"Quiverfull:Inside The Christian Patriarchy Movement": Book Review

"Quiverfull:Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement" by Kathryn Joyce takes an up close look at an extreme pro-natalist ideology called Quiverfull. In this movement, adherents shun all birth control, even natural family planning, leaving the number of kids in God's hands. Children are to be accepted as God's gifts regardless of finances or mental and physical health. Chemical birth control is considered an abortificant though no evidence finds any truth to these claims. The practice is taken from Psals127;3 "Lo , children are heritage of the Lord. Blessed is he who hath a quiver full."

I became interested in Quiverfull after reading about the Duggars from TLC's "19 Kids and Counting." The 21 member family began doing specials in 2004 which led to a full series in 2008. Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar used birth control early in their marriage. Michelle went back on it after the oldest was born and suffered a miscarriage. Believing contraception was at fault, they shunned all birth control after searching scriptures.

Quiverfull isn't a religion. It is a philosophy injected into a faith primarily associated with Fundamentalist Christianity. The movement got a jump-start from Mary Pride's "All the Way Home: Beyond Feminism and Back to Reality" published in 1985 and "A Quiver Full" by Rick and Jan Hess published in 1989. The Quiverfull Digest subscriber base started out at a few hundred subscribers and now it is the ten thousands. A healthy Quiverfull family can have 8-12 kids but six is considered expectable. The whole idea is to build armies for the Lord. They often refer to children as arrows who will defeat 'the enemy at the gate'.

As if welcoming the gifts of children isn't enough, in most cases, they follow a strict patriarchal structure. Division of labor is according to gender. Women manage the home and children while the husband provides a living. Surviving on one income can be financially difficult especially since they refuse any government help and have several children. Most Quiverfull families run their own business and some women start their own to support their husband's income. The 'sheltering of children' is a central aspect to keep them from the enemy. This is done by home schooling, which is also women's work, and even home church. Some adapt strict dress codes meaning the women wear long hair, long skirts, and no shorts or swimsuits for anyone. (ex. The Duggars)

"Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement" expanded my knowledge and validated what I already know. It is divided into three sections: Mothers, Wives, and Daughters. She goes out of her way to present the scarier aspects of the movement through interviews and personal accounts. The first part "Wives", talks about wifely submission and male headship. Entire chapters are devoted to the No Greater Joy ministry ran by Michael and Debi Pearl and Titus 2 groups ran by Nancy Campbell. Michael and Debi Pearl have come under fire for their strict discipline methods and they actively promote wifely submission in all areas including intimacy. Nancy Campbell is the author of "Be Fruitful and Multiply" and 'Above Rubies' magazine. An interview with Nancy Campbell says much about the mindset of this movement as she says of women "independence and doing your own thing sounds wonderful but it doesn't work in the long run.".

The next part, "Mothers", tells how the Quiverfull sees them as living sacrifices. Mary Pride writes, "They are domestic warriors in the damage brought on by a century of women's rights, careers and divorce. " They produce arrows for the culture war against non-believers sacrificing their own pleasures. It isn't just about winning culture wars but racial wars as well. They feel Muslims are out breeding Christians and European birth rates are declining as outlined in the chapter "Demographic Winter".

I find the most interesting part of "Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement" is the section devoted to daughters. Called "Victory Through Daughters". Vision Forum, founded by Doug Philips, actively promotes stay-at-home-daughter-hood. They believe women are more empted by the secular world and should remain with her family until marriage. Daughters forgo college, dating, and careers while waiting on a young man to court them. This man must be approved by her father.

Joyce does an excellent job exposing the movement for what it is. She refrains from judgment and opinion adding an occasional humor. Some think she is lumping al homeschoolers together but I don't think that is her intention. She isn't saying large families are wrong but when you put Quiverfull behind them, the results maybe different than imagined. Anyone interested in Quiverfull should read this book.