Qualitative study of the meaning of child discipline on the part of rural east Tennessee clergy.

In-depth interviews conducted with 10 rural fundamentalist Christian clergy explored the meaning of child discipline from their religious perspective. A stereotype of strict, authoritarian parenting relying solely on coercive power to bend children to the parents' and religious community's will obscures outsiders' views of people who hold this belief system. This study examines the validity of that stereotype and provides research-based information for professionals who work with fundamentalist Christian families. The stereotype was found to be an extreme view with origins from the past or possibly from media exposure of outliers within the belief system, rather than an accurate portrayal of fundamentalist Christian parents.

Phenomenological themes which emerged through data analysis instead described parents with an intense commitment to their children's upbringing and the use of referent, reward, and legitimate power bases. Clergy participants consistently focused on the parent/child relationship rather than specific methods of discipline to control behavior. Parenting based on mutual respect, devotion of time, a Christian lifestyle, and total reliance on the Bible for guidance reflect qualities of childrearing which have been given little attention in research.