Thank God for Testosterone? Confusion About Christian Manhood
Thank God for Testosterone? Confusion About Christian Manhood Dr. Mohler has an interesting post about a movement called GodMen. He has some reservations about their approach to "rejuvinating" a Christian understanding of masculinity. Here is what they list on their website as goals:
About GodMen GodMen believes that being a guy is a reason to be proud - not a problem to be fixed. We connect men to their spiritual masculinity - making them dangerous in a righteous way. In our unique conference guys will: - Have fun and enjoy some great music - without being required to cry or hold another man's hand. We promise. - Gain unique insights into the issues that typically mess men up, and practical ways to overcome them. - Talk about issues that many guys have been taught are wrong to even think about. - Help guys find real, solid friends - a band of brothers - to accompany them through the phases of their lives. GodMen is for: - Active church-going men who are looking for a fresh challenge and a larger experience. - Men who attend church but seldom participate, who wish it spoke more directly to the issues that impact their lives. - Men who have stopped attending church, even though they consider themselves Christians. - Men who have never been to church . Who Are We? GodMen is led by a group of Christian laymen (authors, speakers, teachers, and businessmen) who believe that the abundant life Jesus promised is available for men today. These lay leaders dare to confront directly the forces that are decimating Christian men today forces such as: - Pornography: the result of good sexual desires going in the wrong direction. - Fatherlessness: which leaves a huge hole in a man's soul. - False Piety: creating a caricature of 'Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild' which has ruined countless lives. - Anti-Intellectualism: which has driven many thinking men from the fortress of faith. - Isolation: the quest for spiritual self-sufficiency, which leaves men exposed to attack and ashamed of defeat GodMen reflects a fresh movement among Christian men, a return to biblical patterns of masculinity. Its purpose is to create better disciples, citizens, husbands, and fathers.There is a definite need for regaining an understanding of the sexes within Christianity. Unfortunately, the above goals, while noble, have been poluted by the leader's comic routines are often laced with profanity. Dr. Mohler responds:
Christian manhood is not about beating chests and celebrating testosterone -- it is about showing up and doing what real Christian men do. Real manhood is demonstrated in the fulfillment of a man's assigned roles as husband, father, leader, servant, teacher, protector, and provider. Real manhood is in doing what men do, not endless talk about how great it is to be a man. Real Christian manhood is evident in taking up leadership in the home and in the church, not in crude and facile talk about Jesus using profanity when he called Herod "that fox." In other words, real Christian men are those who have grown up to be men, not those who embarrass the church and confuse the Gospel with displays of adolescent misbehavior. Let's hope this movement grows up before it blows up.
