Should Christians ‘be fruitful and multiply’?

Yes, according to Daniel Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary:

“There is a scriptural mandate for it, and you have admonitions in the psalms that speak of the blessedness of God providing many children to a husband and wife. And there’s a general tenor throughout scripture that children are a blessing and a heritage from the Lord. So, should Christians be fruitful and multiply? I say absolutely.  …”

No, according to a church committee of Australia’s Anglican Church:

“A church committee has asked the General Synod of Australia’s Anglican Church to adopt a statement calling for citizens to have fewer children, recommending that the government cut childbirth incentives to new parents and instead offer incentives for parents to have fewer children. The country is on track for overpopulation, the church warned, which could break the eighth commandment by stealing resources from future generations.”

Read how other Christian leaders have responded to the question in an article from Christianity Today:

“Be Fruitful and Multiply?”

Response: I am with Daniel Akin on this issue. I believe the world would be a better place with more Christians and not less. I believe that marriage, children, and families are still the basic building blocks of a strong society and culture. Churches need to encourage young families and support them in the midst of a culture that no longer values children as it once did.

In fact, Western civilization hangs upon this issue. In America children are still valued but in many European countries they have stopped having children for economic and selfish reasons.  It has become such a problem and issue in some parts of Europe that some are beginning to refer to it as ‘cultural suicide’.

Some question whether Western European cultures could disappear and be replaced in one generation by an immigrant Muslim culture since the birth rate is below replacement levels in a number of different countries including Italy.

Some are even beginning to wonder if the Vatican will be a Christian island in the midst of a Muslim dominated Italy in 30 years or so.

Since many Europeans have chosen to stop having kids in order to have a better lifestyle for themselves, there are concerns that the continent at the very least will be a very different place in 30 or 40 years.

This question is far more important and has very different ramifications depending on the area of the world we are talking about.

Folks in China are forced to have only one child per couple even if they would rather have more. While Christians in some parts of Africa and India might well consider limiting the number of children that they have considering overpopulation and the meager resources available in the area. While those in Europe and America not so much. In fact in Europe maybe more rather than less should be the goal.          *Top of the Blog

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I doubt that you will ever find any ‘Coexist’ bumper stickers in Pakistan. This weeks worst persecution story comes from Pakistan and features a Christian who was forced by his Muslim boss to sell one of his kidneys.

John Gill, a molding machine operator at Shah Plastic Manufacturers, borrowed money from his boss to send his daughter to college at 400% interest. You read it right! 400% interest from his employer Ghulam Mustafa who proudly observes that Gill deserves that kind of interest since he is an infidel Christian.

If that isn’t bad enough, when Gill could not pay back the loan fast enough, Mustafa took his home from him and sent five armed men who kidnapped him and took him to Ganga Ram hospital where he was forced to sell one his kidneys against his will.

Response: Muslim persecution of Christians happens every day in Pakistan but this is one of the worst examples that I have ever run across. The inhumanity of it all. It really does leave me rather speechless.              *Top

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May Day is the perfect excuse to protest the new Arizona illegal immigrant law. As usual, the protests today may be a little over the top for most Americans. Especially for those of us who remember that May 1 was a traditional day for Communist dictators to ‘celebrate’ around the world.

It should be interesting to see and hear the very different responses to the protests from around the country.            

*Top

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“We refuse to be Muslims by force” -replied two Christian Egyptian twin brothers after losing a court case which ruled that they were legally Muslims since their father converted to Islam.

According to Egyptian law, when a father coverts to Islam the children automatically become Muslim whether they want to or not. The two teenagers wanted to stay as Christians and sued the government but lost the case.  Now if they continue as Christians they will be official ‘apostates’ of Islam and subject to serious penalties under the law.

The two brothers, Mario and Andrew Lutfi, who were raised as Christians had this to say after the court ruling:

“faith is not by force, we want to remain Christians and we do not wish to become Muslims”.

The brothers hoped to be officially listed as Christians when they turn 16 and receive their adult national ID cards. If they are listed as Muslims on the cards than they will be subject to legal action if they continue worshiping as Christians.

Response: This case demonstrates the continuing persecution that Christians experience in Egypt.  Christians are treated different than Muslims under the laws in that country.  Also note that it is seriously against the law to convert to Christianity from Islam.            *Top

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It is time for Christians to remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Meanwhile Muslims are praying for a huge piece of Jerusalem and demonstrating in the streets demanding that the whole city be given to them chanting:

“Jerusalem is Arab, our eternal capital”

Here’s what I posted today on one of my other blogs:

There are many reasons why Christians should continue to remember Jerusalem in our prayers. First of all because I believe that we are commanded to pray for Jerusalem in Psalm 122:6. But beyond that we need to pray for the destiny of that land and people.

Those of us in America should be praying for Our President and his administration. VP Biden has been over to Israel recently and pretty much favored and was sympathetic to the Palestinian Muslims and their claim over the land. In fact he warned Israeli officials that their relationship with the US was in severe danger over settlements in Jerusalem.

It is my perspective that if this country does not support Israel and their right to Jerusalem then we are the ones that are ultimately in real trouble. So even for purely selfish reasons we do need to be praying. I just don’t understand why we would want to support violent dictatorial Islamic despots over the freely elected leaders of a democratic Israel. It doesn’t make sense to me on any level. Obviously we are battling against demonic powers here and spiritual blindness can be the only logical explanation. Prayer is essential for this situation.

<<Read the rest of the post>>

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Here’s an incredible quote from Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D). Not only that he actually means it—it is a day to celebrate!:

“Today is a big day in America. Only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good.”

Response: Really good unless you are one of the 36,000 and the 100,000 or so in their families.

Sort of reminds me of Marie Antoinette who said – “let them eat cake” when informed that the Parisians were out of bread. But she was just ignorant. Then there’s Harry who really should have known better.

To be fair, the daily job losses aren’t as bad as last month, but does that qualify as a ‘big day’ and ‘really good’? Hardly.               *Top

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According to Compass Direct, last month more than 100 local Lao officials in Katin village of Ta-Oyl district, Saravan Province forced 48 Christians to leave their worship service by gunpoint.

Then the officials marched them 4 miles out of town and left them there to fend for themselves.

Guards have been posted at the entrance of the village to keep the Christian families from coming back unless they renounce the Christian faith. Meanwhile, the 11 Christian homes in the village have been confiscated along with most of the possessions.

This is not the first time that Katin village officials have forced Christians to renounce their faith or leave. The Katin village leaders have declared that spirit worship is the only acceptable form of worship in their community and that other religious groups will not be tolerated.

Laos is suppose to have freedom of religion guaranteed by their constitution but local officials continue to ignore the laws of their own country even though provincial officials in the past have asked them to respect the rights of religious minorities.

Meanwhile, the government of  Laos is communist and really not sympathetic to plight of the Christians or any other religious group for that matter.

We really do need to keep these folks in our prayers.                       *Top

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