# Michael Pearl book



## Kevin (Oct 5, 2006)

Has anyone seen the new Michael Pearl book call (i think) The Eight Kingdoms?

This is the author of a very odd child training book and the founder of No Greater Joy Ministries. It sounds like a "new" form of dispensationalism.

Just wondering what anyone knows about it, because unfortunatly many reformed people are drawn in by his child training material.


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## Contra_Mundum (Oct 5, 2006)

I've read through his child-rearing manual. It can really be boiled down to this:
The very youngest children can be trained to do what you want through repetition, patience, and reward/pain-aviodance technique, which can make future discipline (which he distinguishes from basic training) much simpler.

Duh. But truly, sometimes the obvious has to be spelled out for clueless parents.

Even in that book, however, some of his odd theology comes out. I do not think his is a coherent system. He strikes me as something of a lone ranger. As well, its clear that he imbibed some of his theology from spending time among the Amish or Mennonites.

[Edited on 10-5-2006 by Contra_Mundum]


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## py3ak (Oct 6, 2006)

Unfortunately, his advice on many points is sought by numbers of people. Yes, a lot of the child-rearing things he says are common sense and do tend to work. He admits to harnessing the child's sin nature in order to obtain obedience. But there are some strange elements in his thinking.


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