Be Fruitful And Multiply: What The Bible Says About Having Children

by Nancy Campbell

Does the Bible address the question of birth control? The answer is a resounding "yes." "Be Fruitful and Multiply" makes a thorough case from Scripture that Christians should do more than just "trust God" for children--they should cry out to the Lord to bless the fruit of the womb.Vision Forum

Genres: Parenting, Christian, Marriage, Christianity

228 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Nancy Campbell is the editress of ABOVE RUBIES, a magazine devoted to bringing strength and encouragement to women in their roles as wives and mothers. Printed since 1977, ABOVE RUBIES serves as a lifeline to marriages and families all around the globe.

Reviews

[Kaetlyn Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regardless of the controversy, this book is pretty based. We would do well to remove feminism from our fertility, and to give attention to the historical position the Church has held on birth control throughout all of history. In my study of this topic I'm finding that those in the camp of surrendering their wombs to the Lord have all of Scripture and all of Church history to stand on. Consent to sex is consent to pregnancy—and that simple little fact can clear up a lot of confusion surrounding family planning, family size, abortion, fornication, fertility, and the purpose of Christian marriage.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is a hard one to review! In many ways I loved it... and agreed with the author very much. But there were many aspects of the book I did not agree with. The main message of the book seemed to be: have children and have lots of them and don't you dare do anything to prevent them. There was very little mention of being a godly parent or of being diligent to teach and train children in the Lord.

It's as if the author assumes that any well meaning Christian couple that decides to have lots of kids will naturally raise a godly seed because they didn't use any birth control, therefore God blessed them. I'm sorry, but there's a lot more to it than that!

I DID enjoy the book because Christians (unfortunately) do have a very low view of children and large families. It is sad that we as Christians have not realized the blessings and great potential that come with a large family. The author was very encouraging in regards to trusting the Lord with your womb and praying for more children and fruitfulness of the womb.

For those who have adopted the world's view of children (as burdens and something to limit) this book is excellent at pointing out God's view of children and His desire to bless families with fruitfulness.

(Another problem I had with the book: the author states at the beginning that most Scripture is takes from the KJV or RSV but then goes on to quote Scripture from many different versions, which was kind of annoying.)

The heart behind the book was well-meaning with great intentions... and the message is still very important!! However, I believe the author swung the pendulum a little too far in the opposite direction.

[Rebekah Schrepfer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered about this book?  Nancy Campbell's book has been reprinted 5 times.  It has become a mainstay in the Quiverfull ideology, however, I'm not sure it's in print currently. It is not for sale even on her own website.  I got mine used.  The main premise of the book is obvious, that God's first and primary command is to be fruitful and multiply.  This means to her that any and all prevention or modification of conception is anti-biblical.  There were so many errors in the book, I could barely make it through.  

1.  Use of Superlatives.  My first observation is her incessant use of superlatives.  One gets the sense that there is NO other purpose under heaven for a Christian family than to raise as many children as possible.  This is a dangerous way to characterize Scriptural ideas.  While it is true that children are a blessing, and being a godly mother is an important and primary role, and one purpose of the Christian family is to have a godly heritage, Campbell extrapolates that truth to mean that there is no other purpose for a Christian family.  I can think of several examples in the New Testament of women who were mentioned without any reference to her role as a mother:  Priscilla, Mary Magdalene, Martha & Mary of Bethany, Lydia, Joanna, Susanna, Phoebe.  To be sure, Jesus rebuked his disciples for shunning the little children, but children are not the focus of the New Testament by far.  Here is just a smattering of examples of Nancy Campbell's statements.

"God says that motherhood is exalted above everything else"  (pg. 45).

"God's number one blessing is multiplication"  (pg 59).

"God says children are His best gift"  (pg 65).

"It is only our children that are lasting gifts that we will keep forever"  (pg. 71).

"Parenting is the highest calling God has given to mankind.  Every other career is subservient to this one"  (pg. 75).

"It seems that many couples would do any sacrifice for God rather than obey God's first commandment. [i.e. to be fruitful and multiply]"(pg. 115).  (Interestingly, the Mormon church also views the command to be fruitful and multiply as the "first commandment" (source).  In reality, the first command to a man and woman was to "leave and cleave"(Genesis 2:23-24).

"Motherhood is an eternal career" (pg. 165).

"I am fulfilling the only career that is eternal" (pg 209).

I don't know how one can read the New Testament and come away with this kind of understanding of what is truly important in our New Testament age.

