The more I learn of this man of faith, the more respect I gain. He was proponent of the study of orthodox theology, defending the faith (apologetics), and living a life trusting in the providence of God. Its no wonder he influenced so many pastors, including my vicarage bishop. I submit the following quotations for your consideration or refutation:
Lutherans and Procreation: Issues, Etc. does Contraception
Dr. & Mrs. Preus Speaking on Life in the Parsonage
Student Wives’ Seminar—Spring Quarter, 1988
Rev. Dr. Robert David Preus (1924-1995)
Professor of Systematic Theology
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (1957-1974)
Concordia Theological Seminary,
Springfield, Illinois & Fort Wayne, Indiana (1974-1993)“Many, many times, people have asked Donna, “Don’t you believe in planned parenthood?” This is before planned parenthood was identified with abortion. She said, “Yes. I just believe in letting God do the planning.” I’d say the same about this term birth control, which has so many meanings and vagaries. To me, the issue of birth control isn’t basically the Roman Catholic argument about what’s natural and what isn’t natural—the use of prophylactics or rhythm cycle. That’s kind of beside the point. That’s typical Roman Catholic casuistry to make a person feel good when he doesn’t really want to do the right thing.
To me, this whole question of children is like the question of work or of calling or anything else. You either trust in the providence of God or you don’t. You either let God control your family as much as you possibly can or you don’t. If you leave it up to God, sometimes He doesn’t give a woman more than one child. And sometimes He doesn’t give a woman more than two children. And sometimes He just showers His blessings and gives a woman 10 or 12. And He enables you to cope. And I know this sounds too easy for many—probably my wife, too. I just think that with every aspect of our lives if we trusted much more in the very presence of God—every hair on our head is numbered; a sparrow doesn’t fall to ground without our Heavenly Father knowing it. So maybe He can just run our lives a little bit more directly than sometimes we want to let Him. That’s not only on the question of children but on all the issues of life.”
God just impregnated one of my daughter-in-laws, so now were up to thirty-four grandchildren.
People have asked Donna, “Don’t you believe in planned parenthood?” This is before planned parenthood was identified with abortion. She said, “Yes. I just believe in letting God do the planning.”God is the Creator of order. His created order was three different realms. This is brought out in the little catechism, so it’s Biblical Lutheranism and catholic with a small c. The first is the State. The second is the Church. The third institution is marriage or the family or the home. That marriage indicates a family, indicates children. It’s the procreative thing. It’s the one institution of God, the one place where we can use the word synergism. We’re all synergists in the creative order because women and men are actually co-creators of God–bringing into being God’s own creatures. … We, then, become pleasing to God by virtue of the fact that we are in this relationship, in this covenant of marriage. And then God blesses us with the family and with children. So it’s God’s will, it’s God’s order according to the very created order of things that there be homes, families, children.
I don’t want to call motherhood a profession. It’s higher than a profession. It’s a calling. … [Mothers] are the greatest people in the world for influencing this world of ours.
The Mission Emphasis at C.T.S.
Student Convocation—September 1986“Now, we’re communicating the Gospel. But we’re also communicating the Scriptures which are the source and norm for the saving Gospel. And that’s where translation comes in, which is one of the things for you who are preparing for the foreign field—or any place you have to translate. I taught confirmation class to 12-year-old kids—I did a lot of translating. I had to get into a totally different culture—a culture which, fortunately, I had lived through, and in, sometime in my life. So it was not so difficult for me. I also had a great advantage because I had so many children. So I was constantly in that culture from age 25 down to age 5. That’s a great advantage. I want to emphasize once again, the more children you have the better you’ll be able to communicate the Gospel—at least to children. I had to get that in somewhere.”
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§ One Response to “Robert Preus on planning parenthood”
Chris, Dad and I discussed the issue of "planned pregnancy" over and over when we were your age. We came to the same conclusion as Robert Preus stated, "You either trust in the providence of God or you don’t. You either let God control your family as much as you possibly can or you don’t."