Beating the Kids for Christ

Yesterday I posted about Gwen Shamblin and her church's teaching on corporal punishment of children, a teaching that apparently led to a child being beaten to death. Then today came my Christian Century and there was another article about what appeared to be the same story, but it wasn't. This time the focus is on the teachings of Michael and Debi Pearl, who have written a book called To Train up a Child (I won't be giving any Amazon.com connections on this one). Fans of this book killed their kid too!

In this article written by Beth Felker Jones of Huntington University, we learn about this book and its bizarre teachings that have gotten a growing following. Now, I'll admit that at times out of frustration I've spanked my son, but this book teaches that if you're faithful to Jesus, you've got to hit your kids. The whole point is to create "happy and obedient children." Children apparently are animals that have to be brought under control -- for the goal is a perfectly compliant child. Children are to be taught proper behavior as infants.

Here's a method that I find unbelievable. You put a tempting object within reach of a four year old child, and when the child reaches for it you beat the child with 12 inch branch. If you do this, well you'll get your compliant child.

The goal of this is the flawless child, which Jones calls a "cruel sort of domestic idolatry." I'm totally in agreement!

She continues:

Children are a gift from God, not a battlefield. Yet the Pearls tell parents, "You hold an eternal soul in your hand." In an especially disturbing turn, they claim that corporal punishment will absolve the guilt of sin for children who are not old enough to understand substitutionary atonement. The Pearls cite Proverbs 20:30 -- "Blows that wound cleanse away evil" -- as justification for hurting a child. Ironically this text has traditionally been read as a reference to the wounds of Christ -- not to any human effort -- as the only means of cleansing."

Obviously this is not just bad theology, it's hideous theology. Jesus called the children to himself and welcomed them. He didn't beat them or counsel parents to beat their children to save them. Of course all of this raises other serious theological questions, doesn't it? --- Substitutionary atonement, itself, possibly?