2.  Temporal blessings should be sought and expected.  This was the biggest indicator of her non-dispensational theology (see my point below).  God's promises to the nation of Israel and previous dispensations were definitely blessings of children, land, and health (Gen. 22:16-18; Gen. 28:13-15; Gen. 35:9-12, Ex. 15:26, Lev. 26, Deut. 28).  In the New Testament, however, we know that the spiritual will trump the temporal in all things even in family relationships (Luke 12:53; Matthew 12:48-50).  She discusses at length the concept of fruitfulness, that it must be that "the natural comes first and then the spiritual" (pg 48).   There is a recurring theme in her book that we should have lots of children in order to "build God's army" (chapter 5).  Not only that, she believes that families should not only be blessed by children, but should pursue the maximum number of children possible in order to "fill God's eternal kingdom" (pg. 40).  Multiplication, she says, is the main thrust of Scripture.  This is that particular Quiverfull interpretation of Psalm 127:5 (a.k.a. Millitant Fecundity). 

In my view, the same argument could be made for any worthy endeavor, but should we do only that, all of the time, to it's farthest edge?  In reality, numbers have nothing to do with God's plan for the church or any of His other purposes. Only one family on earth had such promises made related to its number, and that was the family of Abraham.  In the Age of Grace we find that "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matt 7:14).  Even in the Old Testament we are told not to "dispise the day of small things" (Zech 4:10).  What about the story of Gideon's small army or the widow's mite or the boy's meager lunch of fish & loaves?  Is it our numbers that matter?  Is it our earthly fruitfulness that matters?  Small numbers were and are the norm especially as we strive for holiness in a sinful world in the New Testament.  It has often been the very small groups of believers who have attempted great things for God and expected great things from God.  After all, it is HE who does the work, not us.  Nancy Campbell's understanding of the Word is very narrow in this regard.  Here are some of her statements: ...

See the rest of this review at MostlySensible.com

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FIRM OPPOSITION TO BIRTH CONTROL, AND ‘FAMILY PLANNING’

Author Nancy Campbell wrote in the Introduction to this 2003 book, “The traditional wedding vows give the following three reasons for marriage: First, it was ordained for the increase of mankind… and that children might be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord… Secondly… that the natural instinct and affections should be hallowed and directed aright… Thirdly… for the mutual society, help and comfort that the one ought to have of the other… I believe the Word of God gives three further reasons: Fourthly, we need one another to help fulfill God’s command and manage God’s creation. Fifthly, it is a powerful force for effective prayer. Sixthly, it was ordained to portray to the world a picture of the relationship of Christ and His church.” (Pg. 13-14) She continues, “To portray to the world a picture of Christ and His Church…. To have unity in prayer… To take dominion together over God’s creation… To enjoy companionship together… Top enjoy sexual unity in the holy estate of marriage.” (Pg. 14-16)

She says of “the first command God gave to marriage, “He did not say, ‘I want you to spend the beginning years of your marriage getting to know one another first, then you’ll be ready to start a family… I want you to spend time together, travel, fulfill all your plans and aspirations, then begin your family… I want you both to work until you have enough money to purchase your own home and accumulate the material possessions your need, then I want you to be fruitful.’ No, His first command was, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’” (Pg. 23-24)

She argues, “God is interested in filling the earth and populating eternity. ‘But,’ you say, ‘what about the population explosion?’ … [This] is foreign to God’s mind. He wants the earth to be filled!... And contrary to the scare tactics of the would-be population controllers, there is still plenty of room on the earth… Who are we going to listen to---God, or the population pessimists who have no trust in God?” (Pg. 25-26)

She suggests, “We cannot take our fertility for granted. It is a very precious gift that we cannot trifle with. We cannot decide ourselves when we want a child. Fertility is ultimately in the hands of God, and He tells us in His Word the best time for bringing forth children---when we are young.” (Pg. 47)

She explains, “God calls our children arrows [Ps 127:4-5]… In the context of Bible days, arrows were for the purpose of war! We are in a war today and God needs arrows for His army. God wants children to fulfill His strategies and plans. When a warrior went out to war, how many arrows would he want in this quiver? One or two? No, he’d want to squeeze in as many as he could. The more arrows he had in quiver, the more weapons he had to slay the enemy and the more protection he provided for himself.” (Pg. 79)

She says of 1 Tim 2:14-15, “this is not talking about salvation from sin, but salvation from deception. Women will be saved from getting into deception and from being lured away from their divine destiny, if they continue to walk in the role of motherhood which God planned for them.” (Pg. 109)

She notes, “Couples who are rightly troubled by the implications of artificial contraceptives often turn to NFP [Natural Family Planning] as an alternative form of child prevention. It is a morally superior form of contraception… [but] I believe we must be honest that NFP is not completely ‘natural.’ First, it denies the wife the intimacy she would natural desire with her husband. Second, it is a deliberate attempt to thwart God’s natural design for intimacy… For these reasons we must conclude that NFP contradicts God’s natural order… On the other hand, Scripture does indicate that the children of Israel were to practice sexual abstinence during seasons of uncleanness and physical recovery, and that Paul directed husbands and wives to practice abstinence for a season during times of marital stress. In both cases, the reasons for abstinence were unrelated to child prevention.” (Pg. 112)

