Is It Manly to be a Christian?

I think that men face a real quandary when it comes to attending a church, let alone becoming an active member.  In fact it seems that men are facing a challenge of being men from all sorts of directions in our culture. 

An interesting article was written by John J Miller in Hillsdale College’s Imprimis (http://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/file/archives/pdf/2013_09_Imprimis.pdf) entitled, “Football and the American Culture.” It is not news that football and many contact sports are under scrutiny these days because of the threat of serious injuries. This conflict over violent sports has a history. Miller ends up taking the line of Theodore Roosevelt that football is a positive social good that ought to be preserved. There is something culturally good about manly sports.

I never was good at sports. I have enjoyed watching some sports including football so I found the above article interesting. I was never motivated by sports though. I was one of the guys that would be found in the marching band at the football game. For me music and the theater were the place my imagination could run. Being able to play the part of hero or villain was motivation for me. We’ve all been caught up in a movie or musical where the music builds to the suspenseful tension or victorious climax. History is full of manly men being public speakers and actors.

Unfortunately the Church appears to have become another accomplice in the attack on manliness.  Missouri-Synod Lutheran pastor Jonathan Fisk in a recent “Worldview Everlasting” video (http://www.worldvieweverlasting.com/2013/10/18/when-relevancy-fails/) gives an example of how men are being marginalized in the Church. It seems the Church has moved to presenting a childish religion that may well be driving young men out of the Church. Christian faith ought not to be trivialized by sing song music, mere emotionalism, or silliness in order to cater to children or others. I fear that many evangelical churches have unwittingly marginalized manliness in favor of more contemporary acceptable views of human behavior. What is a man to do?

May I suggest the manliness of reformation theology? The reformers were no mere book worms or sensitive males looking to get in touch with their feelings. When Luther defended himself and stood on his conscience that was bound only to God’s word, he stood against the powers that ruled the world. Martin Luther was a man’s man. Jesus called his disciples to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Peter was no weakling and Paul no effeminate (2 Corinthians 22-28). The Church is under attack by its foes; false religion and humanism. It needs men to be men and for boys to grow up to be men. We are in a warfare ( 2 Corinthians 10:3-6) that needs men to be strong, thoughtful, and courageous leaders.

This is not to say the Church doesn’t need women. By no means. The Church needs both. The Church needs men and women who know the difference and the skills, callings, and talents that each give.