Feminize THIS!

Yet another article about how women go to church more than men do, because the churches are "feminized". Insipid lyrics, dumb sermons, emotive language are just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest problem, the writer says, is that the churches provide a place for "feminine" needs: stability, predictability, and relationships. Men don't need that boring stuff. Men need adventure and risk. Men need danger. Churches don’t provide that, and men drop out.

My first question is: since men are running the church (and have been for the last 2 thousand years or so, apart from the few decades at the dawn of Christianity) - what stops them from changing the church to whatever they need it to be? They want bear hunting trips? Hiking across Alaska? Ocean kayaking? Bungee-jumping? Who's gonna organize it for them, the women who aren't in charge? One would think that Christian men actually LIKE all the insipid lyrics and the pink fluffy decorations on the altars – who’s controlling the church, after all?

My second question is, what makes the author think that women actually LIKE the stupid, insipid, emotive stuff? Is it because we actually go to church? Well, I got news for the writer: we can easily do without all the cute, meaningless crap. We tolerate this male-produced evangelical culture, because we’ve learned to bite the bullet and endure things we don’t like in order to enjoy the things that we do need: friendships and relationships with other people who love Christ. If men can’t do the same thing – take responsibility for the culture they “authoritatively” have shaped and are shaping, and endure it for 2 hours a week, too bad.

My third question is, what exactly IS the function of the church, according to the author? Biblically speaking, the church exists to provide a place for connection, friendship and relationships for people who love Christ. It is there for Christians to gather together, experience God as a community, and go out to serve the world. Is that too boring for you? Yeah, my heart is bleeding (not!).

Adventure, risk, or danger, are not needs, they are self-centered and arrogant demands of the spoiled middle-to-upper class north-american christian males, who are forgetting how to be grateful for the "boring" safety of their society. What they need isn't churches who will organize hunting trips or mountain-climbing tours. They need to pack their bags, and go to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, or Malawi- or inner city areas - and serve the communities for whom danger isn't luxury or entertainment, it's a way of life.

Christian life isn't about risk for the sake of risk, or having one's fill of adventure. It's about having a life that is meaningful, and dedicated to service. If it's too "girly" or too "boring", whiners don't need to join. The path of Christianity is narrow. Jesus said so. If you are not man enough to accept that challenge and carry your cross, please do everyone a favor, and find another hobby.

Galina Freed.

Comments

[D. P.]

Brilliant! This is a keeper! :-)

[abra]

Well said. It's the men who run most churches. Let them rip down the pink doilies and hang a moosehead in the foyer. I never cared for doilies, myself. But something is amiss when the Christian call to love and sacrifice gets switched to "adventure."

J.

[rusty]

i am a Male (chistian male) who agrees with MOST of what u are saying....i agree that men in north american culture desire things that fufill the flesh....BUT whats more important than telling people about the meaning of life (Jesus Christ)"..the way the truth and the life"...and leading lost people to eternal life.....Feminine?????i dont think it possible...it is spiritual...it has absolutely nothing to do with gender....or is whats more impotant going out on hunting trips all the time or whatever their flesh desires??, and never get the message of truth out to people that need to hear it, today....because they might not have tomorrow.....every single second counts and if we cant take that seriously we are lazy self centered shallow minded group of people that claim the title "church"....yeah it IS a church BUT it is the laodecian church of revelation chapter 3....we are neither hot nor cold so HE will spew us out of his mouth" that is easy to understand but just in case...it means that we are not on fire for God but we arent completely dead to him...yet"....the simple fact is that the babylonian culture has infiltrated the church thru TV Radio etc....has influenced are children, who are the future church...and future church leaders....and will also raise and teach their children.....parents are getting divorced and remarried....not biblical....stopping corporal punishment(SPANKING UR KINDS)the bible says "he who spareth the ROD spoileth the CHILD"it does not say"he who spares THE TIME OUTETH SPOILETH THE CHILDETH" and for the women (AND MEN!!)who believe that the word ROD is just a metaphor for DISCIPLINE needs to look in the DICTIONARY and shouldnt change a word around to fit their heretical beliefs.....We cannot blame the MALE for this...nor can We blame the FEMALE for this it is THE PARENTS bottom line......we let these things influence the future church....MEN DO HOWEVER NEED TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND STOP BEING PANSYS AND STAND UP FOR WHATS RIGHT INSTEAD OF COMPROMISING AND WOMEN NEED TO STOP TRYING TO BE THE DOMINATE ONE AND TRYINY To CHANGE BIBLICAL TEACHINGS INTO FEMINISTIC IDEALS(DONT DECIEVE URSELF LADIES GOD TOLD EVE THAT WOMEN WILL DESIRE DOMINION OVER THE MAN,GOD SAID IT ITS TRUTH!!!!!!!!....MEN AND WOMEN NEED TO PLAY THE ROLE GOD ORDAINED " WIVES SUBMIT UNTO THY HUSBANDS" LOOK UP THE WORD SUBMIT LADIES and MEN "HONOUR THY WIFE" TREAT HER LIKE UR WIFE LIKE U LOVE HER And CANT BREATH WITHOUT HER...I am only 20 but i have been observing those around me as well as reading the bible and this is the problem whether u like it or not...."Honour thy Father and thy Mother..."well lets see do ur kids honour YOU?????do they do what they are told without complaint....50 years ago they would....or the FATHER woulda BEAT HIS BEHIND....thats what kind of thing kept the MEN growing up to BE MEN OF GOD and Women TO BE THE VIRTUOUS WOMEN....we all need to check ourselves before he comes back because we ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME....and THE BIBLE SAYS U WILL NOT EXPECT HIM IF U ARE IN DARKNESS so IF U THINK THAT HE ISNT COMING BACK IN UR LIFE TIME ITS BECAUSE SUMTHING ISNT SITTING RIGHT WITH U AND THAT THOUGHT, AND U WILL BE THE ONES THE BIBLE SAID WILL BE CAUGHT OF GAURD WHEN THE MASTER RETURNS FROM HIS JOURNEY. god bless u all and good night

- A Messenger-