Dominion Theology

2 Questions you probably should not ask people you don’t know well:

1. Were all these kids planned?

2. Are you going to try for more?

(This really seems like asking how often we….you know.)

Yet, I get asked these two questions on a regular basis, believe it or not. Some people don't know that some things are marked "Private."

This week was refreshing, though. Gana and I attended the Revival and Transformation of Society Conference at Harvest Rock Church. I keep being very pleasantly surprised by the welcoming spirit in this stream towards large families.

Now, when I hang around homeschool conventions or friends that are of the Reformed and conservative churches I usually find vast acceptance for my big family. My family often seems small in those circles. But, we are in a different stream, so to speak, and we don't see as many large families.

BUT, I find that changing. And that's pretty cool.

This week we learned about taking the Seven Mountains of Culture (which are religion, education, family, media, arts/entertainment, government, and business) for the Kingdom. In an aside, Peter Wagner gave a little rant about how Christians need to be having more children! That if we are going to truly affect society, this 1.6 children per family is not going to cut it! The 7M Mandate is really the Genesis/Creation Mandate to be fruitful, multiply, subdue and take dominion! We can claim taking dominion, but we also need to be fruitful!

Then later, Robert Stearns, who is a voice to Israel and the Arab world, challenged us with this story:

He has some friends in Germany who are involved in the PTA at their children's school. The Turkish Muslim community there is growing. In a PTA meeting a big argument broke out. The Muslim parents were unitedly refusing to send their children to German History classes because German history included Christian elements (the Reformation, etc.). The Germans insisted that "this is our history. If you are immigrating here, you need to learn the history of THIS country." But, the Muslims instead insisted that their children be taught Islamic studies during the those periods. As the debate heated up, one parents stood up and shouted, "We will birth you to death!"

What does that mean? They all knew full-well.

The Replacement Birth Rate is 2.1 children per woman. That is the bare minimum needed to replace the population on earth or in any society.

Some countries are doing far and away more than 2.1 per woman. (For example: Somalia, is 6.91, Niger 6.83, Afghanistan 6.78, Yemen 6.75. Do you see a common thread in these countries?)

From the Wall Street Journal: "Scroll way down to the bottom of the Hot One Hundred top breeders and you'll eventually find the United States, hovering just at replacement rate with 2.07 births per woman. Ireland is 1.87, New Zealand 1.79, Australia 1.76. But Canada's fertility rate is down to 1.5, well below replacement rate; Germany and Austria are at 1.3, the brink of the death spiral; Russia and Italy are at 1.2; Spain 1.1, about half replacement rate. That's to say, Spain's population is halving every generation. By 2050, Italy's population will have fallen by 22%, Bulgaria's by 36%, Estonia's by 52%. In America, demographic trends suggest that the blue states ought to apply for honorary membership of the EU: In the 2004 election, John Kerry won the 16 with the lowest birthrates; George W. Bush took 25 of the 26 states with the highest. By 2050, there will be 100 million fewer Europeans, 100 million more Americans--and mostly red-state Americans....

"There is no "population bomb." There never was. Birthrates are declining all over the world--eventually every couple on the planet may decide to opt for the Western yuppie model of one designer baby at the age of 39. But demographics is a game of last man standing. The groups that succumb to demographic apathy last will have a huge advantage. Even in 1968 Paul Ehrlich and his ilk should have understood that their so-called population explosion was really a massive population adjustment. Of the increase in global population between 1970 and 2000, the developed world accounted for under 9% of it, while the Muslim world accounted for 26%. Between 1970 and 2000, the developed world declined from just under 30% of the world's population to just over 20%, the Muslim nations increased from about 15% to 20%....

Nineteen seventy doesn't seem that long ago. If you're the age many of the chaps running the Western world today are wont to be, your pants are narrower than they were back then and your hair's less groovy, but the landscape of your life--the look of your house, the layout of your car, the shape of your kitchen appliances, the brand names of the stuff in the fridge--isn't significantly different. Aside from the Internet and the cell phone and the CD, everything in your world seems pretty much the same but slightly modified.

And yet the world is utterly altered. Just to recap those bald statistics: In 1970, the developed world had twice as big a share of the global population as the Muslim world: 30% to 15%. By 2000, they were the same: each had about 20%.

And by 2020?

So the world's people are a lot more Islamic than they were back then and a lot less "Western." Europe is significantly more Islamic, having taken in during that period some 20 million Muslims (officially)--or the equivalents of the populations of four European Union countries (Ireland, Belgium, Denmark and Estonia). Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the West: In the U.K., more Muslims than Christians attend religious services each week.

