I finally read Mike and Debi Pearl's two most "famous" books this year: Created to Be His Help Meet and To Train Up a Child. And I was suitably horrified.
Oftentimes when I read instructional (especially Christian/Christian living) books I find advice and teaching that I disagree with, along with advice and teaching that I do agree with (and find Biblically sound). Isn't that to be expected? So then you simply take the good and toss out the bad.
But I feel like the Pearl's teaching is so overwhelmingly bad that their books aren't even worth reading. I would even go so far as to say that they're harmful to read.
For several months I just stewed over what I had read. And vented to Seth. But I didn't sit down with my Bible and a notebook to write out a critique. So was thankful that, this summer, Tim Challis did.
(On a personal note, I guess I'm particularly sensitive to some of the things the Pearls teach regarding femininity and women's roles and children and discipline because of the very conservative upbringing we had as we home churched with people who held to similar teachings as do the Pearls. Seth, for example, wasn't nearly as bothered by some of the quotes I read him as I was - but because he had no context or example of how these teachings played out in "real life" for some families.)
So I heartily recommend the following articles. In particular, I think Challis does a wonderful job of explaining some of the major theological problems in the Pearls' teachings.
"Created to Be His Help Meet (Part One)"
"Created to Be His Help Meet (Part Two"
"(How Not) To Train Up a Child (Part One)"
"(How Not) To Train Up a Child (Part Two)"
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