By Dr. Don and Debbi Dunlap
Pastoral Counselor
God commands parents to administer physical discipline to children when they willfully disobey.
Family Counseling Ministries -
Many Christian parents recoil in horror at the thought of
spanking their children. They have bought into the world’s thinking that any
form of physical discipline constitutes child abuse. The secular philosophy
that a parent who resorts to corporal punishment as a child disciplinary
measure is angry and “out of control,” has influenced their mindset.
They have “thrown the baby out with the bath water.”
They have seen spanking repeatedly misused, so they have
dismissed the suggestion that spanking can be done lovingly and correctly. They
are not open to learning the biblical method for administering the rod of
reproof. In the words of an old adage, they have “thrown out the baby with the
bath water.”
Despite the fact that many parents have closed their
hearts to the possibility that spanking a child is an effective disciplinary
tool, God’s Word is replete with scriptures that inform us otherwise. The rod
of correction is the standard form of discipline in God’s child-rearing system,
especially for younger children.
An especially pertinent verse is Proverbs 22:15,
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod
of discipline will drive it far from him.
Christian parents cannot escape the numerous biblical
references to the physical discipline of children.
Every child is born with rebellion and foolishness in his or
her heart.
One of the keys to effective parenting is to learn how and
when to administer the rod of reproof. It is vitally important to understand
that a Christian who believes the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God has no
choice as to whether or not he or she should implement spanking as a form of
child-discipline. It is simply an issue of obedience to the Lord. The writer of
Proverbs 13:24 addresses this matter forthrightly,
He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is
careful to discipline him.
Children do not learn how to sin by imitating other people.
They are born with a sin nature.
God explains in Psalm 51:5, that men and women have a
corrupt nature,
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother
conceived me.
The world does not embrace this truth, choosing to believe
instead, that children are fundamentally good and they naturally want to do
what is right.
As they grow, the surrounding environment in which they
live supposedly “influences them negatively.” Anyone who has had a part in
raising a child, however, knows first-hand that no one has to teach him or her
to tell a lie, or to behave selfishly. It is painfully evident that children
are born with hearts prone to “folly” and rebellion.
Dr. Don Dunlap, a pioneer in the placement of Pastoral Counselors in the
offices of Christian physicians, has conducted over twenty thousand
appointments during his ministerial career. His counseling practice includes
adults, children and families in crisis. Dr. Dunlap is committed to
facilitating a network of telephone counselors. His goal is to provide help for
the many people unwilling, or unable, to meet face to face with a competent
counselor. For more articles by Dr. Dunlap go to Counseling
and Advice on the Health Channel. 
