There has been an enormous amount of activity in evangelicalism in recent years to address the gender gap in the church. If we look at evangelicalism today, it seems that evangelicalism today is committed to feminine truths. If men will embrace a feminine approach to relationships and spirituality then they are welcome in the church. Everything, even the tone of the preacher, is expected to be soft—more-suited to the sewing circle than anything else. Accuracy and plain speaking has been devalued, and replaced with a love affair for things like the seeker-sensitive movement.
Where does the “seeker-sensitive” movement fit into the biblical description of what the church should be? It doesn’t. It is an effeminate approach to Christianity and the biblical depiction of the church. And it is about to get worse with the emerging church — where truth is not held with courage and conviction. What we see today, instead of reflecting biblical Christianity, is a movement toward ear-tickling, truth-softening, and effeminization.
By every statistic that you could use to measure the evangelical church today, churches are becoming more and more dominated by feminine themes: personal relationships, emotional hurts, etc. As these trends have grown over the last two to three decades, real men are becoming less likely to become part of the church. Of course, the problem is far worse in liberal churches than in evangelical churches, but that should tell us what the end result of this trend will be. The problem is also worse in Europe. And this tells us where the American church is headed.
The involvement of men in the church is decreasing (within evangelical circles). Ministries like the Promise Keepers and books like Wild at Heart and The Five Love Languages, Men’s Edition do exist, but most of these (even in addressing manhood) are either effeminate or childish (promoting boyhood fantasies, not biblical masculinity).
Evangelical publishers are some of the worse culprits in keeping this trend going. Since women buy some 75% of the evangelical books published in America, publishers are primarily interested in publishing books that appeal to women. Thus the push to feminize everything in the church is a driving force in the Christian publishing industry.
At this point, Phil shared several anecdotes from his experiences in publishing to validate his point regarding evangelical publishers. He continued by noting that the problem is getting worse. In fact, it is so bad that publishers have recognized the problem and are beginning to publish books for men like Why Men Hate the Church.
It is clear that there is a problem, and it is primarily the church’s problem.
A few clarifications:
(1) This is not a rant against women, or against feminine values (in the sense of biblical femininity). The crisis in the church is not primarily the fault of women, who have somehow moved the focus of the church away from men. Rather, the fault lies at the feet of men who have turned the church over to women. The problem is with Christian men who are not manly enough to balance the equation.
(2) The solution to all of these problems cannot come from the top down – it needs to come from laymen. It is the duty of every Christian man to be fervent in his devotion to Christ. If this were to happen, the tide would change, and the trends would reverse. Moreover, there is a serious problem in the leadership of many evangelical churches – as seen recently when the leader of the largest coalition of evangelicals in our nation was caught in an adulterous homosexual relationship. So this has to be a movement that begins at the grass roots level.
(3) The problem we are talking about is not brand new. It is an age-old problem. But what we are seeing today is especially significant, and we’ve seen it coming. This movement has been in the works since soon after the end of the Puritan age. Since then, men have been more “refined” and “sophisticated” than the Scripture itself. So, instead of taking firm stands and preaching to one another about error, they had “dialogues” about truth – such that pulpits became soft and the truth watered-down.
Charles Spurgeon exemplified the convicting, manly approach to Christian living that is in keeping with biblical masculinity. Spurgeon was thought to be too harsh even in his own day. And yet, 150 years later, we are still reading Spurgeon. He still speaks to our generation. But all of the soft, wishy-washy, relativistic preachers of Spurgeon’s day have been forgotten.
Spurgeon urged the men in his congregation to pattern themselves after the perfect Man, Jesus Christ.
Biblically, when we are talking about manliness, we are talking about character. We are not talking about bravado, or boyishness. It’s not about style at all. Going out into the woods and getting in touch with nature has nothing to do with real, biblical manliness. Real manliness is defined by Christlike character.
In Ephesians 4:11–12, we find that when Christ ascended to heaven He gave gifts to His church. And the gifts that He gave are men. This passage is not just speaking of the offices, but of the specific individuals, the men, who fill those offices. It is clear from this text that Christ gave these men to the church. That is the point of the passage.
