Friendly Atheist Podcast 611 - Marissa Franks Burt, Co-Author of The Myth of Good Christian Parenting
Nov 27, 2025
Marissa Franks Burt, a novelist and co-author of "The Myth of Good Christian Parenting," dives deep into the troubling aspects of evangelical parenting. She discusses how strict authority and compliance methods prevalent in evangelical circles often lead to harm, questioning the validity of popular figures like James Dobson. Marissa reveals the blurred lines between discipline and abuse, highlighting research on the negative impacts of corporal punishment. She also notes a rising movement within Christianity rejecting harmful practices, urging a return to more compassionate teachings.
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Intent Excuses Create Dangerous Boundaries
- Evangelical spanking guides often draw a line based on parental intent rather than outcomes.
- That framing enables escalation and normalizes practices that functionally enable abuse.
Ritualized Spanking Normalized Violence
- Early manuals ritualized spanking with rules and prayers to make it feel righteous rather than violent.
- That ritualization helped parents suppress doubt and outsource moral responsibility to 'biblical' procedure.
Promises Failed Across Generations
- Two to three generations of evidence now show evangelical promises about spanking producing godly adults failed.
- Many adult children report regret, spiritual damage, estrangement, and lost faith.
