The apparent lack of male involvement and (spiritual) leadership in churches today has been a concern of church leaders. Many have pursued special male-oriented programs to attract more men into the church. There is value in this. However, some attempts at providing experiences considered more relevant to the male gender tend to kowtow to the cultural “macho” image, confusing cultural norms and biblical ideals. Relevance is good. But it must not be allowed to compromise the gospel or Scripture.
In a conference for men, a very popular preacher-author asserted that Christianity is, in its essence, a man’s domain. He spoke about the “value of masculine ministry,” maintaining that Christianity has a “God-ordained masculine feel” to it and the role of women is only “to come alongside the men with joyful support, intelligent helpfulness, and fruitful partnership in the work.” All this, he claims, is the biblical perspective. But is it? I believe it goes beyond the intentions of the biblical witness.
The Christian life and ministry must be dominated by Christ and his lordship, not by gender or any other human category. As Paul declares: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3.28 NIV). I am convinced that, in keeping with the primary thrust of the whole letter of Galatians, this “non-discrimination” statement concerns all of life in Christ. It should not be restricted to refer exclusively to salvation.
One other popular approach to draw men to the church is the promotion of violent sports as a valid activity or a form of entertainment to be sanctioned by the church. (By “violent sports” I mean the kind where the goal is to physically hurt and beat up another person to submission, such as “cage fighting” or the like.) Another popular preacher insists that this is appropriate because it helps to dispel the impression that Christianity is for wimps. He even misuses Scripture by holding up the “warrior” King David as a model. But actual (not fictional, as in a movie) and intentional violence plainly contradicts Jesus’ teachings. Violent sports are more like the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5.19-21; Ephesians 4.31) and definitely not the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5.22-23). Scripture instructs us: “Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways. Such wicked people are detestable to the LORD” (Proverbs 3.31–32 NLT). Followers of Christ would do well to avoid such activity and refrain from patronizing or promoting it.
Men are important to the church; so are women. And the mission of the church is to make disciples—male and female—who reflect the character of Christ.
–Keith Y. Jainga