Quiverfull

Quiverfull is an evangelical Christian philosophy that takes the Biblical command to "be fruitful and multiply" extremely literally by refusing to use any contraception, including natural family planning. It rarely sees coverage in the mainstream media, so this week, Josh and June look into the principles and practical lifestyle of Quiverfull and discover why it holds such a strong appeal to a certain type of Christian.

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EPISODE ART: Jim Bob Duggar, a realtor and politician from Arkansas. After serving as a member of the Arkansas State House of Representatives for four years, Duggar mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge for US Senate in 2002 and again for Arkansas State Senate in 2006. From 2008 to 2015, Jim Bob, his wife, and their children were featured on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting (formerly 17 Kids and Counting and 18 Kids and Counting).

AUDIO CLIPS:

• 33:03 – The introduction to the “Defining Manhood and Womanhood” episode of the CBMW podcast
• 44:52 – A trailer for a Quiverfull advocacy documentary entitled Birth Control: Is It Up To Us?
• 50:09 – Jennifer Flanders, a mother of 12, in an interview for Al Jazeera America Tonight
• 1:06:56 – Olivia Shedd, a 12-year-old eldest daughter, in an interview for HDNet World Report
• 1:10:23 – Jay Jusino, a quiverfull father and Christian schoolteacher, in an interview for a Quiverfull advocacy documentary

FURTHER READING:

• “The Baby Died. Whose Fault Is It?” by Emi Nietfield (Wired, September 3, 2025)
• "Why Are There So Many Mormon Influencers (A Theory)" by Alyssa Greenfield
• Utah stats on intimate partner/domestic violence

SOURCES:

• Saving Sex: Sexuality and Salvation in American Evangelicalism by Amy DeRogatis (Oxford UP, 2014)
• Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement by Kathryn Joyce (Beacon Press, 2009)
• “The Population Bust: An Opportunity” by David Crank (Unless The Lord… Magazine, Fall 2004)
• “Quiverfull of Shit: a Guide to the Duggars' Scary Brand of Christianity” by Jennifer C. Martin (Gawker, May 25, 2015)
• The Danvers Statement as posted on the CBMW website
• “The Unmaking of Biblical Womanhood” by Eliza Griswold (The New Yorker, July 25, 2021)
• “In Quiverfull Movement, Birth Control Is Shunned” by Barbara Bradley Hagert (NPR Morning Edition, March 25, 2009)
• Birth Control: Is It Up To Us? Trailer
• “Beyond Belief: Is Eight Enough?” (HDNet World Report, August 11, 2009)
• “Inside the home of one family living the ‘Quiverfull’ lifestyle” (Al Jazeera America Tonight, February 8, 2016)
• Quiver Full Documentary

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