"Can we read these passages and come up with any other compelling reason why such strong endorsement of corporal discipline is found in the Bible?"

Three verses from Proverbs is not a strong Biblical endorsement. This article has many problems, and poor exegesis is one of them. https://twitter.com/TGC/status/1312227124795891712

Problem 1: It presents millennial parents in one way - struggling with our disobedient kids. Not a complete story. Our kids are a delight, we love to watch them grow, we discipline but do it differently. Not all of us are sitting around in homes overrun with undisciplined kids.

Problem 2: It presents the past generation as having disciplined their kids well because of spanking. Please go talk to a Christian therapist about the adults in their practice and their struggles with emotional regulation.

Problem 3: It doesn't recognize that competent, connected christian parenting can include methods that do not involve spanking. Discipline does not have to include spanking. You can discipline your kids through work, through natural consequences.

Problem 4: Is pain the only way that God works with us? What a devastating belief about God and his relationship with the world. Pain is one way we learn and change, yes, but it is not the only one. We learn from joy, from love, we learn from grace.

I started parenting with one view of how to have a "good Christian family," and it meant spanking. I'm grateful for the way God intervened. We moved to Sweden when my oldest was a toddler, where spanking is illegal. We had to read more widely and find other methods of discipline.

People who don't spank believe that discipline is crucial. Please don't let Christians tell you that spanking is the only way to discipline a child. It is not. Parenting with Love and Logic is a great place to start, also Grace Based Parenting and Families Where Grace is in Place

Ok turns out I’m not done. There has been so much research on the brain and early childhood and the impact of disconnected parenting (spoiler, it’s bad). @DrDanSiegel is the place to start, but it all points to how God made us. The more we learn about interpersonal neurobiology..

..the more we should question the place spanking has in Christian families. If God made us this way and wired (literally, wired the neurons in our brain) us for connection, we stand on good ground when we search for better methods of discipline.

People who work in this field whom you should follow: @kjramseywrites @aundikolber @K__Mayfield @ryankuja @jonathanpuddle