If you take your cues from the headlines, social media, or even history, there’s never a good time to have a baby. Crises abound. Challenges persist. And fear runs rampant. How could we bring a baby into this world? But there are good reasons to act in faith, not fear, to take the leap together and embrace fertility.

Recently The World and Everything In It podcast reported on the downward trend in family formation among evangelicals, including a quick conversation with us about our path to having babies.

You may have heard a few weeks ago Pope Francis criticizing this notion—the idea of married couples treating pets like children instead of having children. He minced no words—in his view “fur babies” instead of babies is plain selfish.

The papal chastisement came as birth rates in many parts of the world continue to fall. In some places, they are now below replacement rate. That means, the population in those countries is shrinking.

BROWN: Pope Francis was speaking to Catholics, but it’s not just a Catholic problem. Evangelicals in the United States are also having fewer children.

WORLD’s Lauren Dunn reports on efforts to encourage more children.

Listen to the interview here.