The "New Masculinity" in the Church

Those of you who know me, know this is one of those areas that really get me fired up. In part because it seems church leadership is sleeping at the wheel. How we've allowed pagan and fallen views of masculinity to be the savior of the modern church is a symptom of a larger disease that the pop-culture is alive and well in the Body.

And some of it has been fueled by stronger complimentarians, who say women are subordinate to men and then invent roles and attitudes for men to show how they are superior... all in the name of the Bible.

Jonalyn and I have an article in the pipeline we want to write on the masculine problem, in part targeting Wild at Heart for its pagan roots (drawing from Carl Jung and others) which has set off a whole new Christian men's movement in the 21st century. In the meanwhile, Christianity Today published an article today that is worth your attention (A Jesus for Real Men). The article names several players in the 'new masculinity,' including pastors, writers, and organizations. And while I think these people are well-intentioned, I think they dramatically miss the point. Even my own church has been celebrating a men's fraternity, delving into the resources of books mentioned on this first page. It concerns me and I don't know what to do about it without looking like a troublemaker (which, I find, accomplishes little to the victims of the problem).

What can be done? Remember, Paul admonished the elders in Ephesus to watch for wolves (which includes people and ideas). This is part of the work of apologetics. For my part, I wonder if the elders are the ones to watch for wolves or if the ones watching for wolves are the elders (a discussion for another time)... but let's all pay attention!

Here's the article: A Jesus for Real Men by Brandon O'Brien

Comments please!!

Modern Proverb - the platform or the speech?

What does it profit a human, to gain a platform and have nothing to say?