Category: Brother Al (Page 51 of 68)

At one of our last small group meeting we discussed male and female relationships within Christian community.  Our group has been meeting for over seven years.  We care for each other, know each other’s story fairly well, and are respectful as to where each of us is on the spiritual journey.  We all honor Jesus as Lord of our lives, believe in Scripture as the Word of God, and want God’s best in our lives.  Our discussion of gender roles and values, made it very apparent to me how sensitive and personal the discussion of gender has become among the followers of Jesus.  Here are some take-aways from our discussion.

First the need for what I would call “gender sensitivity.”  While all six of us are sincere  followers of Jesus, is was obvious that we held different views regarding the role and responsibility  of male and female both within marriage and in the  church.  Issues that dealt with such subjects as “headship,” “submission,” and  “feminism” were seen from different perspectives.   The whole discussion around egalitarian vs. complementarian interpretations of scripture, produced decidedly different points of view.  We basically decided to “agree to disagree.”  I personally saw the need to practice “gender sensitivity.”  Today’s cultural climate is very different from the early 70’s when I was forming my views. The roles have become much more unsettled.

Secondly, the need for “gender security.”  This applies personally as well as in marriage.  I find that the more I am secure in my gender identity, the more open, caring and responsive I can be in the gender discussions.  In my marriage, I need to continue to have frank and honest dialogue with my wife regarding our unique role and responsility as man and woman who are  “one flesh.”   The more naturally  we relate to one another, the more effective our witness can be in a culture that is confused regarding relationships between husband and wives.

Thirdly, be open to hear the storys of  “gender mistreatment.”  The memory of our personal stories  often reflect unresolved anger and hidden hurt due to the dysfunction of mother and father in our family relationships. This contributes to distortions regarding  gender roles and responsibilities. For example, when I have spoken before groups made up of predominately women, I confess my misogynist past due in part to my father’s example. I have publicly asked for forgiveness for the way women have been treated in the past by men..

Fourthly, don’t impose your views on  others.  In the past I have been guilt of imposing my view of  healthy masculinity unto other men who are different from myself.  I have also reacted to strong women, because my mother was a dominating mother who unknowingly smothered her first born son emotionally.  As a pastor I have been guilty of judging the “marriage dynamic” of others, based on my experience of marriage.

Fifthly, respect how each is working out their roles.  This can be very difficult in a day with the ascendency of the feminine and the descent of the masculine in the gender wars.  Our task as men is to become secure in our masculine soul, learning God’s plan for the role he has given us in the culture and to be have a servant heart to all who we relate to  at home, church and in the culture.

Finally, remember that we owe a debt of love to all others. “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Rom 13:8).

“Men are easily threatened……Something good in men is stopped and needs to get moving.  When good movement stops, bad movement (retreat or domination) reliably develops” (Larry  Crabb).  In all the reading I do to better inform my desire to help men, one of the consistent descriptions of the masculine is the desire to take the initiative.  For example, Stu Weber – “Masculinity means initiation.  To be masculine is to take initiative.  To provide direction, security, stability and order.” This implies  movement.  But it will be hard at times.  Life will not be easy.  God told Adam, “you’ll be working in pain all your life long…” (Gen 3:17 – Message).  Good movement, as it relates to “relational masculinity” (Crabb), will need help to keep moving toward the other, especially in relation to the feminine.

Bad movement, the kind that causes a man to hide in the safety of his  “man cave” or to become aggressively insensitive comes natural to a man.  It is part of the old nature, or the false self.  At the core, the false self will falter in relationships. Paul said of himself, “It happens so regularly that it’s predictable.  The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up…Parts of me covertly rebels, and just when I least expect it, they take charge” (Romans 7:21-3 – Message). In particular, I find myself tripping up and covertly rebelling often during the intimate interchanges with my wife.  I am not present in a loving, supportive way.  Good movement stops and bad movement takes over.

Good movement is initiated  through our new nature or true self.   Our true self  in Christ, gives us the desire and intentionality  to enter into relationship.  Being dependent on the Holy Spirit, equips us to move into those “murky” waters of uncertainty with the feminine.  “Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them – living and breathing God!  Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life” (Rom 8:7 – Message).  Rather then feeling cornered, our true self creates space for us to respond in a Christlike manner.

