Should she, or shouldn’t she? That is the question.

And no, they are not for wearing with a denim jumper. We (as in the royal, “we”) are very eclectic in our tastes. And we occasionally pull it off. And if we don’t, we don’t much care any more.

We must be getting old.

I just finished reading Famous Women of the Reformed Church by James I. Good (republished by Solid Ground Christian Books). It contains biographies of several well-known women of Reformation times (plus a couple of short chapters on women in England and one American who were involved in helping start early missions works). Like Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, it relates the extraordinary faith of these women in trying circumstances, without the details of torture or martyrdom, though some of the women in this book, or their loved ones, did suffer and die for their faith.

I benefit from reading accounts of such valiant women for the faith, but I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that such stories, which mostly involve high-born and even royal women in Europe, are hard for me to relate to in my ordinary life. It’s not surprising that not many tales of “real” people have been passed down…who would take time or even have time to record them? When we do get a rare glimpse of life for saints of old who were not so famous, we might think we can understand their trials more readily. For all of us, though, high or low, there are similar sorrows and frustrations. Some of the women in Rev. Good’s recountings were married to men who were ungodly (usually Roman Catholics who were not happy that their wives were passionate Protestants) and who made life nearly unbearable for their long-suffering wives—some even took children away from their mothers to be raised in other places so they wouldn’t be influenced by the reformed faith. Several women had children who sadly grew up to become apostate or followers of Rome. Some went from lavish wealth to extreme want and penury. Many risked their comfort and security to protect those who were severely persecuted. Bravery, perseverance, trust in sorrow, those are ideals we can all understand and strive for.

One of the things that impressed me about several of the women was their thirst for learning and the letters, poems, and hymns that many of them wrote as fervent expressions of their faith. Some of the Swiss and German ladies were very prolific writers, and one hymn-writer mentioned, who had humbler roots, was Meta Heusser-Schweitzer, the mother of Johanna Spyri, the author of Heidi. Remember the fondness of the grandmother in that story for hymns to be read to her?

Some of Meta Heusser’s hymns can be found in this online book.
Here’s another that I found which I thought mothers might find comforting as we all know the weariness and worry that come when our children awaken in the night, particularly if they are ill:

Darkness reigns–the hum of life’s commotion
On the listening ear no longer breaks;
Stars are shining on the deep blue ocean,
All is silent–Love alone awakes.

Love on earth its lonely vigils keeping,
Love in heaven, that rests or slumbers not;
Peace, my anxious heart! though thou wert sleeping,
Love divine has ne’er its charge forgot.

And for you, my brightest earthly flowers,
You, my children, Love divine has cared;
Sleep, beloved ones! through these dark hours–
Angels by your pillow watch and guard.

Here the winged messengers of heaven,
As beheld at Bethel, come and go–
Angel guardians, whom the Lord has given,
To each little one while here below.

Thou, O Saviour, while on earth residing,
Never didst Thou scorn a mother’s prayer:
Faith may still behold Thee here abiding–
Still commend her treasures to Thy care.

Were not all my hope on Thee reposing,
Thou sole refuge for a sinner’s fears,
Then, the future all its ill disclosing,
I could give my children only tears.

From their earthly parents they inherit
Naught save sin and weakness, grief and pain:
Give them, Lord, thine all-sufficient merit,
Spiritual birth and life again.

Hide and guard them in Thy tender arms,
Till the wilderness of life be past;
Save them from temptation’s fatal charms,
Seal them for Thine own, from first to last.

Let Thy rod and staff in mercy lead them
In the footsteps of Thy flock below,
Till ‘mid heavenly pastures Thou shalt feed them,
Where the streams of life eternal flow.

The Meta Heusser house, which was also where her doctor husband saw and treated patients, and where they raised their seven children, in Hirzel, Switzerland.

We must somehow draw the line between indolence and maelstrom. A pleasant equilibrium that promotes the pursuit of knowledge and cultivation of friendships but also sweetly stops and allows reflection and appreciation of one’s thoughts and friends. ~Anna

From the essay “The Century of the Cyclops” by Steven Faulkner, in Creed and Culture: A Touchstone Reader:

And because the poetic experience is not limited to linear thought, it hears countless echoes that correspond to other experiences and other existent realities so that the mind and soul naturally reach beyond the thing observed, listening intently toward the whole, inquiring after the Source and Meaning of things.

and he quotes C.S. Lewis from an essay in which he gave these three examples of language:

(1) It was very cold.
(2) There were 13 degrees of frost.
(3) “Ah, bitter chill it was!
The owl, for all his feathers was a-cold;
The hare limped trembling through the frozen grass,
And silent was the flock in wooly fold:
Numb’d were the Beadsman’s fingers.”

I’m stuck at example number two. I think I need a whack on the side of the head to come within shouting distance of number three. Or a mega-dose of poetry vitamins.

I still haven’t wrapped up my economics posts, and I’m sure everyone has moved on to more interesting topics, but my Virginia friend Dena sent me this article today, and it is something that Mr. Hazlitt didn’t mention anywhere that I remember:

Low Birth Rate Kills, Economy, Society, New Film Shows

Some blogs were linking recently to an article about the extended adolescence of American males, and the author of the article, Kay Hymowitz, is one of those interviewed in this documentary called Demographic Winter. That chilling title lets you know this is serious stuff. Watch the trailer!

