right ideas about the problems, but wrong ideas about the solution (abortions)
“show mercy so that you will receive mercy” (Matthew 18:35 )
Not a bad article.
Sorry, but this comment absolutely made my blood boil. I'm raising a grandchild so I know of what I speak. This attitude SHOULD NOT be encouraged.
80% of those committed to federal prisons for dangerous crimes: murder, assault, armed robbery, rape, etc. come from the children of OOW births.
Reducing the number of such births is of crucial importance to society especially the Black community which in many cities is under a Reign of Terror from these youths.
Those who do not recognize this and just say "it's ok" are adding to the problem.
I was the child of a young unwed mother. I was lucky that my dad did take responsibility for me.
I admit I did not read this whole article, as the author's style seems quite verbose.
But this quote, supposedly from the author's daughter, jumped out at me: "Mom, if God gives me a baby before I am married, I won't worry. I know that you and Dad would take care of it so that I could stay in school."
What? Is she serious? Is God in the business of just "giving" babies to teens these days? Has this author not told her daughter how babies are created, and that the daughter's actions have EVERYTHING to do with whether she will be "given" a baby? And the daughter would certainly be an anomaly to have two parents who would assume the responsibility to care for this child. How common would that be in today's world?
I don't know any Christians who stigmatize unwed mothers or make them feel unwelcome.
had the teens been acting in a christan like manner, they wouldn't become pregnant in the first place. to blame christians for their reception of un-christian-like behavior is like blaming a fish for not liking dry land.
ping
Still, I think the central thesis of this article is accurate: we as Christians need to make sure we don't lecture at single mothers. Once the horse is out of the barn, it's kinda too late to preach at them about how they shouldn't have sex outside of marriage. At that time, it's time to help them clean up the mess as best as they can. That would mean, for instance, helping the young girl with child care and having men in the church community take an interest in that child's life since he needs positive male role models.
"Christianity Today" is a sort of "moderate" publication with articles like the one from this author who is described as a "Christian" and "feminist."
In my mind the modern feminist movement is inspired by Karl Marx and his 20th Century "descendents", Communists.
Just like John Paul II had to deal with "liberation theology" and its Marxist priests and theologians, Evangelicalism is filled with confused people who are drawing inspiration from secular leftism and mixing it with their Christian tradition.
Getting to the opening of the article, make no mistake that Margaret Sanger and her followers today in the "teen pregnancy" movement want to make sure that babies aren't born. They are obsessed with overpopulation and would prefer abortion to birth for young girls and its in that context that Christians should reach out.
A couple in Maine were arrested recently for abducting their own daughter to take her for an abortion.
As a father of two teenage daughters, I know their getting pregnant early would cause problems and make relatives feel shame. However, killing isn't the answer to the bad decision that led to the pregnancy.
The "teen pregnancy" Planned Parenthood crowd assumes that young people always have sex but if I may be blunt these nerdy liberals probably just have their hands down their pants.
That's about the extent of their sexual experience.
If they've repented, no problem...
I hear the phrase all the time. “Raising children is the most important job there is.” What I see is a society that has mastered lip service. I know that most Americans truly value this job, yet everything in our society rejects it. Have you ever been in the line at a grocery store, seen a woman with 3 kids acting like monkeys, and as she begins to pay for her food with food stamps, and you start to hear the voice of judgment?
Let me tell you about a boy I know, we will call him “Dale.” Dale’s earliest years were much like the years I am going to tell you about, but I am going to begin the story with his year as a 3rd grader. His biological father had left his mother when she became pregnant. He always paid child support, ($38/week), but never visited or called. They had no contact. His father wasn’t a terrible guy. He was a senior in high school and just too young and way too scared to be a father. Dale’s mom was a woman with a free spirit. She was loyal to a fault, and trusted people, always thinking the best of them. She was smart but naïve, hardworking but without focus.
At the start of 3rd grade, Dale’s mother had just divorced her first husband and now she was shacking up with a guy she had known for a couple of years. Only 3 weeks into the school year, they all 3 moved 450 miles away to live with this guys parents in another state. After a few months there, they moved again into a trailer in a nearby town. One day Dale took the pocket- knife his mom had gotten him for fishing to school with him. When his teacher caught him with it, the “no tolerance” rules on weapons landed him in an alternative school. Luckily the teacher in this new school recognized right away that Dale did not belong there. He was smart, polite and hard working. She did notice however, that Dale had a hard time dealing with his anger and frustration. He would hit himself or bang his head against a wall or the desk. She met with his mom and about this, and Dale made great strides. Dale was quickly back at his old school just in time to move once again.
This new trailer was worse than the first. Dale slept on a couch in his room, he had no bed. He was scared to sleep due to finding snakes in his room that had crawled in through the holes in the trailer. They had no car, no phone, and his mom was now pregnant. When summer had started, a little boy who also lived in the same trailer park invited him to Vacation Bible School. It was a great week for him. Mom was more than happy to have a Church van come pick him up and take him off her hands for a couple of hours each night. The following Saturday morning there was a knock on the door. Dale’s mother stumbled to the door kicking beer cans out of the way wondering who on earth was coming at 9:00 in the morning. When she opened the door, she saw an old man with white hair, holding a Bible, wearing a suit and a great big smile. He wanted to come in and talk.