Underlying the presence of good movement is the assumption that “God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.”  In our natural responses as men, we are not able to maintain good movement.  The momentum is usually turned inward on our self as a result of our insecurity and defensiveness.  God tells us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (II Cor 12:9).  God’s grace gets us moving in a positive direction.

Here are two aspects of good movement that are vital in intimate relationships. First, rejecting passivity.  Bad  movement happens when a man is tempted to move away from relating, either through silence or dominance. The uncertainity  of not  responding properly to others can isolate a man.   At his core a man is usually fearful when he moves  away.  Good movement occurs when a man “leans into” relationships.  He lives with an open heart, expressed in vulnerability.

Secondly, accepting responsibility.  Bad movement occurs when a man avoid his God given responsibilities in relationships.  He is primarily looks out after himself with little regard for the emotional needs of his wife and children.  Being “emotionally present” is not a priority.  Good movement is apparent in a man’s life, when he establishes right priorities in life, by putting his wife and children ahead of all other matters in his life.  He will selflessly set aside his desires to give himself, first to God, then his wife and children.

I have not been to see the movie “Concussion,” but as a NFL fan, I have  read several reviews.  As many of you know the movie tells the story of how one medical Doctor was able to expose the hidden damage done to NFL football players due to concussions.  When Dr. Bennet  Omalu, a Nigerian physician, published his findings in a prestigious medical journal, he expected the NFL to be grateful.  Rather than gratitude the NFL went after the Doctor both personally and professionally, causing much harm to his career and reputation.  But his strong faith motivated him to press on.  He prayed “Lord God Almighty, if this is not of your will, if I am on the wrong side, I pray you’d reveal it to me.”  Interestingly, Omalu’s full name in his native Ibo language means “he who knows, must speak.”

“He who knows, must speak,” seems to me  an appropriate challenge for  men who read this blog.  I thought of I Peter 3:14, “Don’t  fear what they fear; don’t be disturbed.  Sanctify the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always by ready to make a reply to anyone who asks you to explain the hope that is in you.  Do it, though, with gentleness and respect.” (Wright).  Another translation reads, “give a quiet and reverent answer” (Phillips).  The Message tells us to speak, “with the utmost courtesy.”

We live in a time when being  a witness for the Lord Jesus is not an easy proposition, especially if you happen to be a white evangelical male. In general, God talk is fine, but there is less tolerance in speaking the name of Jesus. The cultural narrative has become decidedly negative towards any expression of Jesus as Lord.  However, due to our cultural confusion and ignorance  of the gospel story, a clear, positive and convincing witness of the name of Jesus is more imperative then ever.  “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It is my contention that a witness of the Lord Jesus expressed in “gentleness and respect,” showing genuine courtesy can make an impact in the lives of a doubting culture. But be warned –  our witness as men who are sincere followers of Jesus will have limited influence if it is not done in a respectful  and reverent manner

This does not mean that we should shy away from bearing witness to Jesus. But we will need to continually monitor the attitude and spirit in which we speak of Jesus.  For as the Phillips translation puts it, “You need neither fear  men’s threats nor worry about them; simply concentrate on being completely devoted to Christ in your hearts.”  In all encounters be devoted to Jesus.  So my encouragement to the readers of this blog is to simply be themselves as followers of Jesus.  Each will have a  unique story to tell about the presence  of Jesus in their lives.  Above all else, do not  shy away from speaking about Jesus.  When you are asked, speak of Jesus. “Always be ready to make a reply to anyone who asks you to explain the hope that is in you.”  Simply tell the story of Jesus presence in your life.

Let every man today be encouraged in their personal witness.  Through all the negativity you will face as a follower of Jesus, simply focus on Jesus as Lord, and speak of Him.  He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.  This we know; so we must speak of the name of Jesus.

Fear is an emotion men have been conditioned to avoid when it involves intimacy in personal relationships.  Men become silent and flee, becoming passive for fear of failing, especially in relation to the feminine.   The fear of “not being enough” can  cause men to stiffen up in defensiveness, because of  the insecurity and inadequacy of  relating poorly.  Men hold back for fear of not connecting.   Larry Crabb maintains that, “Men generally live without a clear vision for what masculine movement into life  – especially how relationships – would look like.”  We  prefer getting on with life by doing something, rather then entering into the reality of our relational life.

