time singing or reading. Though Ken admits life isn't always easy—last spring, all eight kids came down with chicken pox at once—he says the family became "exponentially happier" after relinquishing control of Devon's womb to God. He's counting on his eldest daughter Peyton, 12, to carry on the tradition. She "will stay under my covering until I turn her over in marriage to a God-honoring young man," he says. Hopefully, he adds, they too will reap a full quiver.
© 2006
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