I am continuing to discuss the Barbara Dafoe Whitehead/David Popenoe report entitled The State of Our Unions, The Social Health of Marriage in America 2006, Essay: Life Without Children. I make this particular post because I find the report's observations on women and childlessness to be interesting and provocative. I'm not entirely sure what to make of them. The report notes, "most women still want to have at least one child and, ideally, two. In fact, 68 percent of Gen X women today are likely to say that having a child is an experience every woman should have compared to just 45 percent … [Read more...] about Women and Childlessness
Practical Ministry
Economic Ramifications of Childlessness
I am continuing to discuss the Barbara Dafoe Whitehead/David Popenoe report entitled The State of Our Unions, The Social Health of Marriage in America 2006, Essay: Life Without Children. I want to highlight some of the report's findings on the economic factors of the childless trend, and the market forces that support it (perhaps unwittingly, though I think sometimes consciously): 1. Childless young adults are exceedingly well suited to life and work in a dynamic society and global economy. They display great facility and comfort with new technologies. Their youthful penchant for … [Read more...] about Economic Ramifications of Childlessness
State of the (Marriage) Unions – Childlessness
Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe of the National Marriage Project have come out with their State of Our Unions report for 2006 (the reports come out annually, in the summer). The report is titled Life Without Children, highlighting the troubling trend of (often deliberately) childless marriages. Their Executive Summary: For most of the nation’s history, Americans expected to devote much of their adult life and work to the rearing of children. Today, life without children is emerging as a social reality for a growing number of American adults. Due to delay of marriage, postponed … [Read more...] about State of the (Marriage) Unions – Childlessness
Al Mohler (Years Ago) Changed His Mind on Women as Pastors
Al Mohler comments on the fact that Dr. Frank Page (SBC President) once affirmed that women should be allowed to be pastors. In Dr. Page's 1980 Ph.D. dissertation, he argued for the abolition of all distinctions in the role of men and women in the church. Mohler explains that this was the prevailing view in the SBC at that time, which led him, too, to accept this position as a seminary student in the early 1980s. Get this: Mohler actually went so far as to help lead a protest of the 1984 SBC resolution on women in ministry. So how did Mohler come to change his mind on this crucial issue, … [Read more...] about Al Mohler (Years Ago) Changed His Mind on Women as Pastors
The Feminization of the Church
Holly Pivec in the Spring 2006 issue of the Biola Connections magazine pens an outstanding article entitled The Feminization of the Church: Why Its Music, Messages and Ministries Are Driving Men Away. She cites numerous Christian leaders, like Patrick Johnstone (Operation World) and David Murrow (author of Why Men Hate Going to Church). Nancy Pearcey is another who touches on these themes in Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity. Some excerpts: "93 percent of senior pastors in America are men, according to evangelical pollster George Barna. But, the majority of … [Read more...] about The Feminization of the Church
Andreas Kostenberger – Parenting
Andreas Kostenberger pens some excellent advise on parenting. "Ultimately, we should be careful not to rely on any one human method that, no matter how biblical it may claim to be, is always one step removed from the Bible." "Parents, too, are sinners, and so must guard against putting their own interests above those of their children. Are they concerned that their children disobey in public simply because this causes them embarrassment?" Read the whole thing. … [Read more...] about Andreas Kostenberger – Parenting