Verse 12 is saying that God gave these gifts to the church for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. That is not three separate ideas (expressed in those results). Rather, it is the long progression of a single idea. The saints are equipped so that they can do the work of the ministry so that the church can be built up.
It is the saints, not the clergy, who are tasked with the edification of the church. It is not the job of the clergy to do all the work of the ministry. Their job is to equip lay-people who will then go forward and do the work of the ministry.
Notice in verse 13 the emphasis on the “perfect man.” Paul deliberately uses the word for “man” in this verse. He is talking about manhood here, in this case perfect manhood. And he describes perfect manhood in verse 14 and 15.
Verse 13 tells us what perfect manliness is.
Verse 14 tells us what perfect manliness does.
Verse 15 tells us how perfect manliness works.
Following these three points…
1. What perfect manliness is (v. 13).
Perfect manliness is summed up in Christ. The phrases in this verse are parallel and synonymous, meaning that they all reiterate the same thing in quick succession. Thus, Christ Himself is the incarnation of perfect manhood and masculinity. We as men need to be conformed to His likeness, which is what sanctification is all about.
We could spend hours, maybe weeks, unpacking Christ’s masculinity. Since we do not have time to do that, we can begin by noting that the effeminate, “meek and mild” picture of Jesus that is often portrayed by the modern church does not fit the picture presented in the four gospels. In Scripture, when Jesus speaks, He is deliberately provocative. When He speaks to those who oppose Him, He is always blunt, confrontational, and very bold. He attacks lies and insincerity without any kind of velvet gloves.
This is not to say He is not gracious. But He responds to hypocrites and deliberate sinners with clarity and zeal. He even cleansed the Temple on two separate occasions. He showed righteous indignation. The point is: no one who knew Jesus would have never confused Him for a wimp. He was not, of course, some type of ruffian. But His character was in perfect balance — both gracious and courageous.
This is what men in the church, meaning every man in the church, must be pursuing.
2. What perfect manliness does (v. 14).
In verse 14, Paul focuses in on one specific characteristic that he believes marks true manliness – being anchored in the truth. Those who are spiritually immature are tossed to and fro by every kind of doctrine. Spiritual men, on the other hand, stand firm in truth. They are doctrinally stable.
If we are going to be stable doctrinally, we need to be certain about what we believe. We have to be able to stand firm against the cunning trickery of every fad, and also against the wiles and snares of the devil. Satan may tempt us to put aside biblical and doctrinal clarity, but we must be able to make wise and careful evaluations of such things. We must be true men in the sense that counts the most—our grasp of the truth.
Many of the metaphors in Scriptures involve manly figures: warriors, athletes, farmers. These are intentionally manly figures, especially in Bible times when there were no female warriors or athletes. These picture the protection of the truth, and they illustrate the essence of true manliness.
We need to quit buying into little boyish fantasies (like thinking that masculinity is defined as a battle to fight, an adventure to go on, or a beauty to win). Instead we need to focus on true manliness: contending earnestly for the truth and exposing doctrinal error. Real men are steadfast and sure, confident in what they believe. Real men stand against popular opinion for the sake of the truth, and they do it whenever the need arises.
Real men understand the truth well and they are devoted to it. This does not happen to lazy people. It requires diligence to move out of adolescence into this type of mature manhood.
3. How perfect manliness works (v. 15).
Paul puts the stress in this verse on “speaking the truth in love.” In the pastoral epistles, Paul continually exhorts Timothy to be courageous and be a man. Timothy, apparently, had a proclivity not to be as courageous as he should be. But, even in his strong challenge to Timothy, Paul cautioned Timothy not to pick fights unnecessarily (cf. 2 Tim. 2:22ff).
We are to fight for the truth. But we are to do it, as much as possible, with humility and love. Always speak the truth in love. To be able to do this, even in the midst of contending boldly for the truth, is the pinnacle of perfect manliness. Yet, the emphasis on love is in perfect balance with the imperative “speak the truth.” There is nothing right or manly about stifling the truth (or toning it down), even though we are to speak the truth in love.
