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The Theology of the Family in the American Quiverfull

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The Theology of the Family in the American Quiverfull AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE: THE THEOLOGY OF THE FAMILY IN THE AMERICAN QUIVERFULL MOVEMENT Dissertation Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology By Emily Hunter McGowin, M.Div. UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, OH December, 2015 AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE: THE THEOLOGY OF THE FAMILY IN THE AMERICAN QUIVERFULL MOVEMENT Name: McGowin, Emily Hunter APPROVED BY: ________________________________________________________________ Vincent J. Miller, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor _______________________________________________________________ Jana M. Bennett, Ph.D. Faculty Reader ______________________________________________________________ William V. Trollinger, Ph.D. Faculty Reader _____________________________________________________________ Sandra A. Yocum, Ph.D. Faculty Reader _____________________________________________________________ Mary McClintock Fulkerson, Ph.D. Outside Faculty Reader _____________________________________________________________ Daniel S. Thompson, Ph.D. Chairperson ii © Copyright by Emily Hunter McGowin All rights reserved 2015 iii ABSTRACT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE: THE THEOLOGY OF THE FAMILY IN THE AMERICAN QUIVERFULL MOVEMENT Name: McGowin, Emily Hunter University of Dayton Advisor: Dr. Vincent J. Miller Broadly speaking, this dissertation is a work of theological reflection within a specific context, bringing together history, ethnography, and theology to examine one form of evangelical lived religion in contemporary America. The particular situation I am exploring is the so-called “Quiverfull movement.” The Quiverfull movement is a growing subculture of American evangelicalism that has emerged over the past forty years within the networks of the Christian homeschooling movement. Quiverfull families have a very particular lived religion. They have an unlimited number of children (pronatalism), practice homeschooling exclusively, and advocate for “biblical patriarchy,” with very prescribed sex roles for men and women. Ultimately, they view their way of life as the most faithful embodiment of biblical teaching on the family, as well as the primary way that that Christians will win the culture war in America over the next few hundred years. This dissertation advances one primary thesis: Despite the apparent strangeness of their lived religion, the Quiverfull movement in America is both thoroughly evangelical and thoroughly American. Rather than offer a radical, counter-cultural vision for the iv Christian family, the Quiverfull movement presents a slightly modified version of something quite commonplace: a privatized, isolated nuclear family struggling (and often failing) to maintain their bonds to the broader community, the church, and other systems of support. As such, the Quiverfull movement serves as an illuminating case study of the weaknesses and blind spots of evangelical and American cultural conceptions of the family. Lacking a broader social vision or any sense of the church as an alternative society, Quiverfull families simply cannot be the radical agents for change that they desire. Instead, they re-inscribe the norms of American individualism and privatization but with a more thoroughly religious sheen. In the end, the problem is not that the Quiverfull movement is too radical but that it is not radical enough. v Dedicated to Ronnie whose love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” and whose fierce devotion and humble sacrifice made this possible. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As with any book, this project would not exist without the influence and assistance of many others. I must begin by offering my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Vincent Miller, for his patient and careful guidance. He convinced me from early on that the Quiverfull movement was a topic ripe for theological reflection and that I was the right one to do it. He made this project more compelling by insisting that I consider Quiverfull in relationship to broader evangelicalism in America. I am a better scholar and writer because of his mentorship. Thank you seems woefully insufficient. I also want to thank my committee members: Drs. Jana Bennett, Sandra Yocum, Bill Trollinger, and Mary McClintock Fulkerson. I was blessed to have four faculty readers who contributed much by way of advice, constructive criticism, and guidance throughout the research and writing process. Jana Bennett has been an important friend and ally from my first visit to UD’s campus. I first encountered Quiverfull while serving as her graduate assistant and she has played a critical role in my research ever since. Sandra Yocum had a crucial hand in steering me toward deeper, more complex analysis of Quiverfull. I am grateful that she helped persuade me that ethnographic research was the way to go, even if it required significantly