There is always a lot of discussion if not angst about family size, and now we even hear arguments about whether or not all married couples ought to have children. More people are boldly saying what no people dared to say before: “we don’t even like children, so we’ve decided to remain childless.” I’ve heard of some missions organizations limiting the number of children they allow their missionaries to have, and while more career missionaries appear to be keeping their families together and are getting support to homeschool their children, there is still the unspoken implication in some Christian circles that children get in the way of real ministry and that if you are “called” to serve God you need to be careful not to encumber yourself with too many of those little inconveniences. And yes, there are some Christians now who claim that God has not given them the gift of parenthood, and not because He has providentially prevented them from conceiving. They just don’t want children.

Children are inconvenient. They are demanding. They are physically and emotionally draining. But God calls them blessings, and even those who do not claim to be Christians are beginning to wake up to not just the benefits of having children, but the absolute necessity of increasing birthrates for the survival of society.

We are hearing a lot in the news about an economic crisis and a housing crisis. Perhaps selfishness has bred many of our economic ills as we neglect to breed progeny and opt for bigger houses, fancier cars, and more “fulfilling” careers. Look at the data this guy dug up tracking the increase in home size since the 1940s versus the decline in family size.

Since 1973, one out of every three pregnancies in America has ended in abortion. The babies who were aborted when Roe v. Wade was decided would be 35 years old today. They would be paying social security taxes for those who were 35 years old then. For both the Democrats and Republicans (except for you know who), Social Security is sacrosanct. Our current president passed the biggest government cash transfer program ever, increasing Medicare prescription drug benefits to ginormous proportions ($1.2 trillion over a decade). As the population continues to age in those big houses with 40-year mortgages (the ones not being foreclosed on), who will pay the bills that are coming due? What is your backup plan if Plan A (replacing yourself and your spouse with Johnny and Susie, if and when you decide to procreate), fails? What if everyone else follows Plan A and nobody worries about a backup plan?

When we consider birth “control” we must remember that God’s Word makes it clear that God is the one who opens and closes the womb. Some he enables to bear many children (even as many as ten, gasp!), others far fewer—some none at all. The Bible never talks about the “problem” of overpopulation, but it does say that a dearth of people is “a prince’s ruin” (Proverbs 14:28). Sometimes God ordains barrenness, which is a sadness to the one who is barren and ought to inspire compassion from others (Job 24:21). Those who would presume to blame a woman who longs for children but cannot conceive, deserve a few choice curses. If it is a societal trend, however, barrenness is unmistakably considered a curse on that society. Barrenness is not something to pursue, and many children, even with the many challenges and sacrifices of bearing and raising them, are a gift of God and welcome to the believer. From the home that welcomes those children, there is the potential for world-changing Christian service, beginning with a father and mother who willingly sacrifice short-term personal gain for long-term (as in, eternal) benefits.

I hope you will read the article I linked, but knowing that it’s hard sometimes to click that mouse button, let me give you a few pertinent (some may say impertinent!) quotes:

Phillip Longman, a senior fellow with the New America Foundation, called for a return to traditional, patriarchal family structures during Tuesday’s panel discussion.

Longman, who is in the film, is the author of several books on demographics and economics. While it may not be politically correct to speak in terms of patriarchal family models, he said, these structures impose responsibilities on men that they would just as soon avoid.

Longman sees hope for the future among those who hold religious worldviews and among young people especially.

“There is a self-correction side to this,” Longman said. “Secularism correlates so strongly with childlessness that there is almost by default a shoring-up of the family with traditional values.

and from journalist Don Feder:

“People who have faith in the future have children,” he told Cybercast News Service.

Over time, traditional Catholics, evangelical Christians, Orthodox Jews, and other religious groups will find they must confront the “anti-child, anti pro-creation” that views large families as an oddity, he said.

With the public’s attention consumed by media-driven prognostications of environmental catastrophes connected with the highly debatable notion of man-made global warming, it has been difficult for legitimate demographic concerns to find expression, said Feder.

For too long the dialogue has been built around the myth of a “population bomb” as opposed to declining birth rates, he observed. The film is designed to help the public come to terms with disconcerting social patterns that often go unnoticed and unreported, he added.

The film’s producer said, “The challenge now is to change hearts and minds back in favor of families without forcing anything on people and to ask how this can be done without becoming a theocracy.” I agree with the first part, that we must persuade rather than force, even though I’ve had The Handmaid’s Tale waved at me many times by those who think I envision enforcing such a dystopia. However, if the definition of “theocracy” just means a society where God’s Word is the basis for how we determine what is right and wrong as we craft legislation (or refrain from crafting it, which is usually the nobler of the two options, in my humble opinion), then I think he’s going to miss the mark with his mission of saving the world. Saving it for what and from what? By what standard and for what purpose do we care that old people are not abandoned as useless drains on society’s resources? How can we encourage people to abandon hedonism and selfishness for diapers and obligations unless they understand their obligation to God and their need for His blessing?

Of all people, Christians ought to clearly see the destructive direction that tunnel vision and short-sightedness has taken us, and we ought to realize that change, as always, must begin with God’s people. The view that children should be welcomed in abundance in a Christian home (both by birth and adoption), is considered narrow-minded by some people, but I have hope that their minds will be opened to the truth. Families are important to the health of our society, and Christian families are crucially important to furthering God’s kingdom in the time and place God has placed us.