Category: Brother Al (Page 37 of 68)

Our nation recently mourned the death of George H. W. Bush, our 41st president.  My favorite memory will be the presidential train traveling from Houston to College Station.  I remember the four years of President Bush and especially how he handling of first Iraq war.  He advocated for a more “gentle and compassionate world” with his emphasis on the 1,000 lights of hope.  During his time in office the press would refer to the “wimp factor” in his character, claiming that he was “too niece” in his role as leader of the free world.

David French, in a column, noted, “It’s a sign of our fallen world that all too many people misinterpret the presence of manners as a lack of manliness.  It’s destructive to our culture and body politic that all too many people interpret kindness as a lack of conviction.”  In response to the charge of being too niece, President Bush said the following:

“I equate toughness with moral fiber, with character, with principle, with demonstrated leadership in tough jobs where you emerge not bullying somebody, but with the respect of the people you led.  That’s toughness.  That’s fiber.  That’s character.  I have got it.  And if I happen to be decent in the process, that should not be a liability.”

President Bush was obviously not a “wimp.”  He enlisted in the Navy at age 18, becoming one of the youngest aviators, and was shot down over the Pacific.  He oversaw the Iraq war and saw the fall of the Soviet union. In public life he was a unassuming.  A favorite verse was Prov. 27:2: “Let another man praise you, and not your own lips.”

I bring up the “Wimp Factor” label given to our 41st president by the media to show how a “Tough and Tender” man can be misunderstood in our culture.  It is instructive to compare the public perception of president Bush to that of our current president.  President Trump’s aggressive nature is often viewed as the kind of “alpha” manliness we need in the public arena.  His course language in naming those who oppose him and his past behavior make him out to be  a tough guy.  I have been critical of this kind of behavior in past blogs.

While I agree that liberalism in general has  feminized much of our public discourse, causing young men to act out when their view of maleness is being questioned, we don’t have politicians in our day like President Bush leading by example. The comparison with President Trump is a good example of  the struggle in our society with what is the true masculine.  The above comment by President Bush equate toughness with moral fiber, character, decency and principle. These are qualities that can be demonstrated while respecting others and being a decent person.

David was  a “tough and tender” man.  He played the harp, wrote heart moving Psalms and was a warrior. He was willing to face the giant with his staff and five smooth stones, having learned to kill lions and bears with his sling. He told the king, “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (I Sam. 17:36-37). Men,  first face your lions and bear courageous with your five smooth stones and God will make you a “giant slayer.”  President Bush learned first to kill lions and bears, before he took on his political opponents and the hostile press.

Back in 2018, Oxford Dictionaries chose “toxic” as its Word of the Year.  It was chosen from a shortlist that included politically inflected words like “gaslighting,” “incel,” and “techlash.” Originally, Oxford had considered “toxic masculinity” until it realized how widespread “toxic” had become.  So many different issues in our culture today seem to be tied together with the word.  The Word of the Year reflects “the ethos or preoccupations” of a particular year, and how it highlights changes in English as a language.  The Oxford folks believed “toxic masculinity” to be a preoccupation of our times.  Simply being a normal, healthy male can be viewed as “toxic.”

“Toxic” is derived from the Greek “toxikon pharmakon” or “poison for arrows.”  In its first few centuries, “toxic” referred to literal poisons.  But as concern about toxins increased over the years, so did the metaphorical uses of “toxic.”  “Toxic” began to be used more frequently in the 1980’s in many self-help books.  But more recently there has been an explosion in the use of the phrase toxic masculinity.  The only grouping that has occurred more frequently over the years in online news sources and blogs has been “toxic chemicals.”  Be warned, men, to be masculine may be considered poisonous by some.

Mona Charen in her indictment of modern feminism argues that Second Wavers “were determined to change what women wanted altogether… The worldview of second-wave feminists was completely wrong about women, history and human nature – and left a lot of wreckage in its wake.” Part of the fallout was “toxic masculinity.”  John Stonestreet has observed, “much of contemporary life, especially our public discourse, is, if not literally poisonous, then spiritually, culturally, and emotionally poisonous.” This includes toxic masculinity.

