Spanking, harming the brain?

You may have read the article today (click HERE) about the numerous negative factors associated with spanking:

Research shows that physical punishment makes children more aggressive and antisocial, and can cause cognitive impairment and developmental difficulties. Recent studies suggest it may reduce the brain’s grey matter in areas relevant to intelligence testing. “What people have realized is that physical punishment doesn’t only predict aggression consistently, it also predicts internalizing kinds of difficulties, like depression and substance use,” said Durant. “There are no studies that show any long-term positive outcomes from physical punishment.”

Surprisingly, no references are given in this article to the “mountains of evidence” against spanking. And, what this article failed to mention is that spanking is good for the parent’s grey matter. Personally I was spanked as a kid. My parents spanked lovingly, consistently, and appropriately. I’m pretty skeptical that a little smack on the tush can harm the brain’s grey matter.

What I wish I’d known

As a teenager, I attended youth-group and sought to grow in my walk with the Lord. I was bothered that I did not have a “dramatic” testimony; I had always been a pretty good kid, followed the rules, gotten along with my parents. So when I got serious in high school about following Christ I was bothered that my testimony was not very spectacular. I remember asking my youth pastor about this question, and his answer is still clear in my memory: “Andrew, your testimony is that you don’t have a testimony. God has graciously spared you from that type of life.” I understand now what he meant, but it was not very encouraging at the time. If I’m ever asked a similar question–or if there happen to be any young readers of this blog–I might respond in two ways.

First, as you grow in your walk with Christ, you will come to understand just how dramatic a rescue Christ performed in your life when he saved you. Sin is sin, whether it is classified as one of the really bad ones in people’s eyes. Anyone that has been saved does have a dramatic testimony.

Second, many people who have been greatly used by God have been saved at young ages. A young person wrestling with this question might do well to read a biography about the life of Charles Spurgeon or Jonathan Edwards. Being saved at a young age is God’s way of giving you a head start in your maturity and growth as a Christian–God knows that he wants to begin using you at a young age. If you were saved let’s say, at the age of 30 after a time of serious rebellion, then you would be a newborn in Christ at the age of 30. But since you were saved as a teenager, then when you get to be 30 you’ll have grown and matured and will be able to be used by God in ways at the age of 30 that you wouldn’t have otherwise been.

Finally, I wonder if it would be helpful in churches to hear testimonies more often of people who were saved while growing up in Christian households.

Iverson

Although Jordan was always my favorite to watch as a kid, Allen Iverson was a close second. Jordan had the fade away mastered, but Iverson the cross-over. For a couple years, I thought Iverson had the better shoes. In fact, my ninth grade year, I even saved up enough money and bought them! The News and Observer reported today that Iverson is comming back!