Can these trends continue for another 30 years without having consequences? Europe by the end of this century will be a continent after the neutron bomb: The grand buildings will still be standing, but the people who built them will be gone. We are living through a remarkable period: the self-extinction of the races who, for good or ill, shaped the modern world. " (Rest of the article here.)

As I sat there listening to these great prophetic men of God, who like the tribe of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32), understand the times in which we are living, I cheered. My friends around me cheered for me! Working on number six....taking our dominion! We also met some HIM pastors who have 11 children. They were a great encouragement that God will meet all our needs. Some one prophesied over us this week that our children would stand on all seven mountains of culture. Yes, Lord, let it be so!

Why do we have all these kids? It's in our DNA. We have dominion theology.

"The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15

Blog o' the Week

I'm a mother of five. That may seem like a lot to you. It may seem like only a few. It's all relative, I suppose. Living in So. Cal. I guess it's a lot, because whenever we go out we get the same looks and comments. Some people actually count out loud as we go by. I hear, "Boy you have your hands full!" on every trip to the grocery store. I try to smile and reply, "No, I have my heart full!" Then there's "How do you do it?! I only have one and I'm so busy!" to which I reply, "Well, if one takes up all your time, two can't take up anymore!"

I came across an interesting post this week called Life In A Shoe, on having a large family.

Why do we do this? It certainly sounds foolish to some people. They see a large family crowded into a small home, driving an old van, counting their spare change to decide if they really ought to order off the dollar menu or just buy a bunch of bananas, all for want of a few dollars’ worth of birth control.

This is foolishness to some. Some would say it’s also foolish to pay tithes when you can’t pay your bills, or to thank God for the food you raised by the sweat of your own brow, or to abstain from premarital sex. We think Scripture teaches differently, and we are not ashamed to appear foolish in the eyes of the world.

And while I think that the birth control issue is a private one between husband and wife, I do feel that children are a blessing from God. Because I believe that I hope to see more and more large Christian families. I feel it should be more the norm than the exception to the rule. Check out Life in a Shoe's blog, entitled, "Being Quiverfull."

Being Pro-Life

This holiday weekend the kids and I (Daja) drove up to the Central Coast to visit Papa and Nana. That's a long trip for one adult and five little children! I told the kids to go potty before we left home because I was NOT going to stop. Well.......about an hour into the trip that big cup o' joe that I drank started to get to me. I tried to wait. But, round about Lost Hills (which is a little over 1 hour from our destination) I could not hold it another minute. So, we pulled into the Pilot and I took all five children into the handicap stall. When we all came out of the stall there were two women who looked at me aghast and I heard them mumbling-grumbling about all my kids. Clearly not in the mood for the rude vibe, I said, "Yes, just look at us! We're like clowns at the circus coming out of a little car." That took care of that. They put their eyes back in their head.



We don't live in a very child friendly world.



But, on to the main point of this post. When I make this trip I listen to Catholic Radio most of the way. Sure, I could listen to something "Positive and Encouraging" but it puts me to sleep! My favorite LA talk station goes out around Bakersfield. But, the Catholic station takes me all the way. It's thought-provoking, prayful and interesting. (I respect the Catholic Church. I am not Catholic, though.)



Anyway, I listened to the praying of the Pro-Life Rosary. There were a couple lines that really stood out to me: "Lord, I offer these three Hail Mary's for an increase in Faith, Hope, and Love in all people so that all people will always CHOOSE LIFE, and I also offer them in reparation for the suffering you endure each time an unborn babe is killed, each time someone is euthanized, each time death overcome life in this world. Amen."



When the announcer said that they would be praying the Pro-Life Rosary, I immediately thought of abortion. I did not automatically think of the chronically ill, the elderly, and those with limited mental capacity who are euthanized.



I realized afresh that being pro-life is a lot more than being anti-abortion. Being PRO-LIFE means you stand for LIFE over death anytime there is a face-off between the two.



Perhaps a lot of people who call themselves pro-life may actually be anti-abortion.



What does it mean to stand for LIFE and to take the side of LIFE? What does it mean for life to overcome death in this world?



