Defending Motherhood

Life on the West Side

Let’s hear it for the moms! In a culture that increasingly devalues children, mothers are actively involved in a counter – cultural revolution. And in the kingdom of God, says the Apostle Paul in Romans 16, there are communities of faithful people to nurture and provide for our children alongside ourselves. Hear a full-throated defense of motherhood, with a special word in praise of the mothering community we call the church.

The sermon today is titled "Defending Motherhood." It is the first installment in our series "Jesus At Home: Parenting In His Presence." The Scripture reading is from Romans 16:1-16 (esp v.13) (ESV) . Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on Mother's Day Sunday, May 12, 2024. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Families & Relationships.
Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.
Sources of Inspiration for the Lesson Used in Today's Podcast:

• Stephanie H. Murray, “The Parenting Problem The Government Can’t Fix,” The Week (Oct 25, 2021).
• Jaime Ducharme, “Why So Many Women Are Having Kids Later,” Time (April 10, 2024).
• Mary Ellen Mitchell, “Are Children A Good Idea?” Comment (March 21, 2024).
• Mary Harrington, “Normophobia,” First Things (April 2024).
• Mary Harrington, “When Feminism Was Sexist,” The American Conservative (May 5, 2024).
• Katherine Schaeffer & Carolina Aragao, “Key Facts About Moms in the US,” Pew Research Center (May 9, 2023).
• Consuelo Corrardi, “Motherhood and the Contradictions of Feminism,” Current Sociology, Vol 69/No.2 (Dec 11, 2020).
• Vicki Larsen, “Why It’s OK If Mom’s ‘Abandon’ Their Kids,” Huffington Post (May 13, 2015).
• Kimberley Wagner, “Redefining Motherhood,” Revive Our Hearts Blog, March 17, 2011
• Peter Marshall, “Keeper of the Spring.”

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Chapters

1. Series Intro (00:00:00)

2. Intro Highlight: Mothers, All (00:01:21)

3. Empower (Romans 16:1-16) (00:02:15)

4. Attacks From The Outside (00:08:23)

5. Attacks From The Inside (00:12:16)

6. Valuing The Norm (00:16:12)

7. Being Jesus Through That Which Is Hard (00:18:58)

8. Mothers, All (00:26:24)

9. Conclusion: We See You Being Jesus (00:30:53)