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: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis, 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.

Genres: Theology, Parenting, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity, Biblical Studies

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Dr. Bill Webb (Ph.D. Dallas Theological Seminary), is Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies at Tyndale Seminary. He has worked as a pastor, chaplain, and professor over a span of over twenty years. He is married (Marilyn) with three grown children (Jonathan, Christine, and Joel) and a dog (Muffin).