The Mind of Brian

Corporal Punishment in the Bible December 13, 2011

Some writers not only are unafraid of controversy but actually seem drawn to controversial topics and issues. I think William J. Webb is one of them, as his ideas of biblical interpretation displayed in Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals and his contribution in Four Views on Moving from the Bible to Theology have sparked much reaction in Evangelical circles and are likely not to please people on the left or on the right. His Corporal Punishment in the Bible: A Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic for Troubling Texts is another book that steps into a minefield of issues and likely to be embraced by some and rejected by others. I suspect that the visceral responses of many will likely cause the potential contribution of the book to be overlooked. In this book, Webb applies the redemptive-movement approach to Scripture developed in the aforementioned books to texts concerning punishment and discipline. While it is an academic book in one sense, looking at the texts and seeking to develop ways to understand them, there is also an intensely personal side of the work, as Webb mentions the development of his own views on punishment (which were greatly affected by his experience of having a special needs child) and includes a postscript called “An Unplanned Parenting Journey” that give some practical advice to parents on how to discipline children without using corporal methods. That last statement reveals the thesis of the book.

Webb essentially argues that the Bible sets a trajectory that leads to the abandonment of corporal punishment. Since Webb sees the Bible setting this trajcetory, one can uses other methods and maintain that one is seeking to be faithful to Scripture. At the beginning of the book, Webb discusses many advocates of coporal discipline (e.g., Focus on the Family) and notes how the approach to corporal punishment adopted by these advocates is not a straight reading of Scripture. In particular, he notes 7 aspects that differ in their approach from the biblical texts: age limitations, the number of lashes or strokes, the bodily location of the beating, the resultant bruising, welts, and wounds; the instrument of discipline, the frequency of beatings and offenses punishable, and the emotive disposition of the parents (list on p. 28, discussions pp. 28-52). Webb aims to show that these advocates of “biblical” punishment are not as “bibilcal” as they maintain; they are adapting and applying the Bible in certain ways. Webb wants to know what these ways are and engage in a discussion that makes explicit how to be “biblical” today.  He then argues, after a case study on slavery, that placing the Bible within its historical and cultural context reveals a kinder approach to discipline then in the ancient world.

A couple of other interesting notes in Webb’s argument is that texts mandating adult corporal punishment are not typically viewed by evangelicals as appropriate, something I had not considered before. The implication would be why some of these texts are followed but not other one? The second other point of interest is from Webb’s experience of having a child whose development does not progress beyond a certain age. If spanking is appropriate for young children because they cannot understand, would it be then be appropriate for someone whose coginitive level remains in that age frame? Webb says our natural inclination is no, which he thinks then raises the question of whether development is an appropriate way to ever justify corporal punishment.

One can raise questions about Webb’s reading of some texts or about his approach to applying Scripture (I am not totally convinced by it, particularly because the knowledge assumed about the historical and cultural context would seem to make it a bit of an elist hermeneutic)–and I say that with no disrespect towards Dr. Webb, but merely as a someone who believes in the continual need for discussion (he seems to be a kind man and acknowledged an essay I published discussing his work). The question that Webb raises and that may need more examination by all is what the enduring principle behind “Spare the rod, spoil the child” is, a question that can even be separated from his approach to Scripture. Is this verse pointing to the need for discipline of children or of corporal punishment? And on what basis does one come to their conclusion? Does the text mandate corporal punishment or simply allow it (if it is the best method)? If nothing else, the book is a helpful reminder to raise questions about people saying something is “biblical” and making sure it is. As a new parent, I also suspect the ideas in the postscript could be helpful for parents regardless of their position on corporal punishment.