At the Christian Domestic Discipline Website, where you can get daywear, eveningwear, publications and even "Herbal Expressions Aftercare Cooling Gel with Arnica," which is said to "aid in the healing of bruises."

You can peruse their collections of Christian Domestic Discipline novels and books written to help couples along the path of spanking a grown woman as a means of discipline. To see what this looks like, here's an excerpt from Christmas Shopping:

Luke paid for their meal and ushered his wife out to their vehicle. As usual, he unlocked the door and opened it for her, but before letting her climb inside; he took her arm and planted half a dozen firm swats to the seat of her jean-clad bottom. "That was for your behavior inside," he said, releasing his grip on her arm.

As Luke walked to his side of the van, he hoped the swats had been enough to grab his wife's attention and head off any further trouble for the remainder of the day, but somehow he doubted that would be the case. He sincerely wanted to give his wife the benefit of the doubt, but the signs were all there.

Is this a kink? I don't think the website is a joke; I put the above book in my shopping cart and went to checkout, and it all seemed legit. As far as I can tell this website is about a particular reading of the Bible that calls for a husband to have complete authority and control over his wife, in itself not an unusual interpretation.

But the emphasis here is on discipline - specifically spanking, though of course there is mention of how this "Christian discipline" is not limited to spanking.

The following is an excerpt from Consensual Christian Domestic Discipline:

In today’s society where any physical discipline is severely frowned upon, it is important that even a Christian Domestic Discipline relationship be consensual; however, it is interesting to note that Biblically, a man’s right to chastise and discipline his wife is strongly implied. Just as a parent would never stop to ask permission to chastise his child, a husband should not have to obtain consent to discipline his wife; however, our legal system has put him in the position of having to do so. Just as our culture is turned upside down in so many other things, the traditional Christian marriage is no exception.

It is worth mentioning that even Biblically, it is best if the wife submits willingly rather than being forced to obey her husband, and in giving honor to his wife as the weaker vessel, it is good that the husband listen to her thoughts and opinions and try to incorporate them into their lives so that she will be content. In that sense, this discussion of CDD and all it entails is Biblically sound. That is the spirit in which we will approach the remainder of this book.

This workbook is designed for a husband and wife beginning a Christian Domestic Discipline relationship and is meant to give them a starting point as to the things they need to discuss so that each know what they might expect from their CDD marriage. Much of the talk will be the husband, the leader of the family, instructing his wife as to his wishes and expectations for her in their new arrangement, all of which she should pay close attention. However, the husband should place a high importance on his wife’s opinions during this time as well if they both are to be content within the relationship.

Most importantly, the couple should approach each subject with prayer, asking God’s blessing on their marriage and the decisions they make regarding their CDD relationship.

You know, when Paul told husbands to love their wives in Ephesians, it was a revolutionary statement. He upended the cultural norm for both Jews and Greeks/Romans, where women served as necessary equipment for the production of heirs and workers, and as means of pleasure for as long as that lasted. Jewish custom allowed for concubines, Greek/Roman culture allowed for both that and the intellectually superior sexual relationship a man could have with one of his young male servants.

Though I do not like this passage in Ephesians, thinking that Paul showed his own biases rather too clearly, he did at least seek to rein in the prevailing way of thinking about women, transforming them from property to persons. Especially when he says that husbands should love their wives as "Christ loved the Church," Paul is getting into something that men would be well advised to avoid. Because you know, Jesus died for the Church.

By trying to fossilize Church teaching according to the standards that Paul set forth 2,000 years ago - something that he didn't do regarding his own theological tradition - especially as a way to preserve male privilege, people are destroying the message that the Bible is desperately trying to convey.

The idea that men are to have absolute control over women, listening to a woman's opinion only as a courtesy, and that they should engage in a systematic application of "discipline" in which a woman is treated as a child, even to the point of what is widely considered to be physical abuse, is not only repugnant to our modern society. This idea is also repugnant from a Biblical point of view. It's bad theology, bad belief. It's just plain wrong.

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