John Stonestreet  wonders if we are not in a “sexual harassment apocalypse,” which literally means “revealing.”  “It seems as if another celebrity or politician is outed almost every day,” notes Stonestreet, “and it’s changing our culture.”  Could it be that we are entering a new normal in male and female relationships.  Karla Jacobs suggests, “both men and women need to figure out how to navigate the new normal together, and that starts by being allies and speaking honestly with each other.”  David Masciotra believes, “Resolving the sickly lack of masculinity, along with cultivating a culture that has no tolerance for the degradation of women, are the long-term solutions for sexual harassment.”

I personally rejoice in the observation of Matt Lewis over at The Daily Beast (of all places).  This is what he actually said. “While good women and good men must band together, two specific coalitions of stakeholders within these broader categories are perhaps most important, inasmuch as they are already activists: liberal feminists and conservative Christians.”  Wow!  There’s more from Lewis: “The pendulum, it appears, is now swinging back in a more puritanical direction.  To be sure, this is a secular movement that was the product of left-leaning feminists.  But rather than resisting it, social conservatives should perhaps be cheering it on.”

Lewis wonders if social conservatives should take this opportunity to “spend some time talking about masculinity, chivalry, and old-fashioned virtues that used be called, ‘gentlemanliness.'”  He quotes  from an old piece in the New York Times about the Promise Keeper movement: “Promise Keepers extols a man who is a leader, while also possessed of characteristics once stereotyped as feminine: a nurturing parent, a model of marital fidelity, and a churchgoer who cultivates close friendships and likes to sing.”  Lewis wonders if we don’t need men like this in our day.  He quotes Bill McCartney’s observation. “If men are a principle cause of family meltdown, crime and racial strife, then men also are central to the solutions to those problems.”

Men, I could quote more sources.  But this is enough to demonstrate that as a culture we have come into a period when there is a serious search for a “new normal” in male and female relationships.  I must say, I can hardly contain myself.  What a time!  What an opportunity for the “wild men” of this blog site, to stand up and be found faithful.   When secular voices in the public square being to talk about a “lack of masculinity,” with the social pendulum swinging back to a more puritan ethic, men of Christian virtue need to make their voice heard in a loving, gentle and respectful manner.

I have desired to live with sexual integrity and moral purity all my life.  I am  grateful for God’s grace and mercy over these 52 years of marriage to my wonderful bride.  I never thought I would be allied  with radical feminist. But I agree – there should no tolerance for the degradation of women.  I also believe that the morality of these gender issues is more important then gaining the political edge in politics.  Men, I must say, I am disappointed not only in the Democrats but also the Republicans for their ethics of expedience, turning a deaf ear to the cries of wounded women for political gain.  This is wrong!!

I close with a final word from Matt Lewis (The Daily Beast): “Changing the world will require good women and men working together.  Feminists and Christian conservatives should unite around shared goals.  It sound crazy, but all we need are a few leaders who care more about fixing than scoring points.  Will they emerge?”  I pray that you are one of those men.