Showing posts with label men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label men. Show all posts

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Boys, Men, and the Christian Church

I just stumbled upon a great couple of blog posts about boys by Tim Wright. In one, he talks about The High Cost of Bored Boys.

The thing that really got my attention, that struck a nerve, is his first post, asking Does Anyone Care Anymore About Boys?
The Crucible Project Project 1530
Ahh, the beach!

I have been blessed with two sons, and the thing that grabbed my attention was how in 2009, the White House announced the formation of The President's Council on Women and Girls. Why no mention of a similar council for boys & men, you ask? I think it is part of  a larger drift among men. I see recurring examples of men who are not motivated, engaged, or "stepping up" in their lives. The women are organized, and the men are...where? Afterall, boys can't raise themselves, at least not well. Just look at the stats in Wright's blog.

In my opinion, the most direct path to turning this around is to raise up men. That's why I blog, serve in Men's Ministry in my church, meet with men, & staff weekend retreats with The Crucible Project.

There's another great group, Project 5130, which "raises up" boys on an experiential weekend. In fact, the group's founders are alumni of The Crucible Project.

I am delighted at others' efforts to start & continue a conversation about raising boys. Men, myself included, need all the help they can get. And if we don't get men & boys engaged in the world, and their faith, what will be left of the Christian church?

Friday, September 20, 2013

The Christian Church, a Gender Gap, and Missing Men

David Murrow did it again. He has written another insightful, pointed post about the Christian church and the gender gap.

I would argue that the grand narrative arc of the New Testament does NOT emphasize feminine themes; rather this arc has become perceived as feminine.
  • Yes, Jesus fought an abusive, legalistic religious landscape. That alone sounds more like a man than a woman--except when I consider this is how media represent women today. To prove my point, how many leading ladies in action films are shown as tough, vs. vulnerable, nurturing Sunday school teachers? 
  • Jesus asks fishermen to walk away from their livelihood and follow him, and they do. Popular culture is replete with examples of men who drop what they're doing to pursue a beautiful woman.
  • Jesus has a group of men who are his close friends, his ministry, his traveling companions. I think this is the example most adopted by women, most abandoned by men in our culture today. When I ask men if they're interested in men's groups or a Bible study, etc. they look at me like I'm speaking Klingon.
We've taken rugged individualism and made it our false idol. Jesus "did life" in the company of other men, ministering to communities as a whole. He broke bread with these guys, they disagreed & worked it out.

I don't think women grabbed the reins of the church from men; I believe, like John Eldredge, that most men are "asleep" when it comes to the big issues in life (and no, the big issues don't include fantasy football). With nobody at the wheel, so to speak, women stepped in.

It's like a company whose lead product has drifted from one market segment to another. They're in a tough spot, b/c the money & decisions are made by the new segment (women), and the original segment (men) is out of the picture, with little brand "engagement". Under attack from exterior forces (other religions, apathy, "must see TV", etc..), how does this firm re-engage its original target?

That is the big question: how to get men involved again in church. James MacDonald at Harvest has had a lot of success in this arena; I like David Murrow's ideas. The Crucible Project is getting it done.

Any other ideas? What are you doing to get men engaged in church...and life?