Men and church

[Swampguy]

What do you think of this: http://www.churchformen.com/allmen.php

 

[fredtgreco]

Anything that endorses:

Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul

By John Eldredge

This bestseller resonates with men who find Christianity boring and irrelevant as it is practiced today. Eldredge´s vision of Godly men as wild, dangerous, unfettered and free has found a receptive audience. This book has taken the church by storm, and I recommend this book as a prerequisite to my own.

is certainly suspect.

 

[alwaysreforming]

This is what "The White Horse Inn" was about this week...

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/


The Sentimental Journey
As we continue to set the context for our new year-long series in the Book of Romans, the hosts examine how and why sentiment has replaced doctrine in contemporary Christianity, and the impact this has had on the church. They also converse with David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church.

 

[Swampguy]

I just listen to the WHI program and found it very interesting. I believe the subject of men in church and how the church relates to them needs to be studied.
I look around my church and we are mostly women and children. I would have to say the stats are right on.

 

[Henry from Canada]

First of all, I think there are both men and women turned off by church. I just think there are more men than women.

Secondly, I think it is "church-growth strategies" that have repelled quite a few relatively Godly people.

Church growth strategy #1 - "Teddy Bear" God
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Many churches seem to try to portray God in a really nice "George Burns" type of way.

In 1992, when I first started going to church again, I was told repeatedly that God would never do anything to hurt anyone. Satan is the only one who actually harms in this age.

Then, I would read about how God sent an evil spirit after Saul. Then, I read about how God hardened the Pharaoh's heart to his determent.

One Christian leader told me that I did not really understand what I was reading about the Pharaoh. God would never harden a person's heart.

This type of teaching does 3 things:
- it confuses people who actually read the Bible
- it weakens proper fear of the Lord
- it makes God look rather weak, and Satan look relatively strong

All these things tend to obscure the Truth, and thereby weaken church-bounds.

Ironically, I suspect churches drive away Godly people by the very way they try to attract them.

2) Church-growth strategy #2: False forgiveness
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Proper forgiveness is crucial.

What I have seen repeatedly is bogus forgiveness.

Example:
I am 100 pounds overweight because my father did show proper attention to me as a child. Therefore, I will forgive my father for not showing proper attention and causing me to find love in all the wrong places - such as chocolate ice cream.

(I know how bogus this appears.)

False forgiveness has 2 effects:
- it does not allow Christians to properly repent of their sins
- it creates an anti-father and anti-male environment in the church.

I have seen a number of "church leaders" who seem to be constantly criticizing men, including myself. This tends to drive men - and women - from church. It also dishonours fathers.

(I know how politically incorrect this sounds.)

 

[Peter]

God has chosen the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the mighty and the wise.

Look at Rutherford's letters, the most pious and devout people in them are women.

 

[Pilgrim]

I was a bit dismayed to see that site linked in the PCA newsletter. But then again, I've heard of PCA (and no doubt others) churches where the de facto rulers of the church are women. But I would think and hope this is largely something of the past, a relic of the PCUS days.

While I'm sure there are exceptions, I would hazard a guess that the churches with the most disparity of females vs. males are going to be:

1. Romanist
2. Liberal "Protestant"
3. Pentecostal/Charismatic
4. Evanjellyfish, and any other kind of church that mainly deals in emotionalism and sentimentality.

Most if not all of the more Reformed churches I've been to have been about 50/50. Leon Podles (who I think is Roman Catholic), author of "The Church Impotent" also points this out, that the more "fundamental" churches are less feminized.

[Edited on 1-18-2006 by Pilgrim]

 

[Scott]

"Ironically, I suspect churches drive away Godly people by the very way they try to attract them."

Another way to phrase this would be, that churches drive away the sheep by the methods they use to attract the goats.

 

[LadyFlynt]

I agree, we NEED the men to be men and to be the leaders in ALL areas of the church body. (I believe Vision Forum does a good job at encouraging this...and I would also be suspect of "Wild at Heart")