Spanking and Child Abuse
What do we make of the evangelical insistence that there is a "godly" way to spank?
I wrote an opinion piece for Religion News Service about recent headlines involving Christian leaders, the spanking of children, child abuse, and the online discussion afterward.
Excerpts below, and you can read the full piece here.
“What will it take for us fellow Christians to open our eyes and admit that the fruit is rotten? Even if you believe there is a very specific, careful way that spanking can be done that is acceptable (I don’t), at what point will you give that up? At what point will you acknowledge that the abuse done by all the people spanking the “wrong” way is enough of a reason for us to stop commending the practice? How many children must suffer humiliation and domination before we say that we can find better ways?”
*****
“I’ve written and spoken at length on this topic because I think there is a robust Christian case against corporal punishment. I want Christian parents to know that spanking is not particularly biblical (don’t come at me with the Proverbs or Hebrews 12), ethical or effective. We have 50 years of good data correlating it to long-term problems. This rotten practice has robbed so many families of the joy and connection that could be theirs, and I am tired of seeing the same old regurgitated defenses served up for a new generation. Christians, we can be done with spanking.”
*****
This piece is so important, thank you for your advocacy! It is very well written