It was not good for men to be alone so God created females. The bible says that sin entered the world through one man (the first Adam) and Jesus (the second Adam) came to cleanse us from sin. Adam was held accountable for the sin that kicked him and Eve out of the garden even though she was the first to eat. His sin was of a passive omission. He didn’t step into the role that God made for him and didn’t protect Eve from the cunning one.
In The Heart of A Tender Warrior, Stu Weber makes a claim that “provision” is one of the major characteristics of how God made man. In past generations, men were expected to be the breadwinners for their family. However, the word “provision” goes beyond providing for the basics of food, shelter and clothing. If you break the word up you will find the words “pro” (before) and “vision” (ability to see.) Stu would conclude that a role of men is often to see what is coming and then to prepare, protect and provide for those around them accordingly. This includes physical needs as well as emotional and spiritual.
Stu likens men to scouts during the Wild West and our “manifest destiny.” Scouts would go out in pairs and scour the land ahead of them. They would often climb the highest mountains to get a better vantage point. Here they could assess what the best and safest routes were so they could steer the rest of the group. Meanwhile, many of the females watched over the day-to-day needs of watching the children and cooking. It was the role of men to hunt for game, protect the group from harm and to care for the well being of the whole. Their job was to see the big picture and keep everyone moving forward.
Today the role of a man has been skewed, dissected, emasculated and often questioned. Churches are prominently filled with females and children and the notion that church is primarily for them anyway. Females tend to be the most active participants in most churches. Men still make up a majority of the pastors and deacons throughout the U.S. but even that is slowly changing. A man being initiated by older and wiser men into manhood has been an integral part of most societies throughout history. Yet, the only initiations into manhood in the U.S. seem to be along the lines of when they leave the church or lose their virginity.
Meanwhile, many churches focus on becoming more efficient and spend countless dollars on the right carpet, pews, decorations, bulletins and activities. In fact, there are frequent church splits over such issues. Churches are often filled with very nice people dressed in their best outfits and a smile to match. They are neat and organized. It seems as though the goal of many churches is not to offend anyone while accepting (with open arms) anyone who wants to be like them. Churches want to keep things G rated.
William Sloane Coffin was quoted saying “Too many Christians use the Bible as a drunk does a lamppost — for support rather than for illumination.” Our churches often look more like support groups with a safe and friendly environment that is family friendly. We’ve substituted His presence for principles for good living. We’ve tried to make it clean and tidy even though the church is filled with people that have messy lives and loving them is rarely neat and tidy. We’ve taken great ideas from the workplace and have tried to institute them into our churches. However, God weighs productivity, efficiency and effectiveness in obedience, faithfulness and trust.
Unfortunately this isn’t a problem only found in the U.S. Divorce is as high as ever and the numbers aren’t different between professing Christians and not. Child slavery and prostitution are rampant throughout the world. People are starving in staggering numbers while most people focus their efforts on survival instead of living abundantly. Drugs, alcohol, violence are all gaining while world stability seems to be a delicate balance. Wars and rumors of wars are increasing. It’s no surprise that this world is in rough shape. The saddest thing of all is that I was about to go get some stats to back up all of the claims and generalizations I have just made but I don’t need to. These disturbing trends can’t even really be refuted and just about everyone has eyes to see it.
This is my calm version of what I see…Maybe you’ll get the worked up version some day.
The church is looking more and more like the world and men are looking much more like the first Adam. As a whole we men have been passive for far too long and the rest of the world is taking the brunt of it. This world has an abundance of males and a shortage of men. Meanwhile, women have gained prominence in many roles previously maintained by men. I applaud the women for stepping up in the absence of good men but I have to be honest that there is something deep inside of me that grieves when I look around. Where are all the men?
The bible says that God is the head of the body (church) and has made man the head of the family. The church is supposed to be taking care of the poor, needy, orphaned and widowed and ultimately we’re not doing a great job. However, there are remnants of men and women who are standing firm and living the way they were created. They are preparing and equipping many. Thank you God and thank you to those who are living this way!
I personally am a male trying to step into manhood. I long to be a man of integrity with the heart of a father. He has given me a desire to see men come alive and walk in the confidence and authority of a son of God. He has called me to help wake up a generation of men to live a life worthy of their calling. I have been walking in trust towards His voice and while I don’t know all the places He’s taking me, I do know that He is leading me. This world needs men to wake up to stand for those who can’t. The church needs men to wake up and unleash it because right now the church is tame. Families need men to wake up and love them fiercely. I need men to wake up to give me guidance, brotherhood and company. Will you join me?
