“ If we consider the fears that turn people away from children, we may see that the aversion to hardship could also be a spiritual formation issue…”
Oomph I have this issue… I am so grateful the Lord is giving me more opportunities to embrace the “hardship” and be grateful for the struggle which I know will become a great blessing to me soon, before I know it.
So many good ones this month, I always love Sharon and Leah.
Ooo I’m excited to read the infidelity article. I made that argument about “reproductive infidelity” in my first book, so I’m intrigued to see how it’s treated there!
“Those in medicine have been standing in for pastoral, even priestly, roles. They have had great influence in tacitly filling formational gaps regarding sexuality, procreation, and the meaning of the body for longer than we care to admit.”
As someone who’s been on the medicine side and (kind of, vicariously) on the pastoral side…..yes. This needs more attention.
Great topics addressed here! Loved the repentance piece — amazing and truly, I think, the way forward.
Thanks so much for sharing my poem. Humbled and grateful it blessed you.
Thanks for sharing my essay Haley. On a separate note, Krug's article is timely and articulates something I've intuited but struggled to form my thoughts on. "The sexual ethic you bring to the altar is the sexual ethic you bring to the marriage" — this should be in every premarital counselling session. The sexual ethic of reduction doesn't dissolve at the wedding; it gets imported. Which explains so much: the pressure for sex, the entitlement, the regression to porn, the couples who were sexually active before marriage with no real repentance. Is marriage a sanctifying ritual for unaddressed sin? Lots to unpack here.
One of your best round-ups (that I've read! Still years behind). Sharon's article mowed me down. We have a family in our church with 1-year-old twins that they adopted from NEDC; the babies had been frozen for 25 years. They are the same age as their now parents. Lord have mercy. Their story and my own symptoms of ill health over the last ten years have nudged me toward embryo adoption, (though I'm hoping, certainly, that it's not my only option), something I can more seriously consider now that I'm married; and it's made me curious about the potential *responsibility* of Christians to adopt? Is it wrong not to adopt if you have the resources to do so? What are the limits of responsibility? Is refusal a failure of virtue, like the shrinking family is a symptom of spiritual ill-formation? Lots to consider.
I should clarify that there is lots more to be said about embryo adoption — just wanted to share Sharon’s story as is. I don’t see her full-stop *advocating* for embryo adoption in the piece so much as highlighting the moral horror of the impossible situation on our hands. There’s a couple pieces from theologians in the female body archive on the ethics of embryo adoption, and I hope to cover more on that in the future.
Anyways, there are competing moral claims at play and all Christians will not arrive at the same conclusions about where the limits of responsibility lie, as it relates to the ethics involved. Even the Catholic church has not made a definitive statement (or so I thought?) about whether or not it is a duty, or even a net moral good. This article I'm linking below, frrom the archives, was fascinating and helpful. I appreciate the concept of keeping sex/conception/gestation tied together. Others may feel the moral tilt is in favor of negating that for the sake of rescue. Messy stuff.
“ If we consider the fears that turn people away from children, we may see that the aversion to hardship could also be a spiritual formation issue…”
Oomph I have this issue… I am so grateful the Lord is giving me more opportunities to embrace the “hardship” and be grateful for the struggle which I know will become a great blessing to me soon, before I know it.
So many good ones this month, I always love Sharon and Leah.
That article on IVF was powerful.
And your quote from Return of the King! It's one of my favorites, Sam wrestling with ambition and vocation. So, so good.
I remember that from your letter! Powerful stuff.
Ooo I’m excited to read the infidelity article. I made that argument about “reproductive infidelity” in my first book, so I’m intrigued to see how it’s treated there!
“Those in medicine have been standing in for pastoral, even priestly, roles. They have had great influence in tacitly filling formational gaps regarding sexuality, procreation, and the meaning of the body for longer than we care to admit.”
As someone who’s been on the medicine side and (kind of, vicariously) on the pastoral side…..yes. This needs more attention.
Great topics addressed here! Loved the repentance piece — amazing and truly, I think, the way forward.
Thanks so much for sharing my poem. Humbled and grateful it blessed you.
Loved your poem! Reminds me of my own husband, who is currently growing out his own glorious copper beard.
Thank you Hope! Love that. Also whenever I see my baby’s hair turn golden-red in sunlight, I think canelo.
(Which if you didn’t know @Haley Baumeister means cinnamon, so you don’t have to google it like me and be introduced to the Mexican boxing star.)
Thanks for reading for the rest of us :) and for sharing Woven Well as a bonus! :)
Thanks for sharing my essay Haley. On a separate note, Krug's article is timely and articulates something I've intuited but struggled to form my thoughts on. "The sexual ethic you bring to the altar is the sexual ethic you bring to the marriage" — this should be in every premarital counselling session. The sexual ethic of reduction doesn't dissolve at the wedding; it gets imported. Which explains so much: the pressure for sex, the entitlement, the regression to porn, the couples who were sexually active before marriage with no real repentance. Is marriage a sanctifying ritual for unaddressed sin? Lots to unpack here.
“The Sycamore Fig Tree” is calling my name! 😊 it looks wonderful.
One of your best round-ups (that I've read! Still years behind). Sharon's article mowed me down. We have a family in our church with 1-year-old twins that they adopted from NEDC; the babies had been frozen for 25 years. They are the same age as their now parents. Lord have mercy. Their story and my own symptoms of ill health over the last ten years have nudged me toward embryo adoption, (though I'm hoping, certainly, that it's not my only option), something I can more seriously consider now that I'm married; and it's made me curious about the potential *responsibility* of Christians to adopt? Is it wrong not to adopt if you have the resources to do so? What are the limits of responsibility? Is refusal a failure of virtue, like the shrinking family is a symptom of spiritual ill-formation? Lots to consider.
I should clarify that there is lots more to be said about embryo adoption — just wanted to share Sharon’s story as is. I don’t see her full-stop *advocating* for embryo adoption in the piece so much as highlighting the moral horror of the impossible situation on our hands. There’s a couple pieces from theologians in the female body archive on the ethics of embryo adoption, and I hope to cover more on that in the future.
Anyways, there are competing moral claims at play and all Christians will not arrive at the same conclusions about where the limits of responsibility lie, as it relates to the ethics involved. Even the Catholic church has not made a definitive statement (or so I thought?) about whether or not it is a duty, or even a net moral good. This article I'm linking below, frrom the archives, was fascinating and helpful. I appreciate the concept of keeping sex/conception/gestation tied together. Others may feel the moral tilt is in favor of negating that for the sake of rescue. Messy stuff.
https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-embryo-adoption-problem/
My husband also wants to read The Unseen Realm! He's been mulling over a lot of related texts.