Considering this wreckage, Dennis Prager asks, “Is America still making men?”  Every society has to ask, “How do we make good men?”  Young men who are tutored early in life are taught how to channel their natural drive and aggression in a positive manner to make the world a better place.  But if maleness is already seen as “toxic,” how is a male Christ-follower to live in our present cultural climate?  Here are a few suggestions:

First: because we’ve inherited our sinful nature from Adam, we can admit that we’re “toxic”.  David declared, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5). For me, this means that I must be vigilant in keeping my heart open to the Lord.  I can appear to be clean, but there is often toxicity within my heart.  Jesus said, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean” (Mk. 7:20-22).

Second: don’t waste your time defending enculturated views of maleness.  Learn to walk humbly as a follower of Jesus.  Allow the Spirit of God to model godliness in your life.

Third: learn to simply practice the presence of Jesus in all circumstances.  Let the light of his presence shine through your words and actions.  Strive to live an integrated and authentic life.  Live in repentance, praise, and gratitude.

Fourth: live as a servant of others, attempting to always put others first.  For me this has meant being truly interested in the stories of others.

Fifth: continually cry out to God to be merciful toward our nation. Pray that you might be an instrument of healing between men and women, especially in your extended family.

I was recently been convicted by the words of  the Prophet Amos, “Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times for the times are evil” (Amos 5:13).  A prudent man is one who ”acts with or shows care and thought for the future.”  The NLT reads, “So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time.”  The Amplified brings out the thought of people not listening to the truth, nor having regard for a godly witness. “Therefore he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of godly character].”

The Message expresses the thought of being prudent in an emphatic manner.  “Justice is a lost cause.  Evil is epidemic.  Decent people throw up their hands.  Protest and rebuke are useless, a waste of breath.”  The ESV Study Bible has this note: “If someone were to speak out against the manifest injustice taking place, his own life might be in danger, while his objections would do no good because they could not stop the ongoing, entrenched evil.”  As I read these words, I desire to be a prudent man. My natural tendency is to speak the truth and “set people straight.” But there are times to keep quiet.

There is a cultural tsunami building on the horizon.  A tsunami begins with an earthquake far out at sea.  The shock wave travels through the water towards shore.   Its  intensity is realized once it reaches the shore as a wall of water with devastating force.  “The wall of water,” suggests Rod Dreher, “is coming at us.  There’s no holding it back.”  I agree.  Men, there is little use whining or complaining about our culture losing its Christian worldview and consensus.  That time has past.

Rest assured, God’s prophetic word is being heard in our day .  Amos reminds us, “The lion has roared – who will not fear?  The Sovereign Lord has spoken – who can but prophecy (Amos 3:8).  We need to exercise patience. God is sounding the trumpet.  Are we alert to the sound?  “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.  Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming.  It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1).  God told Habakkuk, “This vision is for the future time.  It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.  If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.  It will not be delayed” (Hab. 2:3 NLT).

Christian men can easily fall into the trap of bemoaning  how “justice is a lost cause” and “evil is epidemic” in society today.  Our witness can turn negative and counterproductive to an authentic Christian witness. How are we going to practice his presence in the midst of the coming darkness?  We wait for the Lord: “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Is.30:18).

It is prudent not the enter into the highly-charged destructive rhetoric of today’s cultural narrative.  Rather we need to show love, forbearance and mercy to those who so strongly oppose Jesus and his Kingdom.  I readily admit to the men,  whom I  have been a witness, that I am reluctant to enter into a discussion or debate regarding political and cultural issues.  I say I am simply a follower of Jesus, now living in his kingdom reign in the earth.  In that sense I am quiet.

Recently I had a unexpected inspiration moment.  My wife, Judy and I have just moved to a  comfortable senior apartment complex in Brainerd, Mn.  We both felt the time was right for this move, even though it would mean down-sizing, making new friends, and finding a new church home.  After our decision to move, it so happened that our daughter, who was going to eventually move into our lake place with her family, lost their home during hurricane Michael in Florida.  We were glad to  welcome our daughter into our home, since they were now homeless.  We could see God’s hand in the move.