I think of issues of birth control and actively preventing life. I think of the death penalty and how I have accepted it without really examining it. I think of all those expecting couples having genetic testing so that they can end things if the baby isn't perfect. I think of babies in test tubes--humans without a womb to grow in. I also think of those forgotten people who we forget are real people with real feelings. It's so easy to dismiss the humanity of the unwashed person on the corner willing to work for food. It's easy to dismiss the depth of feeling felt by a tiny child watching his parents quarrell. We don't realize that the elderly person who just wants to ramble about the first car they owned in 1932 or the price of gas is craving for human contact. "Someone please acknowledge my humanity!!"



Another part of the Rosary: "Lord Jesus, I thank you for your incarnation in our human flesh. You were formed in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Your humanity at the moment of your conception gives us, each and every one, humanity at the moment of our conception. Had Satan had His way, you too would have been torn from your mothers womb, never to be born, and never to fulfill your destiny in the particular manner in which you did fulfill it. "



My grandfather, Dale, whom we named Ihbeleg Dale after, has slipped further into an isolated world. He is blind in one eye and as he says he "can't see out of the other", is hard of hearing, doesn't get around well without his walker or wheel chair. Because he doesn't make proper conversation anymore, unless one wants to drift from hearing the name of the horse he rode as a child to what his first house looked like in the same sentence. And so it's easy to not make the attempt at conversation. But, I got to thinking....what would it be like to not have someone talk to you anymore? What would it be like to sit in the rocker all day, seeing the TV on, but not hearing it, not having a job or function, not able to get one's own coffee or drive yourself to the market. Worst of all, not being able to read the Bible anymore! How long the days must be. How lonely!



So, while visiting my grandparents this weekend, I took some time to pull up a chair right near my grandpa's ear and I read (or rather, shouted) the Bible to him. He smiled and thanked me, probably quite surprised. I kissed his rough cheek. I love him, even though I probably haven't taken the time to engage him and interact with him in a long time.



It was a pro-life weekend as I meditated on all this as well as these parts of the rosary: "I also offer each "white/clear" 'Hail Mary' for the mothers and fathers of these aborted little ones, that they may receive the grace ot repent of this sin, turn to Jesus, and receive the gift of salvation with open hearts. Heal them of the emotional and psychological wounds that this sin has caused as you pour out the graces of conversion upon them. Let them now witness for life! Amen"



How often do I pray for the babies and how little I pray for the healing of the mothers and fathers! If I am pro-life, where is my acknowledgement of their humanity?



"The black beads are symbolic for the entire medical profession that participates in pro-death activities. All doctors, nurses, and assistants, helpers of every type that contribute to abortion, euthanasia, anti-life practices of every sort. Every "Clear/white" 'Hail Mary' is for their conversion, repentance, and courage in standing against this crimson tide of death! Pray: Lord Jesus; Mother Mary, in this decade I offer reparation for all the sins of the medical personnel that act in the interest of death in our society and in our world. I plead also for their conversion to your truth. Let them see the truth of what they are doing, see the horror of it, rend their hearts in repentance, then work for Life and for you Jesus, all the rest of their days. Amen."



And what about these? These are real people, too. They aren't other-worldly monsters. They are souls for whom Christ died! They need our prayers, too. If I am pro-life, I must admit that Jesus loves the abortionist, too.



It's humbling to take oneself off that pedestal of the mind and realize that God loves me and God loves the abortionist.



Christ came to save sinners. That's the Good News. And that is the best pro-life statement there is.



"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" I Corinthians 15:55

What Is the World Coming To? II

I picked up what looked like a handy little guide at the library called Kids and the Law. It has all the important California laws for children--like car seat laws, bike helmet laws, work permits and taxes etc.

Reading along I came across a section on Kids and Privacy. Can you read what I've highlighted below? If not, it says, "In California, however, there are a number of circumstances in which youngsters have the authority to make decisions without parental involvement. Some include:...medical treatment related to an infections, contagious or sexually transmitted disease." Continuing farther down it says, "...medical care related to the care and prevention of pregnancy (this includes birth control information and/or and abortion or any other care short of sterilization."

Next page a section on Sex and Kids. This one says, "It is against the law for minors in California to have sex..." Continuing on it says, "These laws make it legally impossible for a minor (someone under 18) to consent to sexual intercourse."

WHAT?! Am I the only one who reads these things through?

A child cannot legally consent to medical treatment (even to get something like allergy medicine or a lifesaving procedure like a blood transfusion). A child cannot get a tattoo or ears pierced without parental consent. But a child can consent to an abortion, birth control pills, IUD, treatment for STD....as long as the child doesn't have a vasectomy or tubal ligation. WHAT?!

