Girly men?
Who are we preaching to--"dormant men"?
Men have always been spiritually lethargic, but it seems to have reached unusual proportions these days, and lots of people are noticing it.Along similar lines John Piper, in his essay on men's duty to protect women (via), shows that God's purposes are not always socially popular (especially in a sick culture).Some people believe this is due to the feminization of the church. They say that the overly emotional worship songs and sermons about meek-and-mild-turn-the-other-cheek Jesus are big turnoffs to real guys. In response, they inject their ministries with video clips of sports bloopers, songs about testosterone, and guys on stage who can bend wrenches with their bare hands. I’m not making that up.
posted by Milton Stanley at 8:34 AM
5 Comments:
My own reflection on this has brought me some confusion that I know I need to work through. I mean, what if you are not the kind of man who can bend a wrench with his bare hands, or leap tall buildings in a single bound? I know I am not a "real" man by those standards. I don't much like sports. I enjoy reading, cooking, poetry, and many other things that are considered "feminine." I don't like motorcycles, I don't own a gun, I don't own a sports car. Am I a wimp? I don't think so. Sure, most people would disagree with me, especially those testosterone driven men who want so badly to be an indestructible superman. The truth is, we are not supermen. In fact, we are weak. I always was told that real men don't cry. I always disagreed. Real men do indeed cry. Last time I checked I was a man and I cry sometimes. I think I am a more real man than most because I am unashamed to admit it. Yes, I cry. I cried when my kids were born. I cried when my dog died. I cried when I got married. I cried when I got saved. Am I a real man? You betchya. I would kill to protect my family, and I would die for the sake of the gospel. At least, I hope that I would. I would also like to think that I would defend the weak and innocent in this world. So, I do have a masculine side after all. Yes, I am a man and no less a man when I cry. Blessings to you today and thanks for this post. It has made me reevaluate my masculinity in real life terms. I don't need testosterone trips to validate my manliness. I look to God for that. I just pray that God will transform me into the man he wants me to be, and not some "image" of what it means to be a man in this world.
Blessings again to you Milton. I don't know if I kept with the topic but thought I just needed to say this. Thanks.
Gord, could you be confusing maleness with machismo? I recommend following the link to John Piper's article.
As for me, I cry pretty much every day, don't care for watching sports, enjoy reading and writing, and am not particularly gifted in the testosterone department. At the same time I'm as convinced as John Piper that it's men's duty to protect and nurture women and not vice-versa. In other words, we may not be macho, but we can't help but be male.
The point of Dr. Piper's article is that God has created men and women for different roles. Whether we're macho or not, we have our roles to play as men, and women their roles to play as women. As alien as that concept may be to modern Western culture, it's part of a biblical worldview.
Gord:
As Milton has suggested, you may be comparing yourself to the straw man of our present culture rather than what Scripture says. It seems to me that the "measure of a man" (see Gene Getz on that one) largely centers on accepting responsibility for the stewardship God has given. That includes our roles as a son, brother, father, husband, uncle, grandfather, friend, believer, etc. The buck stops with us as adult men.
Milton:
You're "not particularly gifted in the testosterone department"? Look in the mirror: you're (I'm trying to be gentle here) as bald as a cue ball. That is a function of increased - not lacking - levels of testosterone.
You probably have hairy knuckles, too, and think about shaving your back from time to time.
(Dr Mike)
Note to readers: I posted these links not to promote machismo (and I'm sorry if it came across that way), but to remind preachers and other Christians that the dominant culture's view of men and women in the West is out of step with God's purposes as revealed in Scripture.
Finrod, your words made me laugh out loud! Good to hear from you, and thanks for the comments. Seere (peace).
Post a Comment
<< Home