Protestants show interest in ‘wisdom’ of Natural Family Planning

14-08-2008

Austin, Aug 13, 2008 / 09:15 pm (CNA).-
Citing a desire to let their faith in God guide their sex lives and to
trust Him in every aspect of their existence, some Protestants have
become practitioners of Natural Family Planning (NFP). Eschewing
contraceptives, some are now joining Catholics in fertility classes and
returning to traditional Christian teaching.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that the number of NFP
practitioners who are Protestants is difficult to quantify. However,
Rev. Amy Laura Hall, a Methodist minister and associate professor at
Duke Divinity School, says there appears to be growing interest.

She said that, as a Protestant scholar writing about reproductive
issues, she frequently fields questions about family planning. Hall
explained that some ask how to avoid preoccupation with finances and
social advancement and instead welcome children as gifts from God even
if children disrupt the parents' life plans.

Historically, some Protestant perspectives grew from an antipathy
towards Catholic and fundamentalist families, she claimed. The Anglican
Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the U.S., in 1930
changed its teachings which formerly forbade contraception, while
Methodist literature after World War II advocated limiting the number
of children to an ideally two-child, sex-balanced family.

This history has not prevented all Protestants from considering using NFP.

Phaedra Taylor, 28, told the Austin American-Statesman that she
ruled out taking birth control pills after reading claims that the pill
can cause abortions by rendering the womb hostile to a newly conceived
human life.

"I just wasn't willing to risk it," she said, explaining she wanted
her faith to guide her sexual and reproductive decisions after her
marriage, before which she had been abstinent. She added that her
avoidance of artificial contraception is consistent with her efforts to
eat seasonal, locally grown foods and to be a good steward for the
Earth.

Her husband David Taylor, 36, who was arts minister at their
nondenominational church Hope Chapel, said family planning reveals "a
fascinating examination of God's sovereignty and human free will."

"What does it mean to submit your physical bodies to God's sovereign
care? ... God has given us power and freedom to exercise that decision.
We can say, 'God, we're going to respect the rhythms you have given
us.'"

Both spouses said the NFP method draws them closer, stating they want to wait a few months before trying to conceive.

Megan Tietz, a 31-year-old Oklahoman Baptist and a mother of two,
told the Austin American-Statesman "...for me, using hormonal birth
control indicates that I don't really trust God with every area of my
life."

"It is an effort on my part to control something that I really believe God can be trusted with," she continued.

However, some Protestants have backed away from their previous
support for NFP. Sam and Bethany Torode, authors of "Open Embrace: A
Protestant Couple Rethinks Contraception," said the five years passed
since writing their book have "shown that we had a lot to learn about
NFP, and that there is a dark side we weren't aware of."

Others see NFP as beneficial.

Katie Fox, 31, is a member of Hope Chapel along with the Taylors. 
"I feel like it really works in harmony with the way that God designed
our bodies to work," she commented. "In contrast with the pill, which
works by altering and suppressing our natural systems, NFP works by
supporting those systems in harmony with their functions. It goes with
the flow, so to speak. There is a wisdom and a rightness to that which
I really appreciate."

Fox has a 1-year-old daughter, explaining that NFP worked until she
and her husband "got lazy" one month and had marital relations during
her fertile period. She said the pregnancy helped remind them that God
was ultimately in charge.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, experts say that, when
used to avoid a pregnancy, NFP can fail at rates as low as one percent,
though that rate rises to 25 percent when the method is not followed
perfectly.

Hall said that some Protestant couples face difficulties when
talking to their pastors about the spiritual issues of human
reproduction with some, in Hall's words, being told that they're "crazy
or irresponsible to consider not being on the pill."

David Taylor agreed that pastors have difficulty addressing the
issue, saying "My guess is that most churches are not talking about
sexuality."