This from a punishing article by Mark Steyn:
The developed world, like Elisabeth, is barren. Collectively barren, I hasten to add. Individually, it’s made up of millions of fertile women, who voluntarily opt for no children at all or one designer kid at 39. In Italy, the home of the Church, the birthrate’s somewhere around 1.2, 1.3 children per couple — or about half “replacement rate.” Japan, Germany, and Russia are already in net population decline. Fifty percent of Japanese women born in the Seventies are childless. Between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of Spanish women childless at the age of 30 almost doubled, from just over 30 percent to just shy of 60 percent. In Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, 20 percent of 40-year-old women are childless. In a recent poll, invited to state the “ideal” number of children, 16.6 percent of Germans answered “None.”
There’s much to say about this frightening trend; one contributor surely has to be selfishness, plain and simple.
We are tempted by the contemporary zeitgeist to spend outlandish amounts of time and energy on, well, ourselves. Everyone today is the executive producer of their own life, curating their existence one creature comfort, one European trip, one artisanal meal, one trip to a far-away sporting event, one Starbucks visit, one iPad, one concert, one J. Crew outfit, one pair of hipster glasses at a time.
Does anyone else sense this? We’ve traded the lasting, though personally costly, pleasures of children and family for the temporal, and personally indulgent, pleasures of lifestyle enrichment. Travel, good food and drink, and entertainment are in; children, sacrifice, and building something lasting are out.
This is true of the West writ large, it’s true of many young Americans, and it’s influencing the church. We’re reminded that we are called to something greater by God, to build grand and exciting and world-defying institutions like the Christ-driven family and the local church.
Enjoy your mocha and your music collection, but push away from selfishness and self-focus to do something great and, through the Spirit’s power, transcend this silly little world with its silly little pleasures.
I find your point interesting, however, you give statistics on Europeans then sweepingly assert that Americans face the same problem without any stats or solid facts at all. It’s not that you are wrong, but back up that opining!
“This is true of the West writ large, it’s true of many young Americans, and it’s influencing the church.” Steyn didn’t quote material about America, but it’s a problem that I theorize applies to this country. I was working on an anecdotal level for America and certainly saw this material applying here.
So there you go.
It is here. We have just been so desensitized bc the 2 kids has become the norm in America and in our churches. We call ourselves “surrendered” to Jesus, but refuse to surrender control of one biggest areas in our lives. It’s an indictment on the church…who we are listening to…the world, or God’s word? Thanks for the post.
Good word, Kyndra. It is a crucial area of surrender. Of course, I’m not calling people to a certain number of children and suggesting that hitting that targets equals fidelity to God’s Word. Some Christians will have big families, others smaller. But the key, I think, is to see children as a blessing and gift from God, not a hindrance (Psalm 127). You can have that perspective with eight kids or two kids.
Good Post!!!
Observations of an American: I’m the oldest of 4 sibs, all born in the 40s. Ours was an average family. In fact is was perceived as unusual for a couple to have only one child (an only child was pitied) and even two was considered a very small family. Yes, that is anecdotal, but I think an accurate observation, and is well illustrated by the baby boom phenomenon. There were children everywhere, and children were much desired. Equally anecdotal is my observation that American society in general (aside from a minority, mostly Evangelicals, who are conscious of bucking the tide) seems to regard three children as shamefully too many and the only child as pretty much normal. I don’t have them to hand, but I have seen statistical studies that seem to indicate that, if one discounts immigrants, the existing American population may be reproducing at slightly below replacement level, not so drastically as Europe, but not out of accord with those trends either.
What I seem to observe in American culture is a strong move toward more sex in all possible combinations and techniques, but toward fewer children, even one being often regarded as an unnecessary nuisance. Note the pervasive advertising on television, often back-to-back for Viagra and for contraceptives. The stress on contraceptives (and I’ll boldly include the ‘rhythm method’ here) as enabling sex and preventing children, the increasing toleration of non-coital practices, the ‘gay’ agenda, and the availability of abortion have produced a society radically different from the one I grew up in.
Interesting article.
The conservative evangelical church in many ways has an almost opposite idolatry: fill your quiver to serve yourself.
As a consequence, many Christian women will take morally hazardous routes in the quest to have children – and now something like 100,000 children conceived in vitro are frozen as embryos, perhaps never to hear the gospel (which begs a question you bring up in your most recent post…).
This a great word, Owen! Thanks!
The West loves themselves they enjoy their perverted lives Romans 1 talks about how God will turn you over to what you are passionate for, if it is yourself that you love…then go for it, we’ll see how long you’ll survive without his hand of protection. Can i get an AMEN?
Owen I love this piece. Nailed it.