Monday, January 30, 2006
Be A Man!
Last week, Questions and Answers had an interesting quote from Chuck Baldwin on the lack of masculinity in the church.
Nowhere do I see it more prevalently than in what I would call "the indirect confrontation." It seems like whenever you have a beef with someone, from the most mundane to the most egregious there has to be a "process." This is really true in church. We are so afraid of hurting someone's feelings that we never just go up to someone and say what we think. God forbid we would ever use the words "you're wrong." The quote says this
The real problem with all this "process" is that it muddies the waters, it is designed to always split the baby - so "no one gets hurt." We have to remember the wisdom in Solomon's decision to cut the baby in half was not actually cutting the baby in half, it was in unmasking the imposter.
Among other things, masculinity helps to preserve the line between right and wrong. We could do with more of that in the church today.
Related Tags: manhood, masculinity, gentlemen, gentlman, conflict resolution
By masculine, I mean a man who not only demonstrates the physical qualities of ruggedness but who also possesses inner toughness. A man who says what he means and means what he says. A man who recognizes the importance of honesty. A man of noble principle. A man without covetousness. A man who cannot be bribed or bullied. A man committed to manly virtues. A man who is the head of his home and knows how to control and discipline his children. A man who loves justice but also knows tenderness and mercy. A man who fears God and shows reverence for the sacred. A man who knows the difference between the rule of law and the lust for power. On the whole, our society today has little tolerance for such men. Even in our churches, masculinity is dying.The quote goes on to be a little more harsh than I might agree with, but there is a real point here.
Nowhere do I see it more prevalently than in what I would call "the indirect confrontation." It seems like whenever you have a beef with someone, from the most mundane to the most egregious there has to be a "process." This is really true in church. We are so afraid of hurting someone's feelings that we never just go up to someone and say what we think. God forbid we would ever use the words "you're wrong." The quote says this
There was a time in America when society as a whole expected men to be masculine. Boys were taught physical, emotional, and spiritual toughness. They played "rough" games. They were taught how to defend themselves and others. At the same time, they were taught rules of etiquette, polite manners, and proper speech. They knew the meaning of the word "gentleman." Manhood had more to do with how well he behaved, not how well he cussed.A man was expected to know how to resolve conflict directly and succinctly. When his conflict was with another gentleman, things usually went quite well. If the other party was not a gentleman, well, a gentleman knew how to deal with that as well.
The real problem with all this "process" is that it muddies the waters, it is designed to always split the baby - so "no one gets hurt." We have to remember the wisdom in Solomon's decision to cut the baby in half was not actually cutting the baby in half, it was in unmasking the imposter.
Among other things, masculinity helps to preserve the line between right and wrong. We could do with more of that in the church today.
Related Tags: manhood, masculinity, gentlemen, gentlman, conflict resolution
