Considering a biblical view of infertility and reproduction; Helping young adults wrestle with key questions

Good News for Today

The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is asking believers to think about their opinion on in vitro fertilization to make sure it aligns with their theological convictions. They write, “While many claim that IVF is simply a treatment for infertility, there are a range of ethical considerations with the process. Many individuals feel and even have been told by doctors that IVF is their only hope for biological children, and thus, these conversations must be conducted, and policy crafted, with the utmost care and wisdom.”

Some of their concerns include, “At a very basic level, the way IVF is routinely conducted now, which includes over fertilization of eggs without a clear plan for implantation, freezing of leftover embryos, and even the destruction of these human embryos once a couple has succeeded in getting pregnant or no longer desires to keep them, is extremely problematic. It is within the jurisdiction of the state to promote the good of families and restrain the evil of treating these human beings as disposable or simply a means to an end.”

God design and desire for procreation should be considered, says the ERLC. “Christians should also weigh whether the practice itself violates certain theological principles. Namely, the question of severing procreation from the sexual union, and the anthropological question of “making” children as commodities rather than “begetting” them as gifts from God.

Christians must take seriously the teleological and biological orientation of sexuality and reproduction.”

The group has compassion for those who are struggling to bear a child. “We also recognize that IVF may meet a very real need in the life of couples. The desire for children is a moral good and Godly desire. As rates of infertility rise and couples find pregnancy difficult, it is natural to seek medical help so as to restore, where possible, the capacity for children.”

Read the full piece on the important issue at BaptistPress.com.

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In the Baptist Press Toolbox, Daniel Bouchoc writes, “So, if pastors or volunteers or parents want to effectively engage and disciple young adults, they must equip themselves in knowing, presenting, and defending “what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1, Cf. Titus 1:9; 1 Timothy 1:10). And we will become so by not only going deep in our Bibles, but going wide in our familiarity with solid Christian theology and growing in our ability to wield it for the good of those young people we long to reach and disciple.

So, as one step toward this, what should one be reading/doing to prepare for ministering to college agers?

Young adults don’t need new answers. They need age-old answers applied to contemporary phrasing of age-old questions. And thankfully for us, the Christian tradition is in no small part the history of answering the most foundational questions humans have ever wondered about.”