Chief Executive Mom

Visit me at my new website - anniecrawford.com To be precise, my objections to Mrs. Campbell and all Full Quiver theology begin when they create a law concerning childbirth, as opposed to drawing the line at scriptural encouragement to see children as a true blessing. In "Be Fruitful - The Bad" I explored how, because of a simplistic hermeneutic which views Genesis 1:28 as a lawful command still valid today, Campbell interprets every proceeding Biblical passage which could possibly have implications on our attitude towards childbirth, including those on fruitfulness in the NT (exp. John 15:16, pg 48) as firstly and primarily referring to sexual multiplication, whether or not the context grants such an interpretation. She rationalizes this by saying that "1 Corinthians 15:46 tells us that the natural comes first and then the spiritual." (48) The context of this verse is actually describing how the natural man Adam had to first physically exist before the spiritual man, Jesus, could come and give him eternal life. Campbell is saying that we must, as a church, bear fruit naturally first, before our spiritual fruitfulness will occur. This seems opposite the message of the Gospel, where spiritual rebirth comes before and causes of outward righteousness.

In other words, because of a fundamental bias, Campbell proceeds to fill her book with both some wonderful interpretation but also a considerable amount of eisogesis. This hermeneutical practice and heavy focus on childbirth breeds essentially an idolatry of child bearing over the Gospel of Christ. Campbell's interpretation of Ezekiel 19, that "God says that motherhood is exalted above everything else" (45) illustrates this point. CHRIST is exalted above everything else! I find a great deal of beautiful encouragement in Mrs. Campbell's writing, because children are such an amazing blessing and enormous part of God's plan that our current culture DOES under value. I discussed these aspects in previous posts here and here. What I find worthy of inclusion under a post entitled "Ugly" is the legalism and idolatry created by a full blown Quiver Full theology.

I have discussed this elsewhere, but to summarize, I do not believe that Genesis 1:28 can be interpreted as a lawful command for all believers to follow because of 1 Corinthians 7, wherein Paul states that he prefers, for the purposes of the Gospel and the expansion of the Kingdom, that men AND women to remain single, and thus childless. If Genesis was a law or command still applicable to the church today, Paul could not write that and maintain his apostolic authority. (And I hardly doubt any FQ people are going to go liberal on me and throw out Paul!!) Therefore, it is not a currently applicable law and all other interpretation of the Old Testament must bear that in mind, as well as the New Testament's teaching on the new covenant believers relationship to the law, as I discussed in the previous post.

The current of legalism and emphasis on our human responsibility to bring about the kingdom leads Campbell to an inaccurate view of spiritual warfare which strongly exemplifies the idolatry of childbearing created by Full Quiver theology. Nancy writes, "The devil is frightened of the godly seed, for it is they who will destroy his works in the world. The enemy knew that God would need an army in this hour to fulfill His great purposes. He knew that if he could diminish God's army, he could thwart God's plans. It is the strategy of Satan to minimize the holy seed. . . . As Christians in the last few decades have decided to have fewer children, they have limited the power of God on earth." (37-38) This quote reveals a disturbing theology that absolutely diminishes if not disregards the work of Christ. It is not human children which destroy the work of the devil, it was one human, Christ, who destroyed his work, once and for all, on the cross. Satan has full knowledge that he is defeated. This is not a battle where the ending victor is uncertain. There is no way in heaven or hell that the devil can "thwart God's plans". Furthermore, there is absolutely nothing, nothing, we can do or not do to limit God's power on earth. He can make the rocks cry out and the dry bones come to life if He wants to.

