...others agree.
Western Christianity is in a weird place. On the one hand, we're constantly accused of being man-centered because we don't allow women to be pastors. On the other hand, 60% of church goers are women, and the women often step up to lead more than the men.
A Couple of Different Perspectives
Cody Pope - Dudes
Real Men
Church for Men
I'd honestly like to know how people define "Biblical manhood," without resorting to broad strokes from secular psychology about things like "father wounds" (not saying they don't exist for some). Biblical manhood is David and Jonathan weeping together, embracing with a kiss. Biblical manhood is Apostles giving up their worldly possessions and comfort for the sake of the Gospel. Biblical manhood is Jeremiah at the bottom of a well. If Biblical manhood is simply visible church leadership and raising a family, I don't see that in many of the great men of faith in Scripture.
ReplyDeleteAs a Christian male not currently involved in church (so, part of the problem it would seem), I'd have to say that I'm wary of letting the churches I've visited define Biblical manhood. In all honesty, I suspect that there's a deeper issue at the root of this. Our lack of church governance? Our departure from holding to a defined doctrine of worship and communion? An increasing dependence on secular standards of success that has infected not only rates of male attendance by the way we run our ministries, pay our clergy, and organize our charitable giving?
I suspect that the lack of male involvement is a symptom, not a cause.
To be frank, when I see the decisions made by the men who are in church leadership positions, I don't know if packing the pews with more of them is the answer.
If the above was snarky, it wasn't meant to be. As an armchair philosopher and logician, definitions are important to me. So, I'd like to know: how do you define Biblical manhood?
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