There are many crisis in our society, many are worthy of serious consideration and concerted action. There are few more pressing with regard to the gospel than the crisis facing the masculinity of men.The rise of militant feminism and it’s relentless attack on masculinity has left men feeling guilty, and in it’s extreme forms, surplus to requirements. Masculinity has been attacked from almost every conceivable angle with men being degraded to ‘sperm donor’ and blamed for almost all the evil in the world.This kind of thinking can affect the church and over time is has. In the following list (by no means exhaustive) are some of the ways a concerted attack on masculinity has undermined biblical teaching and the preaching of the gospel.
- The feminization of the gospel – phrases like ‘give your heart to Jesus’ and an emphasis on God meeting the hearers felt needs.
- A challenge to male headship – an egalitarian approach to church leadership which much apart from missing the point of the wonderful differences between men and women, undermines leadership authority.
- Gender confusion among boys – what is required of the boy as he grows and develops into the man.
- A dearth of confident leaders – man who will follow Jesus and lead his people with vision and faith.
In the next few posts I want to address these issues and explore what the bible has to say with regard to them.