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Post by Vyckie D. Garrison on Feb 2, 2010 8:19:22 GMT -5
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Post by krwordgazer on Feb 2, 2010 15:10:41 GMT -5
I love this. I remember in the cult I was in, Mary Pride's book started to circulate-- but our church leader nipped that in the bud. He said God might have reasons for wanting people to curtail the size of their family, such as missions.
There were bad authority issues there, but he did believe women could be called to more than motherhood. I am thankful to him for this at least.
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Post by susan on Feb 2, 2010 18:03:45 GMT -5
I just became a fan of THP on Facebook! I wonder if fundamentalist pastors will be willing to accept instruction from NLQ members? Just wondering, because it seems like the families in this movement would be most drawn to fundamentalist churches -- and in my experience, fundamentalist pastors seem to be the least open to learning from secular sources -- or even from sources outside their particular sect or denomination. A few years back, my eyes were opened to how prevalent domestic abuse is in fundamentalist congregations, and how poorly most pastors and Christian counselors respond to it -- treating the husband's violent behavior as a "couples problem" that they both need to work on "together" -- which of course usually results in the enabler-wife assuming full responsibility.
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Post by krwordgazer on Feb 2, 2010 20:13:39 GMT -5
Susan, I think you're right about certain fundamentalist pastors. But here's the thing-- some of these hardcore fundamentalist pastors may listen to other pastors who are also fundamentalist but not so hard-core. And they may listen to evangelical pastors who don't identify as fundamentalist. So even if it's only the non-fundamentalist evangelical pastor who is actually open to hearing what THP has to say, if it makes sense to him, he may share it with his pastor friends. I know there are some churches whose pastors won't have anything to do with pastors who don't believe exactly as they do-- but I think there are more who, within a certain range of beliefs at least, socialize and pray with other pastors. THP may have an impact in this manner, that it couldn't have without this pastoral networking.
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becky
New Member
Posts: 28
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Post by becky on Feb 2, 2010 21:48:45 GMT -5
I think it will be beneficial, too, for pastors who aren't fundamentalist, or even evangelical, who wind up with congregants reeling from a toxic experience, or want to interface in a more ecumenical way. For instance, a couple people on the NLQ boards are attending liberal Episcopalian or Presbyterian churches, and the types of issues you have coming out of QF are not the typical ones faced in those denominations. It's unfortunately easy to be prejudiced against groups as adversarial as a lot of the QF subgroups are, but knowing the spiritual abuse that drives so much of the rhetoric can help pastors "reach across the aisle" while taking it less personally and maybe help more people transition out healthily.
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Post by Vyckie D. Garrison on Feb 2, 2010 22:49:49 GMT -5
What I'm thinking of here is providing a simple checklist which pastors can use to discern the possibility that their members might be adopting the Quiverfull philosophy and lifestyle ~ "warning signs" if you will ~ along with information on what this could mean for their congregation and suggestions for how to counsel a family whom they suspect may be picking up the QF teachings. Since the QF ideals are mainly introduced and spread through home school resources ~ conventions, supply catalogs, etc. ~ and since home schoolers can be found in nearly all denominations these days ~ it is not uncommon to find QF families in a variety of church settings. Often, a couple will encounter QF teachings through their home school contacts, and over time, begin to adopt more and more of the Quiverfull distinctives. It takes time ~ and during that process, these families usually remain in their church fellowships. Eventually, they become more critical of their church's doctrine and practice. They will quit using the church nursery and keep their children with them instead of sending them to Sunday School, they won't allow their teens to participate in youth activities. Eventually, these QF families become so opinionated, dogmatic and unteachable that they can no longer continue fellowshipping in good conscience ~ so they find a home church or start their own. What this means for pastors is ~ trouble with a capital T. QF families have been known to cause much contention and even church splits. So they have a strong motivation to be on the look out for any signs that their members are going this route and do what they can to head them off at the pass. I look at this sort of education for pastors as a proactive step to prevent families from taking the Quiverfull trip in the first place. A rather good idea ~ if I do say so myself.
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Post by bravejourney on Feb 21, 2010 12:35:58 GMT -5
Often, a couple will encounter QF teachings through their home school contacts, and over time, begin to adopt more and more of the Quiverfull distinctives. They will quit using the church nursery and keep their children with them instead of sending them to Sunday School, they won't allow their teens to participate in youth activities.
I agree with this statement. I saw it in my own homeschool group, and we attended 8 different denominations. It spread, just like a recipe exchange.
Interestingly, during the time I was homeschooling, the Duggars attended the IBF my inlaws attended. they were in process of "pulling out", as they always sat together during the sunday school, instead of sending their kids to the SS classes.
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Post by bravejourney on Feb 21, 2010 12:39:46 GMT -5
Susan, my ex would not ever have listened. However, there are those in that fellowship that would be open to resources and reading more information. I think a link or checklist is a grand idea.
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