Steve Crosby had some great thoughts the other night at our Spokane Gentleman's Society Meeting...which rocked!
I asked him to send me a expanded version of his thoughts and here they are:
I enjoy the Antiques Road Show. On occasion, someone brings in a work of art that is from a master or a lesser known, but esteemed artist that has been painted over with a picture of less value. Some times the works are covered with dirt and the appraiser will urge the owner to get the picture professionally cleaned so the original beauty can shine through.
On the issue of what it means to be a “man” in a “biblical” or “Christian” context, I am afraid that there are so many layers of cultural prejudices, cultural stereotypes, man-made value systems, and plain old Christian nonsense covering God’s intent, that it is nearly impossible to see the Master’s hand.
The Christian bookstores are full of “how to manuals” of what a man is supposed to look like or supposed to do. I find nearly all of these presentations offensive. They are fundamentally the energizing of the fallen nature. The end result of the philosophy in these books is if I am a “good Christian man,” I can check off my “to do list” of masculinity and feel good about myself knowing that I am “pleasing God.” At their core, these books attempt to define gender identity by something we do or don’t do: “men are hunter-gatherers and conquerors, and women are nesters and nurturers. This is God’s eternal plan for the genders!”
Really? Who says so? Not the Scriptures.
These books of the popular, main stream Christian press, attempt to define gender identity by role and function, rather than from the realities of the new order of our “in-Christness.” Yes, there are gender differences. However, these differences are not defined and limited by earth bound, cultural preferences.
If something is a kingdom truth, it must be true trans-culturally. I can guarantee you, that ideas of “appropriate manhood” are vastly different in East Africa than Western New York, even though believers in both places may be reading the same Bible. Why? We have a VERY difficult time preventing our cultural senses of “gender propriety” from intruding onto the text.
If God’s idea for masculinity was lost in Adam and regained in Christ, the opposite of what Adam did in the Garden, might be a good place to look for the essential constitution of masculinity.
When God called, Adam was AWOL. He was not present.
The essence of biblical masculinity is learning to live every moment of my life eternally presenting myself before the Father. Jesus lived His life, prior to Calvary “ever present” before the Father. He was always “there’ when called upon to represent the Father’s interests at the Father’s command.
That is, I am always present before Him. Since I am always present before Him, I can respond to Him within the diversities of gifts, graces and talents that I have been given, to fulfill His purpose in and through me on planet earth, at any time, in any circumstance, being led by His Spirit as a son.
What does that mean?
If the Father calls and says, I want you to weep with your daughter, I weep with my daughter and that is masculine.
If the Father calls and says I want you to wrestle with your son, that’s masculine.
If the Father calls and says, I want you to wash the dishes tonight, that’s masculine.
If the Father calls and says, I want you to stay home and watch the kids tonight, that’s masculine.
If the Lord calls and says, I want you to write a poem tonight, that’s masculine.
If the Lord says, I want to teach you to sew become a fashion designer, that’s masculine.
If the Father says, I want you to dance and you become a ballet dancer, that’s masculine.
If the Father says, take your daughter moose hunting, that’s masculine.
If the Lord calls and says, I want you to confront your boss today, that's masculine.
You get the point.
All these things are masculine because they are the accurate response to the inquiry of God.
The Church of the Lord must extract itself from narrow and culturally prejudiced definitions of what it means to be a man as defined by “role” or “function.”