On the second night of occupying our new apartment, I was out walking at dusk and happened to be looking up at our apartment window.  I saw Judy sitting at her desk, busy writing on her computer.  It is hard to explain the sensation I had as I looked at her in the window. I was very thankful that the attractive women I saw in the second story window was my wife.  I was filled with gratitude for being married these past 53 years to such a wonderful helpmate. She is a crown in my life, helping make me a better man. “A virtuous and excellent wife [worthy of honor] is the crown of her husband” (Prov. 12:4).

In Proverbs 18:22 we read, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”  I can certainly testify to the way in which God has blessed me through my wife. I could never have made this move without Judy by my side.   Our decision to move off the lake to an apartment in town was a major step for both of us. We saw it, at our age, as probably our last great adventure together. We have felt that God had prepared us for this new journey. Through prayer and discernment we knew this was what we should be doing at this stage in our lives.  We leaned on each other through the whole process.  I am very grateful to have my bride by my side.  She is a wonderful help mate

Now that I have been out of parish life for almost nine years, my wife is flourishing in her spiritual gifts. I see my role as supporting and encouraging her ministry, after having her faithful support for 40 years.  Her daily devotions which are read by well over a 100 persons continues to bring daily encouragement and inspiration. I am truly amazed at how God speaks to her as she writes her daily blog.  It is a gift from God.   Judy is the greatest earthly treasure I have.  “An excellent woman  [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her?  Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls. The heart of her husband trusts in her [with secure confidence], and he will have no lack of gain” (Prov. 31:10-11 -Amplified).

When my wife published her first book of devotions, I wrote in the forward that my wife was the most consistent Christian I have known.  She has an inner beauty, “the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit [one that is calm and self-controlled, not overanxious, but serene and spiritually mature] which is very precious in the sight of God” (I Peter 3:4 – amplified).  This gives a description of the woman I saw in the window of our new home at “Northern Lakes Senior Living.”

Eugene Peterson, the translator of the Message Bible, recently passed away at the age of 85.  He was a very significant influence in shaping my understanding of  the calling to be a parish pastor.  I discovered Peterson in the mid–80’s when I was shaking off stereo types of being a Lutheran pastor as being primarily concerned with doctrine and practice, while forgetting soul care.  In those days soulfulness was thought of as being too narrow, emotionally charged and focused on navel-gazing.  I learned from Peterson that the role of pastor was simply “practicing the presence of Jesus” among the people.  That concept was liberating in my ministry.  I determined  from that time on to be a simple, loving follower of Jesus.

While  being aware of my own soul life, as a feeling, intuitive guy,  I had difficulty justifying my awareness in a tradition that put the priority on “head knowledge” verse the compliment of  “heart knowledge.”  In my first 10 years of ministry I felt misunderstood and not able to conform to the institutional norm for pastors.  Inner transformation and character formation were concepts that I had not heard of in my pastoral and theological training. Peterson was the first contemporary protestant pastor who gave me the framework and the words to see the pastor as a “spiritual director” and the ministry of “soul care” as the primarily concern of a pastor.

I can’t express how much I  owe  Peterson.  He showed me that the pastoral vocation was a call to be personal.  It meant being a good listener; having concern to the inner life of others.  Preaching was visualizing persons with hungry souls, not simply a listening audience.  It meant loving people and not using them.  The pastor was to be a person of prayer and devotion.  It was out of his own personal relationship with God that he was able to shepherd his flock.  Peterson maintained that our core identity, “comes out as persons-in-relationship.”  “‘Soul’ is our word for this,” observes Peterson. “It is the most personal term we have for who we are.  The term ‘soul’ is an assertion of wholeness, the totality of what it means to be a human being.”

I never forgot his response when asked why he enjoyed being a pastor of a local congregation.  He said, “I like to mess.”  This was liberating for me when times got difficult and when I felt spiritually dry.  He helped me to see that in the midst of brokenness of the people of God, the Spirit of Jesus was present bring forth life. Jesus was holding all things together.

Col 1:16-17 in the Message says this so well. “We look at his Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created.  For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank of angels – everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.  He was there before any of it came into existence and hold it all together right up to this moment.”

