Thread: SACH review
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Old 03-14-2008, 06:03 AM   #5
MarynMunchkins
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Default Re: SACH review

"Your Child's Development: Godward Orientation"

This chapter outline Mr. Tripp's belief that all children are either bent towards God or idols. "Everyone is essentially religious. Children are worshippers. Either they worship Jehovah or idols. They are never neutral. Your children filter the experiences of life through a religious grid." (pg. 19)

There's a lot of ground to cover in order for me to explain my issue with this chapter. Mr. Tripp quotes a few verses to tell us about the sinful condition of children.

"Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies."

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sunful from the time my mother conceived me."


First of all, I believe that being human in and of itself puts us makes us all sinners from birth. It's not the fact that children are born into a sin nature that I argue. The assumption that this sin nature is somehow worse in a child - more selfish, more defiant, more rebellious - is simply wrong. Sin is sin in God's eyes. The assumption that discipline can in any way, shape or form affect this sin nature is also wrong.

Mr. Tripp says, "One of the justifications for spanking children is that "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. (Proverbs 22:15). The point of the proverb is that something is wrong in the heart of the child that requires correction. The remedy is not solely changing the structure of the home; it is addressing the heart." (pg. 20-1)

Now, this assumption could easily be dealt with by studying that verse in context, in its original language, rather than proof-texting it. However, I'm going to deal with the general principle here, rather than the specific verse. First of all, the heart of every human being who ever has, is, or will be living has something wrong which requires TRANSFORMING, not correction. Romans 3:23 says "All have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God." Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it?"

Read what Paul said when he was talking about Jews and Gentiles - those who knew the law and word of God vs. those who were spiritual infants and ignorant of it.

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."[c]
"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."[d]
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."[e]
"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."[f]
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know."[g]
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."[h] Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God."


The problem with the heart of children is the problem with the hearts of all people. The solution is not discipline. If discipline (especially the "rod of discipline") were the answer for this human condition, than the death of Jesus Christ is null and void. It's worthless. We don't and never have needed a Savior if discipline and correction could solve our problem.

That, quite frankly, is the basic problem with the idea that spanking and punishment. It takes what discipline should be - active teaching - and turns it into heresy. It says that "the rod" is the end all be all, and that physical pain and punishment is the catalyst for redemption.

But what does God say? In 1 John, we read, " God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

How can we punish our children and yet claim to love them? How can we claim that God commands that we punish them? Punishment and pefect love cannot co-exist.

While reading this chapter and preparing to write this entry, I came across several verses in Romans that really jumped out at me. To be honest, they strike me as rather harsh to read to those who teach spanking and punishment as ideal parenting methods. In spite of my bluntness, I do strive to temper my words in order not to offend people. However, these aren't my words. These words are God's, and I believe that they apply to this situation.

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?"
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