Recently my wife and I have been going through a “course adjustment” in our 50 year old marriage pilgrimage.  Judy has been taking more intuitive, while I have been responding rather poorly. It has been a hard reality  for me to admit.  I prayed that I might reconnect with my bride, who I could tell was becoming frustrated with me.  In a recent conversation at the Sunday dinner table, Judy asked me the question, “What are you afraid of ?”  Of course, I denied I was fearful.  But later in the afternoon on a prayer walk, I sense she was asking the right question.  I was afraid.

So at a later time of sharing with Judy I was able to admit I was fearful of being out of control.  Our marriage is like a dance.  Judy was now practicing some new moves,  changing our familiar rhythm.  I know this was right for her and our marriage, but I was not adjusting very well.  I did not like the new rhythm that would mean learning new moves.  It is hard for me to change.  I have always felt that one of my strengths in our marriage, was  being a “relational guy.”  I can lean into intimacy, while handling anything that my wife had to offer.  But not in our present dance.  I had to admit I was failing to learn the new steps of the  dance.

Something happened after  my confession.  Afterwards, I was surprised by the freedom I felt in my spirit.  For several weeks prior to this incident, I was not a very “happy camper” spiritually.  I entertained negative toward  my wonderful bride.  I spent a great deal of time justifying my “cold shoulder” approach to the new dance moves.  I wanted to push Judy away, rather then enter into the intimacy of our unique marriage dance.   We are back in rhythm, trying out of new emotional moves.  I know I will stumble, but I have a new freedom in knowing its ok to stumble as I learn the new moves.

I share this with the wildmen of this blog because of the learning that occurred for me.  It is this.  I had to admit to my wife, my weakness in being able to accompany her in the new moves she felt were important to improve our dance.  I had to come to the realize that I was failing in the intimacy of our dance.  It was especially hard for me, because I thought our dance was just fine.  Hear me when I say – God helps us on our weakness.  There is not a man reading this blog, who does not feel helpless and faltering at times in the intimacy of marriage.  So let’s man up and ask for God mercy to help us in our weakness, as we lean into that intimacy of the dance. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is make perfect in weakness” ( II Cor 12:9).

Camille Paglia, the anti-feminist feminist, in a recent widely quoted interview expressed the belief that the rise of transgenderism in the West is a symptom of decadence and cultural collapse.  “Nothing,” she observed, “better defines the decadence of the West to the jihadists than our toleration of open homosexuality and this transgender mania now.”  Her concern is how we are defining ourselves to the world.  In her studies she has found, “… that history is cyclic, and everywhere in the world you find this pattern in ancient times: that as a culture begins to decline, you have an efflorescence of transgender phenomena.  That is a symptom of cultural collapse.”

Her comments suggest to me  that men reading this blog should consider themselves as cultural warriors by being “warrior of the light.”  I first heard that phrase, many years ago, in a song by Phil Discroll.  We are told in Roman 13 to put on the armor of light.  “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is nearly over, the day is almost here.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (vs. 11-12).  When a confirmed secularist warns us of a cultural collapse, I would  suggest that we have been living in darkness.  But the promise is that day is almost here.

We are to “wake up” from our slumber by putting off the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  One of the tactics of the enemy is to create  spiritual darkness,  blinding us to the realities screaming at us through the daily headlines we read about and see on TV.  “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” ( II Cor 4:4).  But we are to live as children of the light. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light…” ( II Cor 5:8).  As darkness has descended on our culture, the light of the gospel shines brighter. “Let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5).

So men, let us rise up as “Warriors of the Light” knowing that God is working in the darkness.  A war is being waged between light and darkness.  Economics, politics and education will not win this battle.  As wildmen we see the battle as  between Jesus who is the light of the world and the one who Jesus called “the prince of darkness.”  Jesus has invaded enemy territory  –  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).  Culture is blind to this epic battle.  But as warriors behind enemy lines we are engaged in this battle.

Therefore, we put on the “armor of light.”  I suggest that this means we intentionally live in the presence of Jesus in our daily lifestyle.  We practice an outward, upward posture of beholding the Lord’s presence.  “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Ps 27:8).  Above all else, we keep our gaze on Jesus.  “Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face.  And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (II Cor. 3:18 – Message). Men transformed by the light are warriors in the darkness.