For me at this moment in my journey, my wife and I happen to be looking for a new church home.  We left our lake home and are living in a senior apartment complex in Brainerd, Mn.  We are now seeking  a place where we sense God is present, doing his hidden work of bringing life to folks we desire to follow him.  We long to see God at work in “the mess.”  We know God will bring us to a  church in which we will see the hidden work of Jesus bringing all things together through the work of his Spirit.

When does sexual harassment take place?  “The past few months has ushered in a unprecedented level of awareness and shock at the pervasive experience of sexual harassment,’ notes Roxanne Stone, editor in chief of Barna Group.  Barna asked Americans to identify specific acts that they considered to be harassment.  “Nearly half of all American adults admit to experiencing or witnessing sexual harassment at some point in their lives.”  The nature of the behavior was either verbal (77%) or physical (67%).  “The answer differs based on gender, but Americans say that sexual harassment is most often about being touched or groped (women: 96%, men: 86%) or being forced to do something sexual (women: 91%, men:83%).

Three in ten adults (29%) report that they have been sexually harassed.  Women are nearly three times more likely than men to report experiencing sexual harassment.  The reported noted women (73%) were more likely than men (57%) to say the sexual harassment they experienced or witnessed was physical.  Women also give accounts of verbal sexual harassment just as much as physical (74% verbal and 73% physical).  Men feel or recognize harassment more often as verbal (men: 81%, women: 73%).

The data from Barna seems to reinforce what I have observed in my years as a pastor.  Men are more likely to be the ones doing the harassing rather than women.  The harassment is mainly verbal with men in the church.  It is interesting that such things as staring (19%:women, 18%:men ), winking (18%:women, 12%:men) and light-hearted flirting (women:12%, men:12%) were far down the list.  I mention these three items because for Christian men who desire to live in moral purity and sexual integrity, these items matter.

Men, my testimony is that light-hearted flirting matters.  Our attitude toward women speaks louder then our words.  We are held to a higher standard.  Moral purity which is the foundation of sexual integrity begins in the heart of a man.  Remember Jesus’ words, “But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already commited adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:27).  Proverbs 6:23 warns men, “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes” (Prov 6:25).  Job said of himself, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl” (Job 31:1)

If Christian men are going to be trusted, worthy exemplars of moral purity in relation to women, it will have to be demonstrated in our more hidden responses to women.  For example, I have tried hard to never send the wrong message to women.  I have purposed to “countinence” the face of a young woman and not her body.  As the old saying goes, “You can look at the menu, but don’t order.”  For men “staring” and “winking” are off limits.  They send a mixed message.  When it comes to “making sexual comments about looks/body,”  experienced by 86% of the women in the Barna report, the man of God should know better.

The Barna report ends by noting, “We are now beginning to grapple with the intensely sexual ideas that have been allowed to define gender relationships, not to mention the extremely complex power dynamics at play in society where men still hold the majority of top-level positions…..Pastors and spiritual leaders….must be ready to talk with their members……Churches have an opportunity to be leaders in this disorienting conversion.”

I agree totally.  As men of God, we can lead the way through the present day wasteland of sexual dysfunction between men and women.  But we need to head the words of Proverbs 4:23, “Guard you heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”

Are you an Overcomer in the spiritual battle raging between  evil and the kingdom of God or are you being overcome?  Men, we need to be reminded that the lack of civility and the hateful rhetoric of our day is due to the father of lies – Satan.  Jesus identifies him as, “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his  native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).  When truth and integrity are missing in our public discourse, brought about by the murderer, the result is character assassination on a broad scale.

When discerning  the cause of the discord, hatred and anger in our nation, we need to see it as a  battle between the forces of Satan and the reign of Jesus’ kingdom.  Paul  gives the right  perspective, “For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual.  We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil” (Eph 6:12 – Phillips).  Are you ready to face hate, bigotry, and irrational reactions.