When we do this faithfully, even in a loving way, we will encounter opposition. Those whom we confront will sometimes respond with anger and hatred. But that’s okay, the world hated Jesus too.
To be bold for the truth, in the pattern of Christ Himself, that is the measure of true masculinity.
Where does the “seeker-sensitive” movement fit into the biblical description of what the church should be? It doesn’t. It is an effeminate approach to Christianity and the biblical depiction of the church. And it is about to get worse with the emerging church — where truth is not held with courage and conviction. What we see today, instead of reflecting biblical Christianity, is a movement toward ear-tickling, truth-softening, and effeminization.
By every statistic that you could use to measure the evangelical church today, churches are becoming more and more dominated by feminine themes: personal relationships, emotional hurts, etc. As these trends have grown over the last two to three decades, real men are becoming less likely to become part of the church. Of course, the problem is far worse in liberal churches than in evangelical churches, but that should tell us what the end result of this trend will be. The problem is also worse in Europe. And this tells us where the American church is headed.
The involvement of men in the church is decreasing (within evangelical circles). Ministries like the Promise Keepers and books like Wild at Heart and The Five Love Languages, Men’s Edition do exist, but most of these (even in addressing manhood) are either effeminate or childish (promoting boyhood fantasies, not biblical masculinity).
Evangelical publishers are some of the worse culprits in keeping this trend going. Since women buy some 75% of the evangelical books published in America, publishers are primarily interested in publishing books that appeal to women. Thus the push to feminize everything in the church is a driving force in the Christian publishing industry.
At this point, Phil shared several anecdotes from his experiences in publishing to validate his point regarding evangelical publishers. He continued by noting that the problem is getting worse. In fact, it is so bad that publishers have recognized the problem and are beginning to publish books for men like Why Men Hate the Church.
It is clear that there is a problem, and it is primarily the church’s problem.
A few clarifications:
(1) This is not a rant against women, or against feminine values (in the sense of biblical femininity). The crisis in the church is not primarily the fault of women, who have somehow moved the focus of the church away from men. Rather, the fault lies at the feet of men who have turned the church over to women. The problem is with Christian men who are not manly enough to balance the equation.
(2) The solution to all of these problems cannot come from the top down – it needs to come from laymen. It is the duty of every Christian man to be fervent in his devotion to Christ. If this were to happen, the tide would change, and the trends would reverse. Moreover, there is a serious problem in the leadership of many evangelical churches – as seen recently when the leader of the largest coalition of evangelicals in our nation was caught in an adulterous homosexual relationship. So this has to be a movement that begins at the grass roots level.
(3) The problem we are talking about is not brand new. It is an age-old problem. But what we are seeing today is especially significant, and we’ve seen it coming. This movement has been in the works since soon after the end of the Puritan age. Since then, men have been more “refined” and “sophisticated” than the Scripture itself. So, instead of taking firm stands and preaching to one another about error, they had “dialogues” about truth – such that pulpits became soft and the truth watered-down.
Charles Spurgeon exemplified the convicting, manly approach to Christian living that is in keeping with biblical masculinity. Spurgeon was thought to be too harsh even in his own day. And yet, 150 years later, we are still reading Spurgeon. He still speaks to our generation. But all of the soft, wishy-washy, relativistic preachers of Spurgeon’s day have been forgotten.
Spurgeon urged the men in his congregation to pattern themselves after the perfect Man, Jesus Christ.
Biblically, when we are talking about manliness, we are talking about character. We are not talking about bravado, or boyishness. It’s not about style at all. Going out into the woods and getting in touch with nature has nothing to do with real, biblical manliness. Real manliness is defined by Christlike character.
In Ephesians 4:11–12, we find that when Christ ascended to heaven He gave gifts to His church. And the gifts that He gave are men. This passage is not just speaking of the offices, but of the specific individuals, the men, who fill those offices. It is clear from this text that Christ gave these men to the church. That is the point of the passage.
Verse 12 is saying that God gave these gifts to the church for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. That is not three separate ideas (expressed in those results). Rather, it is the long progression of a single idea. The saints are equipped so that they can do the work of the ministry so that the church can be built up.
