Michael Pearl

Michael Pearl (born 1945)[1] is an American, Independent Baptist and Christian fundamentalist pastor, missionary, evangelist and book author.[2] He is best known as the author of To Train Up A Child, written with his wife Debi Pearl.

Michael Ford Pearl
Born (1945-10-17) October 17, 1945
Memphis, Tennessee
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationMessick High School 1965; Memphis Academy of Arts (now Memphis College of Art)
Alma materMid-South Bible College (now Victory University)
OccupationAuthor, artist, CEO/President of No Greater Joy Ministries
Years active1994-present as an author
Home townPleasantville, Tennessee
Spouse(s)Deborah Kay Smith
Websitewww.nogreaterjoy.org

Ministry

Pearl has a Bachelor of Science from Victory University (formerly Mid-South Bible College). He worked with Union Mission in Memphis, Tennessee for 25 years.[3]

No Greater Joy (NGJ) is Pearl's 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The organization brings in between $1.5 and $1.7 million a year through product sales and donations.[4][5] The Pearls state that they do not receive royalties from the sales, and that the profits are used for ministry purposes.[6]

Pearl has sold or donated over 1.5 million copies of his books, CDs, DVDs, and other materials.[4]

Controversy over To Train Up a Child

To Train Up a Child was published by Michael and Debi Pearl in 1994. Michael Pearl claims that it has sold more than 670,000 copies,[7] although Nielsen BookScan records only 9,579 sales since 2001.[8]

The book advises parents to use objects like a quarter-inch diameter plastic tube to spank children and "break their will". It also mentions withholding food and putting children under a cold garden hose.[1][9]

Book cover of To Train Up a Child

The content of Pearl's book has been cited as advocating child abuse and its teachings were linked to the deaths of Sean Paddock,[10] Lydia Schatz,[11] and Hana Grace-Rose Williams.[12] In all three cases the parents read Pearl's book and are believed to have been homeschooling their children.[13] Michael Ramsey, the district attorney who prosecuted the Schatz case, investigated the Pearls' teachings and called To Train Up A Child, "an extraordinarily dangerous book for those who take it literally." "It's truly an evil book," he said.[14] Dr. Frances Chalmers, the pediatrician who examined Williams' death, said “My fear is that this book, while perhaps well intended, could easily be misinterpreted and could lead to what I consider significant abuse.” [5]

Responses

On his website, Pearl issued his official responses to the controversy over To Train Up a Child and the deaths of Hana Williams and Lydia Schatz. The responses list quotes from Pearl’s book that warn against abuse.[15][16] In an article published after Schatz's death, Pearl explained, "I laugh at my caustic critics, for our properly-spanked and trained children grow to maturity in great peace and love."[17] Pearl has also spoken to the media about the controversy, stating that the ¼-inch diameter plastic tubing he recommends in the book is "too light to cause damage to the muscle or the bone."[5][18] Pearl stated of the death of Hana Williams, “What her parents (allegedly) did is diametrically opposed to the philosophy of No Greater Joy Ministries and what is taught in the book.”[19]

The Seattle Times noted that there is no mention in To Train Up a Child of the discipline used on Hana Williams except for spanking, although "spanking is clearly the heart of the book."[14] The New York Times suggests that the Williams' other discipline tactics involve Pearl’s book taken to extremes, such as Pearl's advice that "a little fasting is good training."[5] A witness in the trial reported that the Williamses followed the book's recommendations "to use a switch, cold baths, withhold food and force children outside in cold weather as punishment," all of which were used on Williams before her death.[12]

Pearl has stated, "The book repeatedly warns parents against abuse and emphasizes the parents' responsibility to love and properly care for their children, which includes training them for success."[9]

Other publications

Other publications released by Michael Pearl and No Greater Joy Ministries include:

  • No Greater Joy magazine[20]
  • Training Children to be Strong in Spirit[21]
  • Good and Evil[22]
  • Created to Be His Help Meet[23]

Good and Evil won the Independent Publishers' IPPY Award Bronze Medal in the Graphic Novel/Drama category in 2009,[24] and was a 2009 ForeWord Book Award finalist.[25]

Personal life

Michael Pearl married Debi in 1971.[26] As of February 2012, the Pearls have five children and eighteen grandchildren.[3] Their daughter Shoshanna Easling has said she had a wonderful childhood and that her parents never spoke to her in anger.[1] Another daughter, Rebekah Pearl Anast, has said, "I think that the fact that all five of us are very happy, balanced people with great marriages and happy kids is evidence that my parents did the right thing."[27]

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References
  1. Erik Eckholm, Preaching Virtue of Spanking, Even as Deaths Fuel Debate, New York Times, November 7, 2011.
  2. Michael Pearl's No Greater Joy Ministry website.
  3. "Meet the Pearls". No Greater Joy website. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  4. Harris, Lynn. "Spare the quarter-inch plumbing line, spare the child". Article published May 25, 2006. Salon.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  5. Eckholm, Erik. "Preaching Virtue of Spanking, Even as Deaths Fuel Debate". Article published Nov. 6, 2011. The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  6. "About Us". No Greater Joy website. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  7. Hodson, Jeff. "Did Hana's parents "train" her to death?". Article published Nov. 27, 2011. The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  8. Merritt, Jonathan. "How influential are Michael and Debi Pearl? And how harmful?". Article published Apr. 22, 2013. Religion News Service. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  9. Thane Burnett, Was child abused to death due to advice from book?, Toronto Sun, October 08, 2011.
  10. Is Conservative Christian Group, No Greater Joy Ministries, Pushing Parents to Beat Kids to Death?, CBS News, March 4, 2010.
  11. DA: Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz Killed Daughter With "Religious Whips" for Mispronouncing Word , CBS News, February 22, 2010.
  12. Stoll, Lee. "Kids testify in parents' murder and abuse trial". KIRO TV. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  13. Hodson, Jeff (September 29, 2011). "Murder charges for parents who left girl outside". The Seattle Times.
  14. Hodson, Jeff (November 27, 2011). "Did Hana's parents 'train' her to death?". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012.
  15. "Response to Schatz Case". No Greater Joy website. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  16. "Hana Williams Official Statement". No Greater Joy website. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  17. "Laughing". No Greater Joy website. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  18. Cooper, Anderson. "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees, Aired October 26, 2011". CNN. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  19. Burnett, Thane. "Was child abused to death due to advice from book?". Article published Oct. 8, 2011. Toronto Sun. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  20. "Magazine". No Greater Joy website. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  21. Pearl, Michael (2011). Training Children to be Strong in Spirit. No Greater Joy Ministries. ISBN 1-61644-037-6.
  22. Pearl, Michael (2006). Good and Evil. No Greater Joy Ministries. ISBN 1-892112-38-8.
  23. Pearl, Michael (2012). Created to Need a Help Meet. No Greater Joy Ministries.
  24. "Announcing 2009 IPPY Awards National and Regional Results". Independent Publisher website. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  25. "Book of the Year Awards". ForeWord Publishing website. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  26. Pearl, Michael and Debi (1994). To Train Up a Child. No Greater Joy Ministries. pp. About the Author. ISBN 1-892112-00-0.
  27. Harris, Lynn. "Spare the quarter-inch plumbing line, spoil the child". Article published May 25, 2006. Salon.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
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