John P McKeown

Examines the evidence behind the authors' claim that the current decline in birth rates will accelerate faster than the UN expects because of urbanization, and consequently cause world population to peak far lower and sooner than the UN forecasts.

"Some U.S. Protestants advocate high fertility. Patricia Goodson's survey indicated that a significant minority within Evangelicalism believe the Bible prescribes large family size. Academic (and media) attention has focused only on extreme variaties which exhort early marriage and unlimited fertility. However, “large but limited” pronatalism commending 3-6 offspring is widespread: for example Southern Baptists, the largest U.S. denomination, in 2009 urged their members to greater fecundity.

My research is based on analysis of seventeen U.S. natalist printed sources. It identifies ten arguments. The extrinsic reasons given for high fertility are to aggrandize the sect, strengthen America, and stimulate the economy. Intrinsic reasons include divine command and sovereignty, penitential discipline, and natural law. Unlimited and limited natalists use similar arguments but differ on the question of planning.

Natalists are criticised by environmentalists, on the grounds that U.S. national footprint has overshot its biocapacity, and the USA has more births than deaths, for example 4.25 million births and 2.47 million deaths in 2008. Protestant natalism is significant demographically because in the USA culture (alongside socioeconomic factors) influences differences in fertility, and religiosity is an independent variable (Lehrer; McQuillan; Hayford and Morgan). Experiments by Richard Hornok with natalist preaching suggest it produces a "significant attitudinal shift" toward a perceived religious obligation to increase reproduction. This paper concludes that given its location in the USA, which has a high per capita footprint, natalism is unsustainable.

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/socialPolicy/BSPS/annualConference/2012/Poster-abstracts.aspx"

Human impact on earth is too high: this calls for a reform of religious cultures that promote a large ideal family size. Many observers assume that Christianity is inevitably part of this problem because it promotes "family values" and statistically, in America and elsewhere, has a higher birthrate than nonreligious people. This book explores diverse ideas about human reproduction in the church past and present. It investigates an extreme fringe of U.S. Protestantism, including the Quiverfull movement, that use Old Testament "fruitful" verses to support natalist ideas explicitly promoting higher fecundity. It also challenges the claim by some natalists that Martin Luther in the 16th century advocated similar ideas. This book argues that natalism is inappropriate as a Christian application of Scripture, especially since rich populations’ total footprints are detrimental to biodiversity and to human welfare. It explores the ancient cultural context of the Bible verses quoted by natalists. Challenging the assumption that religion normally promotes fecundity, the book finds surprising exceptions among early Christians (with a special focus on Saint Augustine) since they advocated spiritual fecundity in preference to biological fecundity. Finally the book uses a hermeneutic lens derived from Genesis 1, and prioritising the modern problem of biodiversity, to provide ecological interpretations of the Bible's "fruitful" verses.
Contents:
Foreword by David Clough
1. Natalism: A Popular Use of the Bible
2. Protestant Natalism in the U.S.
3. Martin Luther: Forerunner of Natalism?
4. The Old Testament Context
5. Augustine on Fruitfulness
6. An Ecological Critique of Natalism
7. Conclusion

Christian concern for environmental issues emerged in the 1950s and is often described as 'stewardship' or 'creation-care'. Stimulated by the Brundtland Report and thinking pioneered outside the church, UK denominations have produced environmental statements, but among local Christian leaders and congregations the integration of earth-care into mission, theology, biblical exegesis, liturgy and worship is patchy at best. The need for a reformed Christian teaching at all levels is clear. The module aims to suggest that stewardship is not a hobby for a few enthusiasts but integral to the mission of the church, arising from core doctrines and the Bible. This case study describes an activity in which theology students engage in online discussion of journal articles and other sources. The context is a Level 1 module in the Open Theological College (OTC) programme. This offers a BA (Hons) award and also staged awards at DipHE and CertHE, through distance-learning. Students ...