Michael Mckinley:
The New York Times seems to be on a mission to make Christians look stupid, and we keep giving them the stick with which to beat us about the head and neck. To wit, a recent article looks at the rise of "Mixed Martial Arts" churches. The article explains:
The outreach is part of a larger and more longstanding effort on the part of some ministers who fear that their churches have become too feminized, promoting kindness and compassion at the expense of strength and responsibility.
Now, look. Except for Menikoff, I am the biggest fan of tattoos on this blog (btw Aaron, I told you so about that ink on the inside of your lip... bad news, brother!). And I like contact sports a lot. In fact, I can't even watch MMA because I don't like who I become when I'm watching it.
But I hate this "macho" resurgence in Christianity. I'd be inclined to ignore it, but it seems to be growing and being pushed from high profile platforms.
Here are my concerns:
- It's derivative and unoriginal. It was lame when Billy Sunday was doing it 100 years ago.
- It makes the gospel man-centered. Coming to Jesus isn't a way for you to deal with your daddy issues. I get it, your dad didn't hug you when you were little and you want to be a different kind of man. How about you go hug your kid then? Jesus didn't come to help you get in touch with your inner MMA fighter.
- Like it or not, the gospel is at least in part about weakness. It's about the almighty becoming weak to save us. It's about us being helpless and unable in our sins. There's no way to Christ that doesn't start with brokenness and an admission of impotence. Yes, Jesus is the strong man who binds the adversary, but he bound him by suffering, humiliation, and weakness.
- It discourages and mocks godly men who aren't macho. There is an undercurrent of disdain in all of this. Proponents of this testosterone Christianity can't help but take shots at guys who wear pastels and drink cappuccino. You might not like guys with manicures, but there's absolutely nothing morally wrong with it. A reserved, quiet, well-groomed man can be a good Christian. Believe it or not.
You can find other thoughts about this article here and here.
1 comment:
"The outreach is part of a larger and more longstanding effort on the part of some ministers who fear that their churches have become too feminized."
- The activity discussed in the article is ridiculous, of course. However, there is absolutely no question that the church has become "feminized". From church design, to activities, to the music, to the interior colors and decoration, I can't imagine any serious person arguing that this hasn't been a trend over the last 3 decades.
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