MuseMama

I think you have a really good point here. So, while I agree that the word needs to get out (I want to poison people's minds against these materials before well meaning friends put them in their hands) I think to reach people who are already involved, we need to keep it local. We need to talk to our pastors, our homeschooling groups, our mommy groups at church, post on our blogs about what gentle discipline looks like and that it WORKS (the Pearls' lie and say that it won't).

More than that, we have to take back "God's way". The Pearl's pray not only on our fears as parents, but our fears as Christians. They teach that their way is scriptural.

We have to expose their faulty theology: nothing removes guilt from anyone except the blood of Christ. Not the rod, not a switching. No No No!

We have to share how parenting children the way God parents us, leads to a close personal relationship between parent and child that is based on respect. Since God has taken our punishment, and we are no longer under wrath, likewise we do not have to punish our children. God allows us to take the temporal consequences of our actions, as many of us also do with our children. But if we make bad choices, and suffer for them, God never leaves us, never turns away. He walks alongside us! And we do the same for our kids, adding grace and mercy into consequences, and responsibility.

The God we follow is one of compassion, and mercy. Ultimately, I could never imagine having a conversation with Jesus where he encouraged me to tempt my child, and then switch them for their failure. He doesn't lead us into temptation! I couldn't imagine Jesus telling me to spank or switch my children for failure to obey, or failure to do right. And I couldn't imagine him telling me to accept nothing less than perfect obedience.

After all, I'm not perfectly obedient. That's why I need the grace and mercy of Jesus. How can we expect of our children what we are unable to accomplish? How does that line up with the God of the Bible? And isn't His example what we should aspire to?

The world will never reach the hearts of other Christian parents. Only we can do that.

For my part, I will continue to blog about this, and I will continue to seek out blogs of Pearl's followers, and speak gently to them. It was done for me, and I thank God every day for it.

(Sorry for the long-windedness, I'm a bit passionate on this subject)