For decades, masculinity has been scrutinized in the West, particularly in the United States. In America, particularly, the cultural influence of the left – reinforced by feminism – has been dominant since at least the 1960s.
However, emotional changes appear to be ongoing in what is called “vibe shifts.”
The former authority of once-Left cultural hegemony has been challenged, prompting a deeper conversation about the role of masculinity in society. In this changing landscape, many men are addressing questions about their purpose and identity. The challenge is spiritual rather than cultural, especially for Christian men. How does their faith equip them to stand firm in the toughest battles we face?
In an article published last October for Blaze Media, Bob Stevenson took issue with a talk I gave at a boys' conference hosted by my church last summer. American Reformers.
There are a lot of Stevensons, but I agree. Early in his article, he acknowledges the basic premise of what some called Negative World Paradigm. Christians today are more difficult for Christians to exist publicly about their faith than before, but there are indications that they may be changing for the better in the new administration. Young men seem to have a renewed interest in Christianity.
But as Stevenson admits, “the decks are stacked against Christians in the public square.” If people are publicly expressing their Christian faith, they could be pushed back to our time. In fact, many Christians just live underneath Progressive gaze; They experience progressive totalitarianism every day at work. To oppose your colleagues about “gay marriage” or abortion as a Christian is to risk being fired. Heaven will help them if their colleagues know they went to church or voted for Donald Trump.
However, Stevenson doesn't seem to be sure that Christians should develop their spine in such a scenario and celebrate the strength of Christianity. He asks a lot of questions and admits that he doesn't know what to do with modernity and manlyness. Stevenson ignors Christians like me, either ignoring certain teachings (i.e. turning other cheeks) and actions (i.e. washing feet) for Christian men, or giving Jesus a fresh look. We recognize Christians who want to be as if they were (i.e. wash their feet) for our challenge.
A cruciform lifestyle does not just adopt the attitude of a doormat.
He quotes my article at this point, claiming that we need a “muscular yes for muscular Christianity.”
Stevenson is very concerned. He is concerned that Christians seem to understand more of Christ Victor's reality in Nietzsche's ideas than Christ. He argues that those who promote such concepts view Christ's victory as “tolerant and not formative.” This is not a cross, but a call to attack. ”
If you believe Jesus has been aggressive up until now, ask yourself.
Do you believe that Jesus has shown some aggression and hostility towards him (Matthew 23:13-39; Mark 11:15-18; Revelation 19:15) is inconsistent with Christ's death on the cross. Are you doing it? Neither of me. I do not believe that Jesus' teachings, life and death, and death are contradictory.
Stevenson wants to have his cake and eat it. He wants to argue that Christ is inexplicable. “To be able to explain him is to make him smaller.” But he can explain Jesus because of the nature of a certain attitude that will not confuse anyone (other than a Christian nationalist). I think so. Rather than truly please the complexity and beauty of Christ, what Stephenson might call the inexplicability of Christ, he commits the rhetorical sin that he uses to condemn others.
For Stevenson, meekness is not a force under control. Christ's meekness is summed up essentially in functional weakness and passivity.
Christ is the whole picture of humanity. Like Stevenson, you don't have to settle in the weary paradigm of Christ that discounts his dynamic life. We need to accept the whole life of Christ.
Stephenson does not provide an answer to those who want to understand the calling of men to Christ in our time. Instead, he reinforces the same attitude that plagued the church in Christian culture.
Stephenson wants to warn pastors who want to help men step into the plates of the dangers of hitting baseball. In fact, for Stephenson, the danger is so great that men should never step into the plate for fear of actually doing something. They should have other teams win for the “cross.” Are you tired of this already? Some wonder what Stephenson will do in a more likely board game, or whatever sport he plays.
Is it like Christ who aims to win and defeat your enemies? Did he refuse to live a cruciform life when Stevenson beat me with a Catan settler?
Stevenson is right when he says, “The experience of redemption is not merely evading the punishment of our sin, but being remade or reformed by humanity as God intended.” I have It is written in this. Our redness is not merely a sotheriology, but it is also formative. We are to adapt to the image of God, Jesus Christ. This conformity means that we will be Christlike expressions in all areas of our lives.
But what does this mean formatively?
That means we should have a durable, dynamic Christian faith. A cruciform lifestyle is more than simply adopting the attitude of a doormat. It is to place the heart of Christ for a particular scenario. You can identify when a situation requires an assertive posture or when you are silently seeking posture. And in all of that, we trust in Christ, our shield. We even sin because we know we make mistakes, so we call on Christ for mercy and leadership.