It is the saints, not the clergy, who are tasked with the edification of the church. It is not the job of the clergy to do all the work of the ministry. Their job is to equip lay-people who will then go forward and do the work of the ministry.
Notice in verse 13 the emphasis on the “perfect man.” Paul deliberately uses the word for “man” in this verse. He is talking about manhood here, in this case perfect manhood. And he describes perfect manhood in verse 14 and 15.
Verse 13 tells us what perfect manliness is.
Verse 14 tells us what perfect manliness does.
Verse 15 tells us how perfect manliness works.
Following these three points…
1. What perfect manliness is (v. 13).
Perfect manliness is summed up in Christ. The phrases in this verse are parallel and synonymous, meaning that they all reiterate the same thing in quick succession. Thus, Christ Himself is the incarnation of perfect manhood and masculinity. We as men need to be conformed to His likeness, which is what sanctification is all about.
We could spend hours, maybe weeks, unpacking Christ’s masculinity. Since we do not have time to do that, we can begin by noting that the effeminate, “meek and mild” picture of Jesus that is often portrayed by the modern church does not fit the picture presented in the four gospels. In Scripture, when Jesus speaks, He is deliberately provocative. When He speaks to those who oppose Him, He is always blunt, confrontational, and very bold. He attacks lies and insincerity without any kind of velvet gloves.
This is not to say He is not gracious. But He responds to hypocrites and deliberate sinners with clarity and zeal. He even cleansed the Temple on two separate occasions. He showed righteous indignation. The point is: no one who knew Jesus would have never confused Him for a wimp. He was not, of course, some type of ruffian. But His character was in perfect balance — both gracious and courageous.
This is what men in the church, meaning every man in the church, must be pursuing.
2. What perfect manliness does (v. 14).
In verse 14, Paul focuses in on one specific characteristic that he believes marks true manliness – being anchored in the truth. Those who are spiritually immature are tossed to and fro by every kind of doctrine. Spiritual men, on the other hand, stand firm in truth. They are doctrinally stable.
If we are going to be stable doctrinally, we need to be certain about what we believe. We have to be able to stand firm against the cunning trickery of every fad, and also against the wiles and snares of the devil. Satan may tempt us to put aside biblical and doctrinal clarity, but we must be able to make wise and careful evaluations of such things. We must be true men in the sense that counts the most—our grasp of the truth.
Many of the metaphors in Scriptures involve manly figures: warriors, athletes, farmers. These are intentionally manly figures, especially in Bible times when there were no female warriors or athletes. These picture the protection of the truth, and they illustrate the essence of true manliness.
We need to quit buying into little boyish fantasies (like thinking that masculinity is defined as a battle to fight, an adventure to go on, or a beauty to win). Instead we need to focus on true manliness: contending earnestly for the truth and exposing doctrinal error. Real men are steadfast and sure, confident in what they believe. Real men stand against popular opinion for the sake of the truth, and they do it whenever the need arises.
Real men understand the truth well and they are devoted to it. This does not happen to lazy people. It requires diligence to move out of adolescence into this type of mature manhood.
3. How perfect manliness works (v. 15).
Paul puts the stress in this verse on “speaking the truth in love.” In the pastoral epistles, Paul continually exhorts Timothy to be courageous and be a man. Timothy, apparently, had a proclivity not to be as courageous as he should be. But, even in his strong challenge to Timothy, Paul cautioned Timothy not to pick fights unnecessarily (cf. 2 Tim. 2:22ff).
We are to fight for the truth. But we are to do it, as much as possible, with humility and love. Always speak the truth in love. To be able to do this, even in the midst of contending boldly for the truth, is the pinnacle of perfect manliness. Yet, the emphasis on love is in perfect balance with the imperative “speak the truth.” There is nothing right or manly about stifling the truth (or toning it down), even though we are to speak the truth in love.
When we do this faithfully, even in a loving way, we will encounter opposition. Those whom we confront will sometimes respond with anger and hatred. But that’s okay, the world hated Jesus too.
To be bold for the truth, in the pattern of Christ Himself, that is the measure of true masculinity.
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