She asserts, “we can understand why God viewed Onan’s attempt to deliberately thwart conception as wicked and worthy of capital punishment. He participated in intercourse but thwarted the natural process of conception… he was self-consciously trying to prevent his seed from becoming a human being.” (Pg. 145-147)

She points out, “Contraception was not entertained by the Christian church---Protestant or Catholic---until as late as 1930. Until this time, it was considered by church theologians to be the ‘murder of future unborn children.’ But slowly, the campaigning of Margaret Sanger and her cohorts began to infiltrate the church… in 1930 a revolution occurred… during the Lambeth Conference of 1930, the assembled Anglican bishops broke with the previously unanimous Christian doctrine and allowed unnatural birth control devices and practices.” (Pg. 154-155)

She also notes, “The Muslim families of the world are not limiting their families. They have an average of 6.8 children per family and are the fastest growing religion in the world through their birth rate!... If we continue the present trend, we will only be five percent [of the world’s population] at the end of this century!” (Pg. 197)

This book will interest Christians (mostly Protestants) opposed to birth control.

[Sarah Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very encouraging for husbands and wives who love God and kids! This book takes the fear out of raising a big family.

[Hawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never have I ever read a book with so many scriptural references. This book is written from a “quiver full” standpoint and bias, I would say, but as someone who was raised as a nominal Christian if that, and whose community as a child was exclusively small families (1-3 kids per family, 4 was abnormally large and rare and the largest I’d ever known)… I found it powerful to consider these scriptures and be challenged by these ideas and to contemplate my own stance(s) on the topic of childbearing.

I do think the author asserts her own opinion as fact, but she uses a plethora of scripture to do so - so at least there’s a lot of meat to chew on even if you don’t agree. I’d say it positively led me through thinking on topics and scriptures, but I did not necessarily agree with her on all things. So, I would say that it’s a worthwhile read if you’re wanting the push to consider deeply childbearing as a Bible believing christian. I don’t endorse it as a legalistic prescription for how you must proceed as a Christian married woman, but it certainly gives a lot of structured topics to consider and scripture to reflect on!

[Emily Waits · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Christian who is NOT apart of the IBLP I definitely read this with an open heart, ready to learn new things and let the Lord convict me, yet I read it with open eyes to read between lines and was careful with not taking everything she said as law. It was overall encouraging and biblically based. I think the biggest “ick” about this book was when she said if we only have 1/2 children and don’t have more we are taking away Gods opportunity to change the world. WE can not take power away from God. He is almighty and if you have one child or 19, if it is in his will HE will use them for his Glory. As someone with an “open womb” who is letting God lead and decide the size of my family it is an awesome book and helps have some tangible replies for people who don’t understand why!

[Olya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had studied this topic before I got married.

[Ryan Rindels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having as many children as God would give you. Radical? Only in the last 80 years on Christendom has it been acceptable morally and theologically to use any form of artificial birth control. Read the scriptures and you find ample supporte and advocacy for big families. This is a challenge to Christians in my generation to seriously re-think our views on family planing --most of which are hard to prove biblically.

[Suzy]

So far I am really enjoying this book. I like how the author uses scripture to back what he says, I am just not sure if all of the verses he uses actually apply. This book is heavy on the scripture, that is good because it shows he is not just putting forth an idea and only giving one verse to back what he says. The bad part, sometimes there are times where there are so many verses that it is hard to look them all up.

[Wannie Michelmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opens my eyes about what Treasure laid up in Heaven really means and what kind of eternity are we building. Here it illustrates multiple bible verses and cultural evolution, how they contradict each other and how unfortunately, most Christians have bought into - sterilization, abortion, contraception, etc, to prevent birth of babies when children are blessings from God. It builds faith mainly through childbearing and having numerous children. A lie buster book. Must read for all.

[Kristina Seleshanko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wonder what the Bible says about birth control? This books lays it all out for you. It's filled with Bible references and quotes, plus commentary, on what type of birth control (if any) is biblically acceptable, what God says about populating the earth, and much more. Plus it offers some interesting scientific evidence about popular birth control methods that cause very early abortions, and what science teaches us about what's best for our bodies, reproductively speaking. Highly recommend!

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book on "What the Bible says about having Children". It covers Birth Control, overpopulation, providing for children during good and tight times, and more. It is set up as a Bible study and has many Scriptures to look up and discuss. If you are wanting to just read this book will not satisfy you, if you want to study and know "why" you will enjoy this book.

[Jill Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I respect Nancy Campbell and like what she has to say. There have been times in my life when I believed it wholeheartedly and there have been other times, like now with six precious blessings, that we've used birth control. It's not always as easy as what she makes it out to be but I understand the premise and think that, on the whole, Christians have far too few children.