As a follower of Jesus, you can be expected to be hated, whether you like it or not.   Jesus warned us that we would be hated.  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates us” (John 15:18-9).  “All men will hate you because of me,” Jesus tells us, ” but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mk 13:13). The distain for the followers of Jesus is evident in the cultural wars.  This hatred can be irrational. “They hated me without reason” ( John 15:25).  “Do not be surprised,” John reminds us, “if the world hates you” (I John 3:13)

It is hard to be an Overcomer if we respond with  hated in your heart. Remember the hatred will  only  intensify in the days to come.  Don’t allow yourself to be over come with anger or resentment.  In Jesus you can be an Overecomer.  “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Revelation gives us a glimpse into the intensity of the present day hatred.  We  read of a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down” (Rev. 12:10).  Then we are warned, “But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Rev 12:12).

Men keep  your heart open to the awareness of Jesus presence at the center, in your soul.  John give us this wonderful promise. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you greater than the one who is in the world” (I John 4:4).  We can learn to think like Jesus. “Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him.  Think of your suffering as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way” (I Pet. 4:1-2 – Message)

Psalm 139 begins with  “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me” (Ps 139:1).  I thought of these words while reflecting on thoughts from spiritual writer, Louis Evely. “This activity [God’s loving power] of His most often occurs in a place we can’t enter, at the root of our being, for that’s where God reaches us, where he operates, molds us, and ceaselessly perfects His work in us.”  This loving power know us from the inside out.  “God along knows us as we are inside and He alone loves us even though we lose all our qualities, because He loves, not our qualities, but us.  Only He will put up with us forever.”

When it seems nothing is being done by us, much may have been done in us. Teresa of Avila observed that we would be surprised at what God is doing in our soul.  God is at work in  our depths far beyond what we can imagine or comprehend. Our part is to surrender to the process. “The Spirit also helps us in our present limitations.  For example, we do not know how to pray worthily, but his Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonizing longings which cannot find words. He who knows the heart’s secrets understands the Spirit’s intention as he prays according to God’s will for those who love him” ( Rom. 8:26-7  Phillips).

Knowing that God,  “alone loves us even though we lose all our qualities,” we can pray, “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross- examine and test me, see for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong – then guide me on the road to eternal life” ( Ps 139:23-4 – Message). We can pray with confidence because of the Spirit within, “operates, molds us, and ceaselessly perfects His work in us.” This is transformation – God changing us from the inside out. “Now to him who by his power within us is able to do indefinitely more than we ever dare to ask or imagine…(Eph 3:20).  God is doing much more than we can imagine.

God  loves us not for our qualities, but for who we are.  “To us, the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us has been his sending his only Son into the world to give us life through him.  We see real love, not in the fact that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to make personal atonement for our sins’ ( I John 4:10-11 – Phillips).  This is condescension – not our reaching out to God, but God coming all the way down to where we are.  God loves us as we are not what we think we should be.  “Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us” ( Romans 5:8 – Phillips).

Jesus’ love for us will endure to the end. “I’m  absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us” (Romans 8:37-39).  God’s unconditional love give us confidence to keep reaching out to Jesus and keep moving onward.  With Paul we declare, “But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me…..By no means do I count myself and expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye n the goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus.  I off and running, and I’m not turning back” ( Phil 3:13-14 – Message).

Pop-rock pioneer of the 2000’s, Avril Lavigne, after an absence of five years has produced a worship song that reveals her cry to God for help after encountering a near-death experience.  She has been battling Lyme disease since 2014.  Her new single,  “Head Above Water,” depicts her struggle.

“God keep my head above water/ Don’t let me drown/ It gets harder/ I’ll meet you there at the altar/ As I fall down to my knees/ Don’t let me drown/ Don’t let me drown” are the words of the chorus.  She apparently had a experience of meeting God in an experience she describes as being on her knees at the altar.

I down loaded her song because her heart felt lyrics are  words I could identify with when I have felt like being underwater.  There was a time in the early 2000’s when I was on the verge of depression.  My wife told me that if I didn’t get out of my “pit,” she was going to take me to our personal physician so I could get a prescription for depression.  I was able to climb out of the pit, only by keeping my spiritual eyes on Jesus and crying out for mercy.  My experience made me appreciate those believers who fall into the pit and struggle to get out.

