Reaction: Quiverfull

Joyce, Katherine. Quiverfull. Boston, Beacon Press, 2009.

Joyce tells the stories of women and men in the modern patriarchy pseudo-movement within Fundamentalist American Christianity. The title is a reference to a name those within the movement have taken for themselves, and it is based on the biblical concept that a man has a "quiverfull" of seed to sow, that those seed might become children that can be raised as Christian soldiers to win the culture war by shear numbers.

She explores the movement and what it means for women as wives, mothers, and daughters, primarily, though she does offer some commentary on what is expected of the men. While Joyce clearly disagrees with the movement's idea that females should be subject to male rule, she does present a fairly unbiased accounting of the movement. (Though on some of the movement's more egregious stances, she does have an off-hand comment or two.) The movement itself is terrifying for me, a feminist and father to a daughter. My own personal situation seems to be the exact opposite of what the movement itself would demand of me. (I spend a good deal of time at home, when not in class, while my wife holds an MD and works.)

The book does not deeply explore the theological underpinnings of the movement except for where the people Joyce interviews offer it as a justification of their stances. However, it does show some of the modern movement's history, tracing it out of the home schooling efforts in post-Vietnam America. A very interesting read, especially with the exploration of "courtship" as opposed to dating. The movement seems to also be a re-imagining of the gender roles presented in the biblical text.

Joyce also explores several stories of women who have left the movement. These stories in particular I found painful. Stories of excommunication from churches because a woman insisted that she was not the only one at fault within her marriage. The children of these women who watch their church family tear their mother (almost entirely just the mother) apart in front of the church members. The women do start to heal, but I have real trouble seeing this as a good method of resolving marital issues. (But then I would make a very bad Quiverfull believer, as mentioned before.)

It was an interesting (and terrifying) read.