Quiverfull is a movement among some conservative evangelical Christian couples chiefly in the United States, but with some adherents in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and elsewhere. It promotes procreation, and sees children as a blessing from God, eschewing all forms of birth control, including natural family planning and sterilization. The movement derives its name from Psalm 127:3-5, where many children are metaphorically referred to as the arrows in a full quiver.
Some refer to the Quiverfull position as Providentialism (the belief that God’s will is evident in all occurrences), while other sources have referred to it as a manifestation of natalism (the promotion of child-bearing). Some of the beliefs held among Quiverfull adherents have been held among various Christians during prior eras of history. As birth control methods advanced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many conservative Christian movements issued official statements against their use.
The movement sparked after the 1985 publication of Mary Pride’s book ‘The Way Home: Beyond Feminism, Back to Reality.’ In her book, Pride chronicled her journey away from what she labeled feminist and anti-natal ideas of happiness before her conversion to conservative evangelical Christianity in 1977. She espoused a biblically mandated role of wives and mothers as bearers of children and workers in the home under the authority of a husband. Pride wrote that such a lifestyle was generally biblically required of all married Christian women but that most Christian women had been unknowingly duped by feminism, especially in their acceptance of birth control.
The Daily Omnivore 
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