The category Stevenson is looking for to help people is wisdom. Wisdom is a careful exercise in all circumstances. Stevenson is concerned that the new “Christian Rights” Christians calling men excellence are lacking carefully. He doesn't say it that way, but he did.
If this is proven, this would be a fair criticism. The church does not need a vision of masculinity taken from Yoder's pages. Instead, we need a full picture of Christ's masculinity. Christ is God's man of mission and accomplished it with tactile accuracy. His mission did not end with the cross. When he judges the country, it ends upon his return. He's already embarrassing his enemies. He disarmed them. When he comes again, he takes power to live and judge the dead. He expels those who did not lower their knees to his lords into hell.
Does this mean simply “coexisting” during that time? No, we pray the Lord's Prayer and go to work.
We enter the battlefield to Christian men, stand strong, embrace the heart of Christ, exercise prudence, and boldly declare Christ's victory.
Stephenson reveals his hand at the end of the article. “But Nietzsche missed the true beauty of the gospel. My hope is that Christians trying to find their foothold in this turbulent world are not, instead, true greatness is humbled. That we will see what is seen in service. That true victory comes from suffering, and that true power comes from weakness.'' Stevenson said many Christian leaders have Using the same rhetoric that we use today, we essentially make Jesus a problem.
We cannot truly be sure what Jesus will do in our culture. Except we can be sure that Jesus will not fight back.
It's as if Stevenson is writing a submission to the “Get Us to Him” campaign. He celebrates humble service, suffering and debilitating. And of course, on their faces, every Christian should be willing to endure persecution and suffering. We should not pursue persecution for persecution, but we should praise God when we experience it for the name of Christ. We should mainly acknowledge our weaknesses and try to grow in righteousness and the strength of the Lord.
But our weaknesses should not be fed up with our weaknesses, as if our weaknesses were integral to them. Our weakness is the opportunity for God's power to be shown to us. And of course, Christians should be as humble as Jesus.
As I mentioned, these traits do not challenge their faces. But for Stephenson, these are more than just aspects of Christ. They are the end of Christ and Christian life. He opened his article celebrating Christus Victor, a medieval theory of tone sin that emphasizes the perfect victory of Christ over Satan and evil, but he failed to offer men a vision other than Christus Loser. I did. Of course, this will shock him. He might argue that we are saying Christ is the loser.
Not at all.
With Stevenson, we acknowledge that Christ was a humble servant, lost a terrible death and suffered greatly. What we confess is that Jesus Christ lives today, sitting on His throne, judging the earth. We suffer greatly and are willing to live in power. What we don't get mad is to refuse to have the power we have at our disposal. We are not afraid to call Christian men excellence. We enter the battlefield to Christian men, stand strong, embrace the heart of Christ, exercise prudence, and boldly declare Christ's victory.
Christian men are called to embody both power and humility.
Christian loser time is over. The time for action is now. Spurring each other good work, praise God in your life, encourage your brother, pray seriously, and reject the vision of masculinity that describes Christ as a boy in the longhouse errands.
History is filled with such examples of courage under fire, following Christ and following death.
Protestant scholar and biblical translator John Rogers was used to boldly speak to the issues that plagued the church in his time. He did not reduce from confronting the corruption of the church. He resisted when the state ordered him to wear clothes prescribed in his mission. He showed Christlikeness by speaking boldly and shyly. Still, he was imprisoned on February 4, 1555 and martyred. If he were to break away, he was offered a pardon, but he refused. He boldly demonstrated power under domination and service to the Church, enduring suffering for the cause of Christ. His life was not a contradiction of the nature of his attitude, but instead a Christian photograph.
Christian men are called to embody both meekness, kindness and kindness, along with courage and resilience. They must pursue excellence and sway their strength with prudence.
But if the Church reduces the dignity of Christ by distorting his power and authority into a hollow, tamed vision of servant leadership, then people simply want to keep people comfortable – Christian men deliberately drifts in turbulent waters. What's worse, the church will fail to reach a man who longs for a bold, purposeful vision of manliness.
If we do not speak truth about faith, and if we are grounding these men to the full Bible counsel that includes humility, meekness and service, they will seek direction elsewhere. And there's no shortage of voice. Many are prepared to offer a counterfeit vision of masculinity with harmful intent.
“For you, for you, I would honestly say that I should be ashamed to tell you about the religion that makes you soft, ward diseased, and women.” – Charles Spurgeon
