SEATTLE -- A Seattle church hosting a speaker who endorses the spanking of children has sparked a protest Friday.

Mars Hill Church is holding a biblical parenting conference at its Ballard campus Friday and Saturday that will be simulcast to four of its six other campuses in Lake City, Shoreline, West Seattle and Bellevue.

The conference features Christian parenting author Tedd Tripp, who wrote "Shepherding a Child's Heart."

In his book Tripp said, "God calls parents to spank their children."

A demonstration is planned outside the West Seattle campus of the church Friday at 6 p.m. by those who disagree with Tripp's advocacy of corporal punishment.

Saturday's conference includes a segment titled, "Overview of Corrective Discipline: Spanking, Sowing & Reaping, and Communication."