Should Christian parents be prepared to smack their children? The case in favour of corporal punishment

It’s not an easy thing to talk about corporal punishment. Many British parents are wary even of broaching the subject with one another, let alone normalising it. For many people, the potential for justifying abuse is too high. Anyone defending a genuinely Christian view of corporal punishment should never justify abuse. But in our zeal to combat abusive forms of corporal punishment, we also risk eradicating this biblical practice altogether, forgetting that, when practised in love, it is intended for good not evil.

As Dr James Dobson has said: “It is my opinion that parents today are more confused than ever about effective and loving discipline. It has become a lost art, a forgotten skill.” Discipline in general is an area in which parents need far more help within churches. Leaders are often reticent to teach on this topic openly lest they be misinterpreted, leaving many parents unsure and more likely to be swayed by more secular norms.

Some of the reticence to talk about corporal punishment publicly is the fear of being investigated by Social Services. Several years ago, someone reported my wife and I simply because they found out we use moderate corporal punishment with our children. A number of uncomfortable conversations with the school headteacher and social worker followed which were distressing, especially for my wife. The atmosphere of suspicion over corporal punishment can unsettle relational trust very easily.

Despite the fact that most parents of my generation likely received some form of corporal punishment growing up, the societal shift in parenting philosophy over recent decades means parents who still use it are now viewed as slightly strange creatures who apparently wish to harm their children. Although in theory just over 50% of UK parents still believe in reasonable corporal punishment, that number is decreasing, and is increasingly rare among younger parents. Quite often when this debate comes up in the media, you’ll hear people talk as if they can’t quite fathom that it’s still legal in England today, as though the current law was a vestige of some ancient barbaric practice.

A recent BBC article reported: “Currently, smacking is unlawful in England, except in cases where it amounts to a ‘reasonable punishment’.” This is technically correct but rhetorically misleading, akin to saying: “Currently, locking someone up against their will for several years is unlawful in England, except in cases where the person is a convicted criminal”. The opening sentence of the same article is even more misleading, making the bizarre claim that there is “no evidence [smacking] has any positive effect” on the wellbeing of children. Really? None at all? How many Christians did they ask?