Brendan O”Neill has observed that “Self-identification is one of the most notable developments of the 21st century so far.”  The New York times calls 2015, “the year we obsessed over identity,” noting our nation is “in the midst of a great cultural identity migration.”  The phrase, “I identify as…” speaks to a crisis in character.  In past individuals were.  “I am a man.”  There was a certainty about identity.  Today individuals identify as something.  “I identify as a man.” “It speaks to a shift from being to passing through; from a clear sense of presence in the world to a feeling of transience; from identities that were rooted, to identities that are tentative, insecure, questionable.”  Identity has become unstable, open to change. Feeling have become the reality.  The result is, ” a minimal self,” who out of insecurity expects validation and acceptance from society.  “Self-identifiers claim words wound, that individuals are vulnerable, and that their ‘mental safety’ is threatened by those who question their right to exist.”

Men, the new phenomena of identity-making is a crisis in the meaning of  personhood, leading to a great uncertainty about being fully alive and fully human.  As  wild men, who are fully alive to their masculine souls, we can  offer an alternative  to the alienated, subjective identity-making that is creating a quiet despair in our  culture  – “Who really am I.”  Let us rise up as an army of men, who have solid identities in Christ, and present a positive example to a lost culture.  “What we are facing in the 21st century,” warns O’Neill,  “is the very serious situation where all the objective underpinnings of human identity has frayed or died.”  Here are a few reminders of your identity as a man in Christ.

First, understand that personhood is a gift given by a  relational  God, who desires  relationship.  Our identity is given by God addressing us as his  “beloved.” It is bestowed by a loving God. “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26).  God who exists in relationship, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, created each of us, endowing us with a  unique individuality as persons.  When God is absent from the cultural narrative there is no valid basis for being addressed as persons. We are left to create our own identity.  So celebrate your uniqueness, by coming to know your unique personhood as a man.  Along with the Psalmist praise God:  “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I  know it” (Ps 139: 14 NLT).  Resist self-making, by allowing your heavenly Father  to love you into becoming a person, fully alive and human..

Secondly, accept the reality of our “flawed nature” with its tendency to live independently of God. Our sin causes us to be separated from God as well as from ourselves. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.” (Isaiah 53:6).  We live as individuals in separation, not persons in relationship. We have wandered into the far country, living as orphans away from home, with no sense of identity or place.  But our loving, heavenly Father calls us home, affirming our identity as men.

Thirdly, our culture has lost the story of relational homecoming.  With the lack of identity comes the sense of homelessness; a kind of wandering in a desert of relational weightlessness.  We have the unique opportunity to share the story of our coming home to the Father, who identifies us as his children. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who live in loving community, invite us into this relationship.  We are called home into a perfect loving community.

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I spent years practicing what one spiritual writer called “spiritual bypassing.” In looking for a quick spiritual fix, I would  bypass or simply ignore want was going on in my soul.  I lived on the surface, in my head,  dependent on my thoughts and feelings, while dealing superficial with what was going on at the center.  My walk with God was not based on reality  but rather my image of a spiritual man.  I was trying to be good, while on the inside I was living like a “brute” spiritually.  “When my heart was grieved, and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a brute before you” (Ps 73:21-22).  I lived in spiritual flight from my weaknesses, shame and sin.

It is natural to want to stay on the surface. We are familiar with our own thoughts and experience.  They give us some  control and understanding of our journey.  Richard Rohr observes that men, “move comfortably in the outer world of things with their heads, which is used as their control tower.” This is only an illusion of the real. Only God who sees things as they really are can show us true reality.  Paul reminds us that, “the reality…is found in Christ” (Col 2:17), not our projections.  A vital transition on the spiritual journey is the transition men make  when they begin to define themselves from the center rather then the circumference, or the surface of things.    Men can get trapped in the comfort zone of their small egos, thinking they understand objective reality.

The Desert Fathers, who gave us such vivid descriptions of the life of the  soul, insisted that before we can ascend to God, we must first descend into our souls, that is  our real life.  Saint Anthony said, “The way to ascend to God is to descend into our own reality.”  They saw the story of Jacob’s ladder in Gen 28 as embodying this spiritual truth.  “He [Jacob] had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (v 12).  We may  resist the descent for fear of facing our untamed passions and desires.  They can not be harnessed to fit our image of a spiritual man.