Ms Lavigne’s words are heart felt.  “And I can’t see in the stormy weather/ I can’t seem to keep it all together/ And I can’t swim the ocean like this forever/ And I can’t breathe.”  At the time, I had been a pastor for 30 years, having been in a lot of stormy weather.  But I was not keeping it all together.  I was underwater, having difficulty breathing spiritually. I was simply going through the motions, not allowing anyone to know how weak and fragile I felt. Life  was like stormy weather.  It was frustrating for my wife.  But thank God, she prayed me through the storm.

Avril shares her story of almost giving up.  “God, keep my head above water/ I lose my breath at the bottom/ Come rescue me, I’ll be waiting/ I’m too young to fall asleep.”  I wanted to be rescued, but I did not now how it would happen.  I had to wait.  The issue was my perspective of myself and God.

Psalm 40, while not giving the image of being under water, but rather of sinking into a “slimy pit,” gave me a picture that I could hang unto in my struggle. “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Ps. 40:1-2).

The one image that has stayed with me is the sense that I was down in a pit, with my hands griping the opening above me, while a shaft of light streamed into the gloom of the pit.  I had to keep my focus on the opening above me.  The only thing I could do was to hang on and cry out for God to be merciful to me.  I had to do this for myself. Either my wife and the few other guys who I had allowed into my life could help.  Eventually the Lord placed me on a rock.  As a result I had “a firm place to stand.”

So my advice to anyone feeling underwater or in a pit – hang on by simple trust in  Jesus and cry out continually for mercy.  You have not be abandoned.  You will be stronger because of your trail.  You will also have empathy for others in the pit.

As an older white guy in the Northwoods, I have a concern for the status of young, white, males in America, especially those who have given their allegiance to King Jesus and His kingdom reign in America.  Has the dominant cultural narrative begun to abandon the idea of a man being innocent until proven guilty by due process?  Has the #metoo movement gone to far?

Listen to what an army mom and homeschooling mother of four boys had to say: “I cannot accept a world in which my sons will be raised under the tyranny of a lawless, vindictive society that wants to subdue and oppress men in the name of equality for women.  It’s time to take a stand.  Mammas, we have to fight for our men, because they are in danger… Your father is, your husband is, and your sons are.”

Contrast her comments with those of Georgetown Professor C. Christiane Fair in a recent twit.  “All of them [men] deserve miserable deaths while feminists laugh as they take their last gasps.  Bonus: we castrate their corpses and feed them to swine? Yes.”  Today, notes R. R. Reno, “The rage over sex is perhaps the most powerful in our body politic today.”  We are at a crisis point.  Are we witnessing an intensification of the “gender wars?”

The Brett Kavanaugh hearings made this all too obvious in our national consciousness.  I am deeply concerned.  I  respect and admire Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for her painful, heartfelt testimony of being sexually assaulted as a teenager.  She is 100% sure it was Judge Kavanaugh.  But the judge swears before God he is innocent.  He has many close friends who agree.

My issue is with the minority party in this particular instance.  They seem to be embracing the rage against men for betraying the sexual revolution by making sex dangerous rather than safe.  In my opinion they are using Dr. Ford for their own political advantage.  In the meantime they are ruining the life of a man who has not been given due process.  I am deeply disturbed that as a nation we are an audience to the destroying of the lives of  two individuals created in the image of God.

I very much appreciate the reminder given by John Stonestreet, when he was reminded of C.S. Lewis’ sermon, “The Weight of Glory” in which he said:  “…It is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another – all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.  There are no ordinary people.  You have never talked to a mere mortal.  Nations, cultures, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat.  But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry , snub, and exploit….”  Stonestreet reminds us, “people are ends; they are never means.”  I want to remember this as the Kavanaugh saga continues.

My advice, men.  Take your stand in Christ!  “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand!  Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you” (Gal. 5:1 – Message).  Don’t let the dominant narrative, regarding male and female relationships, put you in a box. Don’t let the rage over sex intimidate you, since you have been set free in Jesus.  “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female.  Among us you are all equal!” (Gal. 3:28 – Message).  Remember, “…Use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows” (Gal. 5:14 – Message).