Actions for God's babies [electronic resource] : natalism and Bible interpretation in modern America

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God's babies [electronic resource] : natalism and Bible interpretation in modern America / John McKeown

Author
McKeown, John
Published
Cambridge : Open Book Publishers, [2014]
Copyright Date
©2014
Physical Description
1 online resource (x, 249 pages)
Additional Creators
Open Book Publishers
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Restrictions on Access
Open Access Unrestricted online access
Contents
Acknowledgements -- Foreword by David Clough -- 1. Natalism: A Popular Use of the Bible -- 2. Protestant Natalism in the U.S. -- 3. Martin Luther: Forerunner of Natalism? -- 4. The Old Testament Context -- 5. Augustine on Fruitfulness -- 6. An Ecological Critique of Natalism -- 7. Conclusion -- Appendix -- Abbreviations -- Works Cited -- Index.
Summary
"The human population's annual total consumption is not sustainable by one planet. This unprecedented situation calls for a reform of religious cultures that promote a large ideal family size. Many observers assume that Christianity is inevitably part of this problem because it promotes "family values" and statistically, in America and elsewhere, has a higher birthrate than nonreligious people. This book explores diverse ideas about human reproduction in the church past and present. It investigates an extreme fringe of U.S. Protestantism, including the Quiverfull movement, that use Old Testament "fruitful" verses to support natalist ideas explicitly promoting higher fecundity. It also challenges the claim by some natalists that Martin Luther in the 16th century advocated similar ideas. This book argues that natalism is inappropriate as a Christian application of Scripture, especially since rich populations' total footprints are detrimental to biodiversity and to human welfare. It explores the ancient cultural context of the Bible verses quoted by natalists. Challenging the assumption that religion normally promotes fecundity, the book finds surprising exceptions among early Christians (with a special focus on Saint Augustine) since they advocated spiritual fecundity in preference to biological fecundity. Finally the book uses a hermeneutic lens derived from Genesis 1, and prioritising the modern problem of biodiversity, to provide ecological interpretations of the Bible's "fruitful" verses."--Publisher's website.
Subject(s)
ISBN
9781783740536 (Hardback)
9781783740529 (Paperback)
9781783740543 (pdf)
9781783740550 (epub)
9781783740567 (mobi)
Note
Available through Open Book Publishers.
A recording of the drama in German made available by the LibriVox project is available at the publisher's website.
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliography (pages 227-246) and index.
Technical Details
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Terms of Use and Reproduction
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). For more detailed information consult the publisher's website.
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