Things That EVERY Man Should Know.
Popular Mechanics recently published a list of twenty-five things that every man should know. Here are a few of my favorites:
3. Rescue a boater who has capsized
4. Frame a wall
5. Retouch digital photos
9. Navigate with a map and compass
13. Fillet a fish
18. Mix concrete
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
23. Paddle a canoe
25. Extend your wireless network
Unless you spent your weekend filleting a fish on the shore of a nearby lake while cleaning your bolt-action rifle just before you jumped in to save a capsized boater, who (lucky for him) needed his wireless network extended -- your manhood, and mine, are in serious jeopardy! Which got me to thinking...
There is little argument that the "feminizing" of our culture has caused the pendulum to swing in the extreme direction when it comes to defining what a man really is. Men have embodied both apathy and brutality, while at the same time losing their sense of responsibility and chivalry. Our posterboys for masculinity include the guys from "Jackass", mixed-martial-arts fighters, and fantastic heroes that can only be found on big screens and in video games. After all, what male wouldn't want to Die Hard like John McClane? In the end, however, our definition of manhood, though it might embrace some element of true masculinity, ultimately becomes skewed and imbalanced. I fear this cultural imperitive has carried over into our churches.
We have become a "Wild At Heart" men's culture in the church. Our men's conferences, retreats and literature are increasingly calling men to embrace the chest-thumping, vine-swinging, princess-saving, risk-taking man that God created them to be. We eat tons of meat, play war-games and violent sports, and relentlessly bathe one another in sarcasm while calling it constructive encouragement. One may ask, "What's wrong with that form of masculinity?" My answer -- NOTHING! As long as such a definition does not become the only definition of masculinity, for then the pendulum will have swung too far to one extreme when a Biblical balance should be our goal. We have been made in the image of God, who is both kind and severe; full of holy wrath and holy love. We see Jesus Christ, the God-Man turn over tables and gently take children unto Himself; both angry and grief -stricken over the hypocricy of the Pharisees. Jesus was bold and humble; rebellious (toward the religious establishment) and submissive (to the will of the Father); outspoken and silent; joyful and tearful. Moreover, Jesus came to serve. This was the mode of the mission of the perfect Man (Mark 10:45; John 12:5, 13:34). We would be wise to matriculate in His school of masculinity.
