It's here: the final installment of my series on evangelical Christian corporal punishment. This last section concerns the process of deconstruction (breaking away from faith); how people heal; and how they choose to parent, their children and themselves. theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/ministry-of-…
This has been a massive amount of work -- intellectual and emotional. I have read all or parts of 21 books, talked to over a hundred people. Taken as a whole, the series traces the political evolution of evangelical child punishment in the 20th century and its effects.
Part 1 looks at the "biblical parenting" movement of the back half of the 20th century, situating it in text and historical context, and featuring the testimony of people raised by Dobson, the Pearls et. al. theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/ministry-of-…
Part 2 examines the consequences of these methods: the people who experienced corporal punishment as sexual abuse, and people who grew up to reenact the violence they experienced in their romantic relationships, or struggle to attain emotional intimacy. theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/ministry-of-…
Part 3 is about breaking free, and what that looks like. It isn't a Disney ending; it's a story of painful deconstruction, and of building yourself back up brick by brick. It's about the hopeful, necessary struggle to parent without violence. theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/ministry-of-…
I owe tremendous gratitude to scholars like @kkdumez and @janetheimlich, who helped me navigate this world; to friends who talked me through it; and above all, to my sources, who bravely shared so much with a stranger. This was painful work. But I think it needed to be told.
I looked -- really looked -- for a similar wide-ranging exploration of evangelical parenting and its effects on people. I didn't find a parallel; there were excellent features but they focused on single churches/malefactors. Survivors guided me to what I wrote. And only them.
If you've been moved by this series, and would like to support further deep dives into the American right, I would be very grateful if you'd consider a paid subscription: theswordandthesandwich.substack.com
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