Masculine Spirituality

The "men in church" issue is something that should greatly concern us. There are many haunting questions such as why don't more men attend church, how does the church retain their interest, how does the church keep from losing young men and boys and increase attendance of males in their twenties, what is being done to stop the feminization of the church and the list of like questions goes on and on. Without strong male leadership the church will suffer and I think in large part is suffering today as a result. From the current issue of Covenant, we read, According to a 2006 study by Duke University, the typical US congregation draws an adult crowd that is 61% female and 39% male with virtually no men in their twenties.

Masculinity is misunderstood these days and Biblical masculinity is no different. The author of this article* offers the following: Christ-centered masculinity entails nothing less that fighting for the cosmic cause of the Kingdom, fighting evil, accepting responsibilty, leading with radical fortitude, pursuing justice for others, showing empathy for the things that God cares about, and living out the implications of the Gospel in every area of life in ways unique to our vocation as men (Prov. 5; 1 John 2:12-14). That's a pretty tall order and I'm sure most of us fall short. Nevertheless its time we all start striving for these goals. We need to start looking to ourselves as men for ways to make us better, more Godly men, not just for our own good but for the ultimate and eternal glory of Christ.

*Masculine Spirituality by Anthony Bradley, Covenant magazine, Spring 2008, page 13.