If only I had a nickel for every time someone said to me, after hearing I have four kids: "Hey, don't you know what causes that?"Behind that old joke today is an increasingly negative perception of children.

From fears of climate change to our addiction to stuff, children are seen increasingly in our world as a burden to avoid, or even to eliminate.That's why I was pleased to sign the latest statement produced by Evangelicals and Catholics Together called "The Gift of Children."Children affirm that God's creation is good, and they compel us "to serve a future we cannot control," to trust that God isn't yet finished with this world.

"The Gift of Children" offers a radically counter-cultural understanding of children. And it challenges believers to welcome new life as a witness to the love of the God who gave us life.

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