As I look around the Church, these are two of the things that I have noticed about men.
1) Men need guidance.
Pornography runs rampant, though most men will deny their use. Young men seem to put off adulthood in order to play video games and make excuses for themselves by calling it “delayed adolescence”. Issues surrounding sexuality have found places on our denominational dockets far more often than they should, and too many in the Church are wondering if women should be allowed to serve where only officers should. The men of the Church need guidance.
2) Men are going outside our “tribe” for the guidance they seek.
Men who care are looking for guidance and they aren’t finding it in the Presbyterian Church in America because, honestly, the PCA doesn’t really have much to offer.
The people and places to whom these men go usually fall into one of two categories. Either it’s a voice that speaks to the issues surrounding what it means to be a man, but the wisdom (if there is any at all) comes only from common grace insights. Or it’s somewhat better options inside the broader Church, but I often have to give too many caveats to make it worth the recommendation.
And so the question nags at me: “Why do I have to send men away in order to have their seeking satisfied?”
I grew up in a “gospel-centered” age of the church that encouraged us to grow in godliness simply by looking at our justification over and over again: “See your sin and see that Christ has paid for it.” But the issue is that repetition of this doctrine, as glorious as it is, does not lead to godly living. The Gospel is more than our justification, and sanctification is more than simply “preaching the Gospel to ourselves” every morning.
The Gospel is freedom from sin and living unto righteousness. Admittedly, sanctification is hard work, and it ought to be approached with fear and trembling. But it is also a work that we must approach with confidence in the One who is at work for us to will and do His good pleasure.
I am concerned that men coming up in squishy presbyterianism are wondering if the Bible speaks to them as men. Of course it does. (And true presbyterianism isn’t squishy.)
So, here’s the big question: Who will sound the call to biblical masculinity in my own tribe?
I am a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. Who among us will speak clearly and kindly about manliness and meekness?Who will speak to men about being godly patriarchs, who love their wives sacrificially and bring up their children in the Lord? Who will talk about cultivating sexually rich marriages and teaching boys and girls to respect and obey their parents? Who will teach our presbyterian boys how to become presbyterian men that our presbyterian girls will want to marry? Who will address the ever-important topic of properly pairing bourbon and cigars for late-night fire-side theological debate?
Welcome to Reforming Men. As our purpose statement says, we are dedicated to cultivating a renewed vision of Biblical masculinity rooted in Scripture and the Westminster Standards. We desire to see men loving their wives, nurturing their children, and leading the Church. Our mission is to encourage men to embrace their God-given roles as husbands, fathers, and leaders by calling them to Christ-like masculinity.
Comments