A child cannot legally consent to sex, but CAN have an abortion?

What kind of logic is that?!

What is the world coming to?

By the Way, we can thank the California State PTA for the distribution of this enlightening information. You can request your own copy from the State Bar of California (Did they get that name because they were plastered?) just email kids@calbar.ca.gov. Ask for Kids and the Law: An A-to-Z Guide for Parents.

Birth Control: A Passive Act of Violence

This post has given me fresh food for thought in my pondering of birth control. It's worth the read.

In light of my baby almost four months old and beginning to sleep a little longer at night, we are once again asked by the Lord to affirm our confidence in Him by not practicing birth control. Daily I hear the Lord say, "Do you trust Me?"

I'm so glad that I trusted the Lord and let Him give me Ihbeleg Dale, our newest blessing

Ihbeleg Dale

(Picture taken 7-11-07)

Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions?

After watching the video "Abortifacient" which I posted a few weeks ago, I've looked into this matter more fully. Here is a fairly comprehensive article that cites sources. Pretty compelling stuff. --Daja

(by Randy Alcorn)

"The Pill" is the popular term for more than forty different commercially available oral contraceptives. In medicine, they are commonly referred to as BCPs (birth control pills) or OCs (oral contraceptives). They are also called "Combination Pills," because they contain a combination of estrogen and progestin.

The Pill is used by about fourteen million American women each year. Across the globe it is used by about sixty million. The question of whether it causes abortions has direct bearing on untold millions of Christians, many of them prolife, who use and recommend it.

In 1991, while researching the original edition of my book, ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments, I heard someone suggest that birth control pills can cause abortions. This was brand new to me; in all my years as a pastor and a prolifer, I had never heard it before. I was immediately skeptical.

My vested interests were strong in that Nanci and I used the Pill in the early years of our marriage, as did many of our prolife friends. Why not? We believed it simply prevented conception. We never suspected it had any potential for abortion. No one told us this was even a possibility. I confess I never read the fine print of the Pill's package insert, nor am I sure I would have understood it even if I had.

Read the rest here.

(Eternal Perspective Ministries, 39085 Pioneer Blvd., Suite 200, Sandy, OR 97055, 503-668-5200, www.epm.org)

No Thank You

Five Scenarios:

A man is called into his boss’ office. “Smith,” the boss says, “I’ve been watching you. I like your work! I’m going to double your salary!” Smith says, “Thank you, Sir! But, actually, right now my wife and I have more money than we know what to do with. It would just be a burden. In fact, if I could just work at this same pay level for the rest of my career, that would be great.” The boss looks puzzled. Smith says, “In fact, if I can just get your guarantee that I will never make more than what I make right now it would really relieve a lot of stress.”

A new family moves in down the street and invites the whole neighborhood for a barbecue just to get to know everyone. The Willis Family decides not to go. When the other neighbors ask why they’d turn down some good grub and friendly company the family says, “We just have too many friends as it is. We aren’t looking for anymore.”

A woman goes for her annual physical. The doctor checks her out head to toe, takes a urine sample, a blood sample, a hair sample. In the end he declares her healthy as a horse. She is crestfallen. The doctor inquires into why. She replies, “I’m just too healthy! I just wish that now and then I could get a little ill, perhaps a chronic condition or something. All this good health is just too much to take!”

A lazy Sunday afternoon, watching the game. A man looks outside and sees a fancy car. He sees a bunch of balloons. He sees Ed McMann. Then the doorbell rings. He wants to hide. “I didn’t ask for any unexpected blessings! I’m not prepared! I haven’t hired a financial planner, decided what I would do with the extra money, or anything!” And so he refuses Publisher’s Clearinghouse and the millions because it wasn’t a planned blessing.


A couple gets married. They have a couple children. God says, “I’m pleased with you. Let me bless you with another.” They say, “No thank you, Lord. We have too many as it is and we only wanted two from the beginning. We didn't ask for any unplanned blessings.” A few snip-snips seal the deal. No more children, especially those unexpected ones. There are some blessings that you can have too many of.

I can only imagine one of the above scenarios actually happening. If you don’t know which, it’s not the one that refuses money, friends, health or windfalls. It’s the one that refuses new life.

Why is that?

Abortifacient

Does the pill cause abortions? If there is a possibility that it does, women need to know. In fact, it is their right to know. It's surprising how few women know exactly how birth control works or even how their own bodies work.