Secular education, despite its claim to neutrality, promotes outlooks and opin­ions on all sorts of subjects. Recently our eldest came home from school hap­pening to mention a discussion in the biology class of that day about popula­tion control. For what we as parents could gather from the discussion the teacher had stated that wars and disas­ters played an important role in history, in curtailing an exponential population growth and thereby preventing an eventual population disaster. For with the development in (medical) science and technology, the world was heading for an unprecedented population explo­sion, thereby placing unsustainable pressure on the finite resources of this earth. This argument seemed quite rea­sonable, also to our son, oldest in a fam­ily of eight children.

Obviously a discussion followed, for the im­plications of this reasoning, take one quite beyond just a view on wars and disasters in history. If the world is heading for a popula­tion disaster, then what about our large families, which defy all attempts by world population experts to achieve zero population growth?

'Your teacher can't be too impressed with us then,' I said.
'Why's that?'
'Well, with eight children in our family we must be undoing all the good effect of wars and disasters. If the world is heading for disaster, then we and lots of other families in the church are plunging mankind head­long on the road to this catastrophe.'

From here we looked at Genesis 1:28 where the Lord said to Adam and Eve: "be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth..." This formed the basis of our discussion on the difference in outlook between Christians and the world.

It was with considerable surprise then that I read, just a little later, an article by Rev Dr B Ward Powers in New Life 20 October 1994. Rev Dr Ward Powers refers to a report pub­lished earlier in New Life about current rates of world population increase and the effect of this on the world's ability to feed this popu­lation.

The Lord has committed to mankind the responsibility for the Earth (Psalm 115:16). If the Lord does not return earlier, then hu­man population will soon so far outstrip the availability of food (as your published report mentions) that famine will be per­manent and nearly universal. The Lord told us that famines would be a feature of this present age (Matthew 24:6-8), and this chapter may well be interpreted as implying that such famines (and other devastations) will become more wide­spread and more severe as this age moves forward. What we begin to see now is that we humans are bringing these famines upon ourselves through the way we are increasing our population beyond what the earth can support. In just 36 years time, your report informs us, the annual grain supply will amount to only one quar­ter of what the average American (or Aus­tralian) now consumes.

We should find this information very so­bering. And what will be the situation at that time in Third World countries which cannot feed themselves adequately even now?

Why is the world's population increasing at such a rate? The answer is simple: dur­ing the past century, through improved hygiene and advances in medical science, the world's birth rate has dropped slightly while the death rate has been dramatically reduced: far fewer infants die young and everyone's life expectancy has greatly in­creased. More children are born and sur­vive than simply replace the numbers of people who die, and so the world contains more and more people. The finite resources of the earth have more and more people to share them, and the result is that the share for each of us is being constantly reduced. And this stark fact remains true even if we could do something to alleviate the unequal way in which those resources are now being shared around.

In submission to the authority of Scripture as our sole guide in matters of morality, in concern for all those who are being made to feel guilty if they act responsibly to pre­vent an inappropriate pregnancy when they share in sexual intercourse together as Paul exhorts them (1 Corinthians 7:4­5), and out of a deep concern for the re­sponsibility which we all share, until the Lord come, for the future wellbeing of this planet and its inhabitants, ... we must dis­tance ourselves as far as possible from ... mistaken opposition to contraception.

The same matter, this time in a different wrapping. A Christian rationale for popula­tion restriction. It does leave one wondering about the significance of Genesis 1:28 and its repeat in Genesis 9:1.

Rev Dr J Van Bruggen, published a sermon based on this text some 20 years ago. In this sermon he addresses the matters raised by Rev Dr Ward Powers, head on.

In the world of today many efforts are made to restrict human fruitfulness. Of in a marriage, for the sake of convenience. But also among our world leaders, there are people who want to minimise the food problems and the political problems of the nations by propagating birth control on a massive scale.

The Bible also addresses the matter of hu­man fruitfulness. Right in the beginning already: in Genesis 1. The Bible does not give ready made answers, which we can just copy down. The Lord does not foster laziness among us. But the Bible does re­veal what God intended and still intends today with human fruitfulness.

Obviously it is not possible to publish the whole sermon here, yet a few excerpts give us a sound insight.

When the Lord God had completed the building of His house, that is the earth, and had adorned it with flowers and fish and birds, then He said to man as man entered it:

'Come on in, come into my world. ... You may increase in number and fill the earth.'...

God welcomes man in. And He welcomes His children too. Let them come in, all of them. Welcome to those who have just been born and to the infants. Welcome too to those who have not yet been born. God does not only protect the unborn life; He also opens the world for the not yet conceived child. They are all allowed to come in.

In Genesis 1 God opens up His house and we are allowed to come and live in it, with our children. And the Lord God does not pull a sour face when the little ones pick a few flowers out of the garden.

Welcome on earth.

Thus says God!

He is not counting in order to call a halt; He welcomes without counting.

Dr van Bruggen then draws attention to God's purpose in giving children.

You may not isolate the words of the text from their context. ... Man does not only have to fulfil the earth, he also has to sub­due it.

Our children are not given to us for our own pleasure. They are entrusted to us because the Lord has something to do for them in this world.

And if God extends this welcome and shows also the purpose would He then not also give the means?

God does not say, Be fruitful and increase in number and then see how you manage to get around. On the contrary. In verse 29 he attaches His promise that He will pro­vide the means. When God points to the seed bearing plants, then He is not just pointing to where man must get His food, but He also guarantees this food.

The Lord has also given sufficient food. In the 16th century there would not have been enough food for the population of the 20th century. But the Lord knew that there would be more people in our time and that more food would be needed. That's why He in time gave the means to improve and increase the yields of the fields.

And we are allowed to build on that promise of God. We are permitted to work with all diligence to solve the food needs in this world, knowing that the Lord has given a promise. Obedience is better than fear, and more difficult too.

Till so far Rev Dr van Bruggen. Quite differ­ent to the earlier quoted Rev Dr. The one says, "the world will be faced with a food shortage; therefore; we have to act responsi­bly and have less children." The other says, God has expressed a desire to see His world filled; in order to feed this population let's not undo what God has expressed, but instead work with His gifts and ensure that there is sufficient food. The one says: "finite re­sources; so have fewer children"; the latter says "sufficient resources as promised by God, so fill the earth with your children". The former relies on human reasoning; the latter is a statement of faith.

So son, take your cue and stand up for what God has both directed and also promised. For He will not let you down.