Just Released: The Mark of Cain - Samuel Martin's Second Book in His "Studies in Genesis Series". See Below Left for Details.

 Thy Rod and Thy Staff They Comfort Me:
Christians and the Spanking Controversy
by Samuel Martin

What are Scholars saying about this book?

I've had a chance to read through your manuscript and I find it very interesting! I think you've made an important contribution, especially to contextualizing biblical ideas about childrearing. I hope you will find a publisher for this book. I'm sure many others would benefit from learning of your research.

Dr. Dawn Devries, Professor of Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary and contributor to the book The Child in Christian Thought (Eerdmans: 2000)

Thank you very much for your manuscript ˝I found some of your passages very, very interesting,˝ It would be of great interest to parents

Fr. Lawrence Boadt, CSP, Publisher, Paulist Press

“Many thanks for sending me a copy of your book. Since I, like so many, cannot read Hebrew, I found your analysis of language fascinating and persuasive. Your exploration of these complex issues is thorough and convincing.”

Dr. Philip Greven, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University, author of “Spare the Child: The Religious Roots of Punishment and the Psychological Impact of Physical Abuse” (Random House, 1992)

"This is not an easy read, but it is one any Christian who desires to be true to the Bible in the first instance should take time to read. ... In my view this study is a definitive reading of the biblical texts for Christians and non-Christians alike."

Rev. Alistair McBride
Scots Presbyterian Church - Hamilton New Zealand (see www.repeal59.blogspot.com - July 25 2006)

“Samuel Martin was a presenter at Summit Conference III: International Leaders in the Child and Non-Violence which was held on April 10, 2007, in Chicago, IL and hosted by PsycHealth, Ltd. (www.psychealthltd.com) and Hartgrove Hospital.  His presentation was entitled, “Spanking Children: Just How Biblical Is It?” and was based in part upon his book, “Thy Rod and Thy Staff They Comfort Me: Christians and the Spanking Controversy” which was published in 2006.  Mr. Martin led the audience through the realization of the existence of various translations of the Bible, the historical times in which the Bible was set, and new understandings of word analyses as well as expanding applications and interpretations of symbols.  Many of the audience remarked about how much they had learned in an area that they had simply taken for granted.  Unlike numerous others who use the Bible to justify a variety of acts, Mr. Martin is clearly one who has delved into, studied and analyzed this vast topic.  With an educational style, couched in logic, it is clear that Samuel Martin is a modern day Biblical scholar.  The information he has to share would be of value to all. - MY Gomez, Ph.D. - 4.16.07”

Description

There are few Biblical subjects where more misunderstanding exists among Christians and Child Rights advocates today than that of spanking children. This book seeks to increase the level of understanding about this issue. It shows that:

Fact: The Bible does not teach that spanking a child will save him from Hell.

Fact: The Bible does not teach that spanking a child should bring tears.

Fact: In Bible times, the texts concerning spanking children found in Proverbs were not applied to young children under the age of about 10 years!

Fact: Many respected Christian theologians including St. Augustine, Dr. Karl Barth and Rev. Dwight Moody rejected spanking children.

Fact: Many Biblically conservative Jewish Rabbis, who have the Old Testament as their Holy Scripture, reject spanking children today.

Fact: The main Christian advocates for spanking children now are not usually trained Christian theologians teaching in universities, but most often are conservative fundamentalist Christian pastors, Christian politicians, Christian psychologists, lay church members and Christian school leaders.

Fact: Well meaning Christian advocates of spanking children have developed doctrines surrounding what they believe the Bible teaches about spanking children which are not found in the Bible at all.

Fact: Well meaning Children's Rights activists, who are not trained Bible scholars, have entered this debate attacking the Bible with disastrous results.

Features of this Volume

• 353 Separate Biblical Texts Referenced

• 82 Separate References from Hebrew and Christian Scholars

• 39 Authoritative Biblical Reference Works Utilized

• Key new information revealed from an early Egyptian text which is also found today in the Biblical book of Proverbs concerning spanking

• ISBN Number 13 digit 978-0-9785339-08
  ISBN Number 10 digit 0-9785339-09

In the USA

Biography of Samuel Martin

Samuel Martin was born in England and is the youngest child of Dr. Ernest L. and Helen R. Martin, who are both Americans. He lived in the UK for the first seven years of his life before moving to the USA with his family at age seven. He lived in the USA until 2001 when he married a native Israeli and relocated to live in Jerusalem. He and his wife, Sonia, have one daughter.

His experience with biblical scholarship began at an early age. His father, Dr. Ernest L. Martin (1932-2002), initiated a program in conjunction with Hebrew University and Prof. Benjamin Mazar, where over a five year period, some 450 college students came to work on an archaeological excavation in Jerusalem starting in 1969 (See Time Magazine, September 3, 1973, article ˝Digging for Credit.). Since that first trip, Samuel has visited Israel on 14 different occasions living more than five years of his life in the country. He has toured all areas of Israel as well as worked in several archaeological excavations.

Besides his experiences in his youth, he also worked on an excavation in northern. Israel under the supervision of Dr. Eilat Mazar of Hebrew University in Jerusalem and participated in a survey in the Judean Desert related to the Dead Sea Scrolls under the guidance of Dr. Robert Eisenman (CSU, Long Beach and author of "James, the brother of Jesus - Viking Penguin: 1997) and Dr. James D. Tabor (UNC, Charlotte and author of The Jesus Dynasty - Simon and Schuster: 2006).

His interests include social studies and the Bible, Hebrew studies and science as it relates to the Bible. He holds a B.A. degree with a special focus on Middle Eastern studies from Portland State University in Oregon. He was raised in an environment of high level Biblical scholarship. His father held a MA in Theology and a Ph.D. in Education and he is well known for his work concerning the Nativity of Jesus Christ (see Elwell, Dictionary of Evangelical Theology, article, Nativity of Jesus Christ or see www.hillsdale.edu/imprimis/1996/Dec96Imprimis.pdf) plus many other books and publications on the Bible. This is Samuel Martin's first book.