Corporal Punishment in the Bible: A Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic for Troubling Texts

By William J. Webb

William Webb confronts those often avoided biblical passages that call for the corporal punishment of children, slaves and wrongdoers. How should we understand and apply them today? Are we obligated to replicate those injunctions today? Or does the proper interpretation of them point in a different direction? Webb notes that most of the Christian church is at best inconsistent in its application of these texts. But is there a legitimate basis for these lapses? Building on the findings of his previous work, Slaves, Women and Homosexuals, Webb argues that the proper interpretation and application of these texts requires ascertaining their meaning within the ancient cultural/historical context. In recognizing the sweep of God's redemptive purposes already evident in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New, we remain truly biblical.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830827617
• ISBN13: 9780830827619
• Release Date: August 2011
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Worth every penny

This book is not a light read, but it's worth it. Webb reveals a fascinating observation that Scripture shows a “redemptive trajectory” when compared to the culture of near Eastern ancient history. And that today, we continue in that trajectory with spanking because it goes “outside of the concrete specific text.” This *movement* to spanking is good- but still leaves room for better ethics. And this movement firmly rejects pro-spankers claim to be applying the Bible literally, while in fact, they have moved beyond, or outside, what the Bible says to do something better. But, again, not best. If you struggle to connect grace to parenting this is the next book you need to read.