I'm thinking of adding a subtitle to the blog . . . "Spirit Farmer: Morally rebellious since 1996." And lest I get lonely in my moral rebellion, at least I know I've got a life partner to join me. That's right Michelle, you too are living in sin . . . with your husband.

More proof that I'm not a good Southern Baptist:

The church must help this society regain its sanity on the gift of children. Willful barrenness and chosen childlessness must be named as moral rebellion.

This is from an article by the president of one of my denomination's seminaries, who is also a blogger.

In the category of not having anything nice to say, and therefore not saying anything at all, I'll refrain.

O.k., no I won't. That quote - which, by the way, is very representative of the full article from which it was lifted - is an example of the modern Pharisaism that boils my blood. Maybe I'm just feeling the conviction of moral rebellion, but childlessness is now on the list of societal evils? Look, Michelle and I have been married (need I state that we are a male and female, and both committed to our monogomous heterosexuality and staying married as long as we both shall live?) for nearly nine years now, and the issue of whether or not to have children has always been there for us. We do not hate children. We just haven't had any for ourselves. We do not reject scriptural references that call children a blessing. We just haven't had any. In my premarital counseling I do not encourage couples to not have children. I just don't have children myself.

And for the record, my availability to doing Christian vocational ministry has been directly related to not having children. Michelle and I have always been of the opinion that if children enter our life, it would be a very high priority to have her be a full time mom. Michelle has almost always outearned me - partly because I've taken ministry positions at pretty low wages (especially considering my education, etc.). We would survive on my paycheck alone . . . but just barely.

My availability to minister - especially to other people's children - is due in large part to the fact that I don't have children. I haven't had to neglect my own children to stay out late at night at meetings, youth group lock-ins, 70 hour work weeks, etc. And now that I mention it, I know plenty of full time pastors who are apparently more morally sound than I (based on the number of children they have), and who have completely ripped their own children off for the sake of their ministries. I kind of always assumed that having children was only one part of the equation, and that actually spending time with them as parents was also important.

I'm way out of time to be writing this, but seeing this article got under my skin in a big way. I haven't even gotten to the list of supposedly godly people in the Bible who did not have children. Maybe I'll work on that for later. For now, I have to go to work (ministry stuff) and attempt to earn back God's favor.