How Full Is Your Quiver?

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