So here’s the question: Assuming that you are in favor of corporal punishment and believe that God describes spanking as an appropriate form of punishment for certain types of foolish/rebellious behavior, do you think whether or not you spank your children in public says anything about your faith, your obedience to God, your trust in Him, or is part of your Christian testimony?

That’s what we want to talk about in this episode. And while we have specific opinions on the matter, we think it’s worth people’s time to think through the issue and to consider how their actions are shaped by their beliefs. We should also say upfront that while there are places in the world where it is illegal for a parent to spank their child, in America, as of the time this video was recorded, it is legal in all 50 states.

One of the things that God says of Christians is that they are the salt and light of the world, and it is not just the result of their actions that are salt and light but their actions themselves. One of the tactics of the world is to try to make righteousness shameful and in the case of spanking, they have been able to do that very successfully. Many Christians who spank their children and believe that God’s Word teaches that it should be done are also ashamed to let others know that they do so. It is also a matter of fear. Because many have heard accounts of people having their children taken away from them by CPS, they fear that the same will happen to them if they openly obey God. And while God calls us to be prudent, he does not call us to fear. In fact, Revelation 21:8 says, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” And as it says in Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” So we should not think that scripture does not tie together our faith and our fear. This does not mean that we believe you should go out of your way to spank your children in public or that you should disobey your husband if he tells you that you should not do so. God has appointed authority and direction for our lives. But we should also understand that who and what we fear matters a great deal and we should labor so that we fear God and God alone. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson