Comments on: Thursday Book Club: Shepherding a Child’s Heart

By: Alvie L. Davidson

Alvie L. Davidson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:19:21 +0000

I love your prospective on the role of child and parent. Parenting is a strong role in a child’s life even after they have reached the adult stage. I love your pointing out the positives as well as the negatives very firmly in Mr. Tripp’s book.
Good going…

By: kim

kim — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:58:15 +0000

Thanks for the comment Jared. Valid critique indeed. And as a book written to a vast audience, perhaps he does. You are right in work of God’s grace to change a child’s heart.
I’ve learned in watching parents spank their kids and how they handle the correction situation – that there is a world of difference between spanking in anger and spanking in love and correction.

By: Jared Kennedy

Jared Kennedy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:54:21 +0000

Kim, it is super helpful to have your perspective as one who works with children but doesn’t have them yet. Desiring to speak to the hearts issues of kids is something we want all of our SojournKids teachers to be able to do. This book is an excellent resource for helping us ask heart questions.

My biggest critique of this book: I wonder if Tripp puts too much weight on spanking children. Using the rod is like using God’s law. It is helpful for showing a child his sin and the consequences that come because of it. In this way, it is corrective and restrains sin. On the other hand, only God’s grace brings heart change. So, speaking softly and bringing the “soft hand” is often more necessary than this books seems to say.