annu it ie s and
by Paul Bayles, P jitofi Christ Community Church Conogo Pork, Calif.
the Christian home
Planned Parenthood
This 75 year old mission has enjoyed the confi dence of many Christians throughout the world, and the blessing of God throughout its years of service to the Jews. W e make no dramatic appeal, we merely ask for the privilege of presenting this history and pres ent program of our Christian Witness to Israel. CUP THi COUPON BELOW. A M E R IC A N M E S S IA N IC F E L L O W S H IP Archie A. MacKinney, Director 7446 North Damen, Chicago, Illinois
ED ITO R ’S N O T E : The following ar ticle is carried as the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the position of T H E K IN G ’S BUS I NESS magazine, or of The Bible In stitute of Los Angeles, Inc. Since we have published articles with the op posite viewpoint, your Editors felt it was only fair that the following should be released. Your comments and opinions w ill be appreciated. M u ch has been w ritten on the sub ject of planned parenthood. Extreme and em otionally-charged statements are frequ en tly m ade against it or in its defense. Unrelated B iblical texts are called u pon to support both views. Scripture is u n iqu ely silent on the subject, possibly suggesting that each Christian couple is to determ ine for themselves w hat they w ill do. It is generally agreed that the sex ual relationship w ith in marriage ide a lly fu lfills tw o im portant purposes. It is a sacramental means of express in g love and it is the means w hereby children are reproduced. O f course, society sees procreation as the more important fun ction of the two, since the comm un ity depends upon the as surance that life w ill continue from generation to generation. However, the cou p le sees sex essentially as a love expression, since prior to :a ch ild ’s arrival, du ring his maturation and af ter his departure from the home, marital relations continue to p la y an important role in marriage. In fact, n o matter h ow m any interests a cou ple m a y have in comm on, if they can not find love and solace in each other, their marriage lacks a source o f emo tional nourishment. T h e B ible as sumes that these tw o functions fo r sex are right. N ow h ere does it teach that the union of husband and w ife is for procreation purposes alone. Only dis torted ethics, in the nam e of Chris tianity, w ou ld foster this concept. A n cien t Israel did not feel that ch ildren were conceived sim ply b y the m ating of husband and w ife. T h ey believed that God alone had the ab il ity to open and close the womb. Therefore, H ebrew couples enjoyed the m arriage embrace as an expres sion of love, whether they wanted ch ildren or not. T od a y w e realize that God has always given married people the rather awesome responsibility of ach ieving or w ithh old in g conception,
under H is ultim ate sovereignty. Some couples continue to express love through this relationship and let the problem of procreation take care of itself. Other couples are extremely fertile and turn to scientific methods o f contraception as a solution to their problem . M an y Christian couples are am ong this group. Religious groups w arn against the use o f contraceptives w h en applied m erely to escape the responsibilities o f either marriage or parenthood. The British M arriage Guidance Council and our ow n State Departm ent re m ind us that one purpose fo r mar riage is to rear a fam ily. Society and the chu rch are righ tfu lly concerned. H ow ever, the num ber o f couples w ho refuse parenthood m erely to avoid the cost and trouble involved are proba bly few . Perhaps they are not ma ture enough for parenthood anyway. M ost married people feel that they w ish to fu lfill parental responsibili ties in the most thorough manner. In ternational tensions, the emphasis on college education for all and eco n om ic lim itations u sually motivate couples to space their ch ildren in such a m anner that they can do fu ll jus tice to the needs of each one. T h ey believe in parenthood, bu t feel that this and all adult responsibilities should be planned. Dr. D avid M ace, w ell-kn ow n Chris tian counselor, writes in his book Whom God Hath Joined, “ Th ere is great diversity o f opin ion am ong Christian people today as to whether this (plann ed paren thood) is righ t or wrong. It is im portan t to notice, h ow ever, just w hat the disagreement is about. T h e prin cip le that a couple m a y be righ t in lim itin g the num ber of ch ildren they brin g in to the w orld is n ot questioned. N o Christian bod y insists that Christian married people must produce the m axim um number o f ch ildren that is ph ysica lly possi ble. W h a t is in dispute is the means that m a y be used b y Christian hus bands and w ives to lim it their fam ilies w hen they are satisfied that they are righ t in doin g so. Some believe that the on ly perm issible w a y is to refrain from intercourse altogether, cuting off the unitive fun ction in or der to prevent the procreative. Others consider that they are justified in us in g the so-called ‘safe period’ or ‘rh y thm m ethod,’ con fin in g intercourse
I am interested in the AMF Annuity Plan and other information of AM Fellowship.
I Name. Address.______________________________ I City_____________________________ State-
A M A Z IN G BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES This could be the answer to your prayer. INDEPENDENCE — SECURITY — PEACE OF M IN D — THE TRUTH IS — a group of dedi cated Christian business men are spear-head ing a revolutionary sales program that is literally exploding across the nation. If you want to stop looking and start working — if you want a potential that will supply you with enough work and reward to satisfy your needs— if you want to join with an established parent Christian firm write or phone for our brochure entitled "The Shape of Things to Come." As little as $3900 for a substantial inventory, retail store dis play cabinets and programming is the fran chise cost complete. The product itself is the result of a scientific break-through. It has been proven and tested by hundreds of thousands of satisfied buyers. Our firm has exclusive sales rights. If you wish to participate in this half billion dollar business write or call American Inter national Marketing. 12522 Brookhurst, Garden Grove, Calif. LEnigh 9-0016. 1 0 % deposit will hold your choice of territory. to certain days in the w ife ’s m on th ly cy cle w hen she is somewhat less like ly to conceive. Y et others see noth ing w ron g in u sing scientific devices pre scribed b y competent m ed ical author ities fo r the control o f conception. Th is is a matter on w h ich Christian married couples must make their own decision. Those w h o consider con traceptives w ron g must be carefu l to avoid the undue thw arting o f the u n i tive fun ction of marital intercourse. Those w h o consider contraceptives righ t must avoid the undue thwart in g o f the procreative fun ction .” Perhaps w ith undue idealism , it m igh t be said that ou r society w ou ld know m u ch more of warm th and un derstanding if ch ildren w ere on ly born to those w h o rea lly love children as the Lord loved and blessed them. Regardless o f ou r personal v iew of the matter, w e must all agree that parenthood ought to be the most de liberate, conscious and responsible act of the Christian husband and w ife.
THE KING'S BUSINESS
36
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online