The legalism created by Full Quiver's interpretation of Genesis 1:28 proves not a slight matter. In chapter 11, Campbell discusses the roots of the modern feminist movement and attitude towards contraception, which was indeed full of evil thoughts, attitudes and actions. To Mrs. Nancy, because of its opposition to the "law" of Genesis 1:28, all contraception is part of Margaret Sangers passion to liberate women from God's plan for them in marriage and childbearing. Indeed, she attributes the radical feminist agenda to "Satan, who comes with his three pronged attack to 'steal, kill and destroy,' [and] exposes his 'elimination life program' with another threesome of 'contraception, sterilization and abortion'. Each one is mastermined in hell!" As I mentioned in the prior post, Campbell interprets Romans 1:26-27 to include not only homosexuality, but women purposefully turning away from the function of childbearing. She absolutely places contraception, any purposeful avoidance of conception, on the same par as abortion and lesbianism. That is amazingly legalistic! A woman who chooses missions over bearing children is as evil as one who aborts her children?

What does legalism mean for the church, practically? Legalism has severe consequences of division. I tremble as I write this, for I do not really want to be cut off from fellowship with FQ folk. I really love them! Yet if I am willfully avoiding conceiving a child, even just through NFP, I am, according to Campbell, committing a sin on par with willful homosexuality or abortion. Ought they not cut off fellowship with me? This is the danger of legalism and why Paul so vehemently preached against it in Galatians; The dividing line of the church and of fellowship tends to becomes a particular action or debatable issue and not Christ Himself. (if you are not familiar with Galatians, please refer to my post "Law and Truth" and read Galatians! It is amazing.) When I go to an Above Rubies retreat or read the magazine, yes they are very encouraging in many practical ways, but I hear the agenda of moralism and multiplication preached and not the Gospel. This leads to my second major concern with Full Quiver theology: the exaltation of childbearing over the work and Gospel and person of Christ.

On page 75, Mrs. Nancy writes, "Parenting is the highest calling given to mankind. Every other career is subservient to this one. Everything we do in life serves our highest calling of teaching and training the next generation for God." I passionately agree that parenting is a high calling given to us by God but I am more passionate about our highest calling, which is to love, worship, glorify, enjoy and proclaim Christ. Parenting is subservient to our call to Christ Himself, it is subservient to the highest calling of mankind which is to believe in Christ and proclaim Him to the nations and make disciples. I always have the feeling after speaking with FQ people that they are more concerned that I bear more children than that I know, understand and trust in the Gospel. Parenting gains its importance from this highest calling and it reveals an idolatry not to explicitly frame parenting beneath the priority of the Gospel.

When a ministry tends to focus on promoting childbirth instead of promoting saving grace by faith in Christ and the Gospel of the cross, it is in danger of becoming idolatrous. Although Mrs. Campbell mentions Christ in reference to the passages where He beckons the little children to come to him, the Gospel is not once mentioned. It is nearly impossible to tell in reading her book that the Old Covenant had been fulfilled and the New Covenant instituted, that the national agenda of Israel culminated in Christ and a new missional order has been given to His redeemed people, the church. That is the call of the Gospel and Christ's instructions to us. We are given a missional focus from Christ and the apostles; a call to preach the good news of the cross, resurrection and freedom from sin and the law to all the nations. Campbell's book and theology instead send out a call for moralistic living and physical multiplication as a means of bringing about God's kingdom. I am not implying that righteous living and the bearing of children have nothing to do with Christ's Kingdom and our mission, but that they are not what we are to preach, they are not to be the banner of our lives. As Paul proclaimed, we preach Christ and Him crucified. (1 Cor. 1:23, 2:2)

Again, I do not pretend to have dealt with the issue perfectly and I encourage and invite your comments and critiques! In truth, once I felt free from seeing NFP as a sin, I actually am far more likeminded with FQ families than your average evangelical! We had felt sure that we only wanted 4 children before I started this series, and now I want more! However, there might be a month when I don't feel, through prayer, that it is time to get pregnant again and we will probably NFP our way through the month. I don't think that will be a sin. However, I want to be open and faithful and trusting of God as we add to our family child by child, knowing that children are an enormous blessing and wondrous part of His plan and kingdom.