A Christian Perspective on Family Planning 2
and time, to give good care. This may mean that a couple limits the number of children they have
in order to best provide for each child’s emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.
Of course, God is the ultimate Master; He can choose to bring a life into the world
anytime He chooses, even if it defies human wisdom. It appears, however, that God has granted
parents the responsibility for family planning. He has commanded His people, particularly in the
books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, to make wise decisions, and this extends to building a family
(Campbell, 1960). So we must decide what responsible family decision-making looks like.
The issue of birth control is controversial, inasmuch as hormonal methods might seem to
deviate from the created plan as described in Scripture. The Catholic Church only condones
natural family planning (NFP). Church father St. Augustine believed that sexuality is a sin and is
only permitted for procreation (Campbell, 1960). However, we see in Scripture that there are
more God-given purposes for sexual intimacy within a married couple than just procreation.
Song of Solomon demonstrates this principle, as there are countless references to the unitive
aspect of sex, with arguably little or no mention of the procreative aspect. For example, 4:9-11
says, “You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one
glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How beautiful is your love, my sister, my
bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any
spice! Your lips drip nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; the fragrance of
your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.” This is one example of the goodness and joy of
sexual intimacy between a man and his wife on its own merits. Such intimacy stands on its own
in marriage, and is not merely for producing children.
Just as childbearing is not the only purpose for sex, having children is not the defining
feature of a marriage. God commands his people to “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28),