question 9 :: birth control
so i'm not married and i am blogging about birth control. great! sure it's a little weird but it's the first chapter of the book. a fairly long one too. but i feel it's my duty as a selected blogger to review the book.
what’s the misconception about birth control? what does God’s word have to say about it? uhhh... well for one, there is no point in the Bible where we find the words, contraception, birth control, or family planning. which means as sinful humans we’re confused and need to really search the the answers in the bible.
the book then gives a very brief but maybe to detailed history of birth control and then driscoll explains the five different levels to how to view birth control. i will briefly explain the five levels..... you’ll have to get the book to read it
level 1: no birth control
you ever see those families on a Sunday morning that need a 15 passenger van to get everyone to church? yeah.. they may or may not believe that they don’t need to use birth control and God will provide them with however many children He wants them to have. there is nothing wrong with this approach if a couple decides this. however, some Christians have gone over the top by saying that all forms or birth control are from the devil.
level 2 : natural birth control
it’s exactly what it sounds like. i could explain but i’d rather not. this is the Roman Catholic approach to birth control. Christians have the freedom to choose this method if they desire.
level 3 : non-abortive birth control
this is another bible approved form of birth control. these include the barrier methods as well as the permanent methods. if you’re unsure of what i’m talking about, you’re either not old enough or you didn’t take health class back in high school... wikipedia would be a good idea for you until you can buy the book.
level 4 : potentially abortive birth control
everyone knows what “the pill” is. it’s the most widely prescribed drug in the world..... whoa. it tricks the woman’s brain into believing she’s pregnant. i had no idea that there was such a debate about the pill. Christians are divided on whether it’s potentially abortive. this is all new information for me and maybe for you too. as Christians, we need to read up on this stuff and make sure we are honoring Jesus.
level 5 : abortive murder
what is abortive murder? abortion is taking a human life by killing a fertilized egg. we all start out the same, whether we’re in the womb or outside, we are human. sadly, some people (even Christians!) use abortion for birth control because of an unwanted pregnancy. they can’t bear the shame and guilt of it. but what about someone who is raped? hear what Pastor Mark has to say here.
“thankfully, Jesus can forgive any sin, even the sin of murder, as he did while hanging on the cross and asking God the Father to forgive those who murdered him.
again, i come back to the real point of this book. it’s not about religion. a set of rules or guidelines. it’s not about mark driscoll and his book. it all boils down to Jesus. whether you want to live a life pleasing to him.