Dale’s mother explained that they had been in bed and asked him to come back in an hour. What an hour that was. They had never cleaned so much, so quickly. The man returned in an hour and came in to talk. Mother, boyfriend, and Pastor Wilbur sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee and talking about Dale. The pastor explained that Dale had accepted Christ as his savior and wanted to be baptized, but wanted to be sure they had permission. Dale’s mom was excited. She not only gave permission, she wanted to be there.
Don’t be mistaken. Dale’s mom had grown up going to church. She had babysat for the Pastor’s kids, gone on youth trips, and even knew quite a few praise songs. She even still had the leather Bible that was given to her the week before Dale was born. She had come from a good, upper middle class family that lived in a rather affluent neighborhood. She never planned on living the way she was living now. The next morning Dale and his mother went to church together.
The pastor’s sermon was about how we try and clean up our house when company is coming over. We want to be sure our house is fit for company before we allow them in. Dale’s mom thought about her trailer, and how ashamed she was of it. Then the pastor explained that God already knew what our house looked like, and he still wanted to come home with us. Dale watched as his mother’s eyes welled up. “Bring Jesus home with me?” She had gone to church her whole childhood and had never once considered bringing God home with her. She then began to shine. Her face beamed with joy. She wasn’t ashamed to bring God home with her. She knew that He knew her heart, and He was the ONLY one she trusted to come home with her and not judge her. Her life changed that day.
The rest of the day Dale’s mom didn’t stop smiling. Her boyfriend noticed something was up and started asking questions. She would smile and say she was just happy. She was more at peace than she had ever been. He decided he wanted whatever it was she had, and started attending church with them. Dale’s mom changed instantly. The foul language she had used just disappeared. She still drank a beer from time to time, but was never drunk any more. In September she was baptized with her boyfriend, and the church gave them a wedding in November.
Dale’s little sister was born in February, and things seemed to be going very well. Soon this would change. His new stepfather just wouldn’t hold down a job and began stealing things. Finally his mother was able to work, and things started to get better. She had started up her own business cleaning offices and homes, and then his stepfather started picking up odd jobs mowing lawns and doing light maintenance work through her company. One day his mother had gotten a call from the Landlord and found out that the rent had not been paid in over 3 months. His stepfather had been keeping the money, and then even stole a check from his mother’s checkbook and forged it. None of the deposits he was supposed to be making were deposited, and the check had bounced. His mother got in the car and drove to a friends house, only to find out that her friend had gotten a call that informed her that the car they were driving had been reported stolen.
Dale’s mother was devastated. His grandparents helped them get a u-haul and he, his mother, and his sister went back home and stayed with his grandmother. A month later, Dale’s mom found out she was pregnant again. His mother never lost faith, never stopped attending church, but walked around like a zombie for quite some time. Once Dale’s new sister was born and his mother was able, she started mowing lawns and scrubbing toilets to put her self through school. She kept a 4.0 GPA the whole way through school and was named GOAL Student (Student of the Year) of her school.
Dale has become a light to many. Dale always has all A’s and B’s in school. He never argues or talks back to his mother. He helps with his sisters weather it be baths, meals, or just babysitting. Dale is 15 years old, teaches Sunday school at his church, works, and is involved in community theater. He was on the Advisory Board at his school for Homecoming and even helps with reading bedtime stories to his sisters.
It has been over 3 years since his mother had left his stepfather, and they have not seen him nor heard form him since. He pays no support and makes no effort to contact them at all.
After his mother’s schooling, finding a job where she can be an effective mother has been difficult. She is determined to a better job at being there for his sisters than she was with him. She makes hard decisions everyday, but her children ALWAYS come first now. This keeps them poor financially, but rich in a home that is joyous and Christ-centered.
I know Dale will be a Godly man despite all the challenges he had to endure. I know this well, for he is my son. He is the greatest blessing and impressive example of grace and mercy I have ever known. I failed him miserably, but God’s hand was always on him. I know my Lord loves me and wanted me to find him, but I also know that Dale’s prayers are why I did. I will forever regret the pain my children have suffered by my own poor choices, but I will never put their biggest needs ahead of my wants and pride again. My hardest battle is not judging their fathers, but I know I cannot change them. I also know we are better off without the damage they would cause. Doing it alone is hard, but at least now, with God in our lives, our hearts have a home.
So the next time you are in the grocery line, and you see me there looking tired, and trying to hold back the disapproving glares, ask yourself if you may have seen their father. Maybe he just sold you a car, or you sat next to him at a ball game. If your son arrives to his football game and only half the team has shown up, what will you say to him when he is exhausted from playing offense and defense and special teams? What will you say if he loses? I hope you will pat him on the back and tell him how proud you are of him. He could’ve gone home too. But he didn’t. He stayed in there, battered and bruised. He did his best. Many parents are doing just that. They are there, every day, every play.
There is a big difference between evangelism toward someone who is already an unwed mother and discipline toward a church member who becomes an unwed mother. A stigma is inappropriate in the former case but may be warranted in the latter.
Why Christians should welcome, rather than stigmatize, unwed mothers and their children.
Perhaps true Christians do?
I believe the government should take children from parents who cannot take care of them. When the parent(s) becomes self-sufficient, they get their child back.
The problem would quickly become more manageable because many of the parents would never come back and get the kids. Other young would-be mothers would see this and make better decisions. "If I have a baby, I must get a job and support myself before I get my baby back".
We essentially have this program now but we wait until the child is messed up BEFORE we take them. And we practically write the mother a check to pay them to screw up their child.
Working through an earned stigma and turning your life around used to be viewed as admitting blame and accepting responsibility. It took some humility to overcome, but the person was the better for it. My how things have changed.