more work on my part. Bill Trollinger has supported and cheered on this project from the beginning and offered me assistance in numerous ways. Through his advocacy, I was able to present some of my work at the Conference on Faith and History in 2014. I am especially grateful to him for treating me vii like a colleague from early on. Mary McClintock Fulkerson graciously served as an outside reader on this project. I met Dr. Fulkerson at an Ecclesiological Investigations conference in 2012. A brief conversation with her helped to convince me that Quiverfull was a subject in need of exploration. From the start, she has been a generous and kind interlocutor, always pushing me to consider carefully my subject position as a theologian and researcher. I must also thank a number of people beyond my committee whose wise counsel and professional advice were vital to the dissertation’s completion. Dr. Sue Trollinger oversaw my first summer research fellowship and has been a trusted friend and confidant since that time. Dr. Heather MacLachlan has been an unofficial advisor on the ethnography portion of this project—a selfless act for which this theologian is very grateful. She allowed me to sit in on her classes and pepper her with questions all along the way. Sr. Laura Leming was gracious enough to help me think through the anatomy of social movements in relation to Quiverfull, offering multiple important resources. Dr. James Bielo at Miami University, Oxford, was also kind enough to offer his counsel multiple times through Skype and email. I find his work on American evangelicals compelling and inspiring. I am grateful he took the time to share some of his wisdom with me. And Dr. Margaret Lamberts Bendroth graciously agreed to read some of my work before the final product was put together. Although we only met once, she has been a caring and generous correspondent whose interest and support of my work means a great deal. In addition, the financial support of the Graduate School at the University of Dayton was crucial to my ability to finish writing in a timely manner. I completed early viii research with the help of two Graduate Student Summer Fellowships (2012, 2014) and my final year of writing was funded with a Dissertation Year Fellowship (2014-2015). I am particularly grateful that I had the opportunity to write full-time in my final year. I hope the Graduate School will continue to offer this support to other doctoral students in the future. I am also thankful for the library staff at the University of Dayton. When I relocated to the Denver area, the University of Colorado at Boulder was generous enough to allow me visiting scholar privileges. Dr. Deborah Whitehead was a crucial part of that process. Her welcome to Colorado and camaraderie as a scholar of American evangelicalism meant a lot to me as I transitioned out West. I must also acknowledge the help of our neighborhood library, a branch of Jefferson County Public Library. Their assistance finding works not available at UC Boulder was key to the completion of this project. Doctoral study is an often-grueling experience, but my time at UD was made enjoyable through the friendship of my colleagues. I am grateful for all of my co-laborers in the graduate assistant “basement” but a few bear mentioning by name. Thank you to Katherine Schmidt, Scott McDaniel, Herbie Miller, Jason Hentschel, and Adam Sheridan for their friendship and critical conversations about my research. I am better and my work is better for their questions and insights. Completing a doctorate in theology has been a dream of mine since I was a 17 year-old freshman in college. There are a number of folks who played key roles along the way. Dr. Glenn Kreider was the first to awaken my love for theology and turn my imagination toward a career in theological studies. Dr. Boyd Luter helped me to see my ix gifts and then apprenticed me in the work of research, writing, and scholarly presentations. I would never have gotten to this point without his determined and warmhearted mentorship. Dr. Ergun Caner is another professor who recognized my gifts and spurred me on in the pursuit of theology. I am also grateful for his willingness to give writing opportunities to a young scholar. Dr. Fred Smith, who I met as an undergraduate, has been a constant source of encouragement throughout my graduate and doctoral studies. I am grateful for his collegiality and prayer. Dr. David Garland was willing to give a precocious 20 year-old a full scholarship to George W. Truett Theological Seminary. I am glad he took a chance on me and I am thankful for his moral support throughout my time in graduate school. The same is true of Dr. Todd Still, for whom I was privileged to work as a graduate assistant. And I want to thank Dr. Roger Olson for believing in my gifts and offering periodic counsel throughout my studies. There are no adequate words to thank my longsuffering friends, Gabby, Regina, Melissa, and Kristi, who have supported and encouraged me every step of the way. They believed in me even when I didn’t believe in me and faithfully lifted me up in prayer.
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