Outer Rim Territories

Lutherans and Contraceptions

This will prove to be an interesting discussion and certainly one which could ruffle a few feathers. I will try to avoid confusion but in my typical fashion I will undoubtedly leave out important inferences. I give you a couple of blog postings to get things started. A new blog from Pr. Rufner: Lutherans & Contraception And from Touchstone magazine (Catholic):

It's about opening ourselves to the risk and mess and uncertainty that accompany any God-sent guest we allow into our lives. The least we can do is leave our doors unlocked. Like Rahab did for the spies. Like Mary did for Jesus.

An Evangelical Rethinks the Pill Anne (wife) reminded me that on of our Natural Family Planning (NFP) brochures from Welcome to the Couple to Couple League (A Roman Catholic organization) uses a Martin Luther quote in their book. Birth Control & Christian Discipleship by John Kippley According to their site: "Details the Protestant rejection of contraception after 1930, the connection between contraception and abortion, the whole issue in the light of Christian discipleship, and much more." The quote from Luther's lectures on Genesis is pretty strong so beware:

38:9. But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. 10. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and He slew him also. Onan must have been a malicious and incorrigible scoundrel. This is a most disgraceful sin. It is far more atrocious than incest and adultery. We call it unchastity, yes, a Sodomitic sin. For Onan goes in to her; that is, he lies with her and copulates, and when it comes to the point of insemination, spills the semen, lest the woman conceive. Surely at such a time the order of nature established by God in procreation should be followed. Accordingly, it was a most disgraceful crime to produce semen and excite the woman, and to frustrate her at that very moment. He was inflamed with the basest spite and hatred. Therefore he did not allow himself to be compelled to bear that intolerable slavery. Consequently, he deserved to be killed by God. He committed an evil deed. Therefore God punished him. And this is what I meant when I said that the probity of those who kept this law was outstanding. For it is a great burden to serve another by raising up and preserving descendants and heirs, to beget children for others, to rear and nourish them, and to leave them a patrimony—and all this in the name of a dead brother. The world Knows nothing at all of such love. It is a great annoyance to be only a guardian and tutor of wards, which customarily takes place nowadays according to Roman law. How many complaints and what perfidy are found there throughout the whole world! For it is a difficult task and a mark of outstanding love to be faithful and diligent in protecting the goods of others. Accordingly, this law includes the most ardent love. That worthless fellow refused to exercise it. He preferred polluting himself with a most disgraceful sin to raising up offspring for his brother. But Judah also sins. Therefore a horrible punishment will soon follow.

Luther, Martin. Vol. 7, Luther's Works, Vol. 7 : Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 38-44. Edited by Pelikan, Jaroslav Jan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann. Luther's Works. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999, c1965.

Two issues are fundamentally at hand. 1-Is birth control "spilling the seed"? Has marital relations been given by God for pleasure only and not first for procreation? 2-What are the primary roles given for man and woman in marriage? Companionship or Mother and Father? When I say roles do we understand Biblical gender roles as vocation or merely choice? In the end, we today far too easily believe we should be in control. Surely God has given us the ability to choose when, how, and how many children to birth. If this is so, he is not active part in the creation of the World but rather only animated the world in Genesis and sits back and watches as our choices are made. Rather the life of the christian is one of obedience, accepting his gifts whether his Word, Sacraments, but also the gifts of vocation as mother and father when they are given. How many examples of God as the Father exist in the Old Testament? Without the Son there is no Father. Without the Son there is no salvation. The point is God our Father is not referred to as such until his Son is begotten. Husbands and Wives have been given the sexual act for the purpose of procreation. This is not exclusive. Pleasure and joining with each other are certainly appropriate. Pr. Peterson hits on this topic (and more) on his blog: Pious Words The question remains, is it a necessary result of the marriage bed? Do we have control of this result or is it rather in God's control? Through God, children were born who could not. I recall Abram and Sarai. God promised to Abram his descendants would number as the stars. His wife, Sarai being barren took matters in her own hands and offered her maid to her husband. Obviously, that didn't work out so well and soured Sarai and her maid's relationship. This was not the end. God wished for Abram to have a son by Sarai but in the end, they gave themselves to the Lord's will. Another tale of God being in control of conception is the birth of Jesus. Remember how when Mary tells Joseph of her conception he reckons to divorce her. He has connected conception with the marriage bed. Yet God's will is for Mary to conceive a child. yes, this is singular event but both examples show that God can control the woman's womb. Ultimately contraception suggests to my wife and I a desire to take control of our bodies, be in charge, presuppose God's will and ultimately subvert his creation. That opinion may be too strong for some of you. I respect that some do not see this issue in the same way. I personally see the Biblical narrative evidence and heed God's command in Genesis 1:28 to his creation and later to Noah and Jacob "Be fruitful and multiply." This still leaves questions unanswered. I am curious about the historical context of the protestant split from the Roman church in the 1930's. What was the motivation? Theological? I hope to discuss continue this issue at a later time. p.s. Our little joke is that we're making more Lutherans. An interesting note are those couples who are barren. Should they seek alternate conception means? Are these gifts to be used? Or should they respect this barrenness as God's Will? What about all the frozen embryos in the lab (so-called snowflake babies)? Adoption seems to be a great answer both in regards to mercy and compassion but also preserving life that may be otherwise neglected or aborted.