A while back somebody questioned how I could be a Wesleyan and still be so adamant about birth control since the Wesleys had all those kids.
Yes, my wish for the world would be that women would become pregnant only when they want to - and then - only after they'd been encouraged to think about the consequences and responsibilities they will face for the rest of their lives.
Susanna and Samuel Wesley had 19 children. One of them, John, was the impetus for the formation of the Methodist Church. But, beyond that, the entire western world is a better place because of John Wesley. His brother, Charles, primarily a hymn writer, had a big part as well.
This morning in church Dave pointed out that the hymn we were singing was written by Samuel Wesley. I don't know if that was the dad or another one of the sons. Dave notices these things because his grandfather was a hymn writer.
Anyway, there is a concept among some folks that several of our greatest leaders throughout history would never have been born if their parents had used birth control.
Case in point: Susanna and Samuel Wesley. They had:
1. Samuel
2. Susanna
3. Emilia
4. Annesley
5. Jedediah
6. Susanna
7. Mary
8. Mehetabel
9. Unnamed
10. John
11. Benjamin
12. & 13. Unnamed Twins
14. Anne
15. John
16. Unnamed
17. Martha
18. Charles
19. Kezziah
John and Charles were # 15 and #18 so the argument would be that if Suzanne and Samuel had stopped at, say, an even dozen, these great men would never have been born.
I'm not buyin' it.
First, only eight of these Wesley kids lived to age 50. Six died as babies. Most scholars believe that Suzanna was an exceptional human being. Just think what she could have accomplished if she hadn't been pregnant for 20 years.
Yes, I'm grateful for John and Charles Wesley. But I'm still strong on birth control.
***
Yes, my wish for the world would be that women would become pregnant only when they want to - and then - only after they'd been encouraged to think about the consequences and responsibilities they will face for the rest of their lives.
Susanna and Samuel Wesley had 19 children. One of them, John, was the impetus for the formation of the Methodist Church. But, beyond that, the entire western world is a better place because of John Wesley. His brother, Charles, primarily a hymn writer, had a big part as well.
This morning in church Dave pointed out that the hymn we were singing was written by Samuel Wesley. I don't know if that was the dad or another one of the sons. Dave notices these things because his grandfather was a hymn writer.
Anyway, there is a concept among some folks that several of our greatest leaders throughout history would never have been born if their parents had used birth control.
Case in point: Susanna and Samuel Wesley. They had:
1. Samuel
2. Susanna
3. Emilia
4. Annesley
5. Jedediah
6. Susanna
7. Mary
8. Mehetabel
9. Unnamed
10. John
11. Benjamin
12. & 13. Unnamed Twins
14. Anne
15. John
16. Unnamed
17. Martha
18. Charles
19. Kezziah
John and Charles were # 15 and #18 so the argument would be that if Suzanne and Samuel had stopped at, say, an even dozen, these great men would never have been born.
I'm not buyin' it.
First, only eight of these Wesley kids lived to age 50. Six died as babies. Most scholars believe that Suzanna was an exceptional human being. Just think what she could have accomplished if she hadn't been pregnant for 20 years.
Yes, I'm grateful for John and Charles Wesley. But I'm still strong on birth control.
***