I am learning not to resist, but rather descend  into my soul to encounter the good and the bad.  Jesus waits at the center.  The Desert Fathers counsel us to “climb down into our passions.”  They tell us,  “Dive away from sin into yourself and then you will find steps on which you can climb up.”  In other words, you can’t bypass your soul life.  I still have difficulty accepting  that God is closer to me than my own thoughts. His presence is incomprehensible. Incredibly, this also means that if I commit a sin, I sin in God, for He sees and knows all.  That is very freeing and liberating.  For me it has meant that I can accept my sinful behavior, while desiring to be more like Jesus.  I don’t have to hide and live in shame.  I am totally known by God, yet loved unconditionally.

So my advise men – don’t be afraid of the inner journey.  Remember descent comes before ascent.  Jesus tells us, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matt 23:12).  Henri Nouwen  calls this “downward mobility.”  I am learning to taste that the Lord is good, while still dealing with the darkness within.

Here is an insightful definition of a victim from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.  “Defining yourself as a victim is a denial of what makes us human.  We see ourselves as objects, not subjects.  We become done-to; passive, not active.  Blame bars the path to responsibility. The victim, ascribing his condition to others, locates the cause of his situation outside himself, thus rendering himself incapable of breaking free from his self-created trap.” Men, don’t allow the cultural narrative of maleness as a liability, cause you to doubt the reality of your masculine soul,  rendering  you passive and silent, unable to break free from a “self-created trap.”  Don’t allow the angry feminist voices intimidate you, pushing you into a neutral  corner, feeling unable to act on your god given instincts  as a man.  We need to stand and fight with the weapons of love and humility.  There are too many men suffering in silence.  They need to be rescued one by one.  Here are four  observations.

First,  accept opposition as a normal in our gender confused culture. An anti-male narrative is now the accepted norm.  We accept the challenge of wanting to change the narrative of  men as  stupid, refusing to be a “male victim.”  We lament the fact that a spiritual alive masculine soul is alien in our culture. We humbly acknowledge that men have failed badly in the past, but we refuse to become passive. “Don’t give the opposition a second thought.  Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, our Master.  Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy” ( I Peter 3:1516 – Message).  Take up the mantle of a godly man and get into the fight.   Find other guys who are engaged.

Secondly, join the growing army of men who are coming alive in the Spirit, having tasted the energy and strength of their masculine soul.  Men, God is raising up a new generation of godly men, who are finding healing for their masculine soul in the name of Jesus. “Deep longings lie dormant in the unawakened soul,” observes Larry Crabb. “Souls stay asleep in order to avoid feeling pain and facing failure.  But an alive and sustaining sense of purpose that survives the inevitable disappointments and tragedies of life is available to every person who wakes up to discover his or her gendered center.”  This army of men refuses to allow themselves to be defined by the feminist narrative.

Thirdly, this new army of men refuse to be intimated. They are willing to take responsibility for  not only their failures, but the failure of the past generation. Women have done their soul work, more faithfully  then men.  They have been liberated in some positive ways.  Men today are being forced to ask questions that are new in their relationship to women, acknowledging the need for a new accommodation between men and women in our culture.  In this new realignment of roles, responsibilities and even identity, men need to be humble and open minded.  But we will not become victims. With the masculine energy that is released through surrender and obedience to the Lord Jesus, men are willing to risk misunderstanding and rejection to stand firm in the Lord

Finally, in finding our masculine soul, there is a desire for men today, to be supportive of women in finding their feminine soul.  “The fullness of being human…lies not only in the male or only the female but in the communion of male and female” (Mauro Meuzzi).  Remember a secure man in Jesus, is not threatened by the feminine.

Kurt Schlichter caught my attention with an article he wrote about men entitled, “Being a man and having a traditional family is a rebel act.”  He writes: “being a man – not merely bearing the physical accoutrements of maleness but actually being a man – is a rebel act.  By being man, you reject the role the liberal elite has prepared for you, that of a weak, confused manchild unfit to be sovereign over your own destiny.  Taking care of your family yourself repudiates them…..Raising your children as strong, independent, Americans instead of spoiled, crybullying snowflakes, repudiated them.  Just being normal repudiates them.”

It occurred to me that “the Wildman journey” is a rebel act.  I would like to suggest four attitudes that would be considered rebellious in our gender confused culture. A fully alive, fully awakened and fully human male will be a  threat.   My suggestions relate to Christian husbands and fathers. I hope these suggestions cause you to rise up in your spirit, helping you  to break free from the “male box” our culture has imposed on men, sending many into a lonely, confused silence.  Let us shout with the Psalmist, “We have escape like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare  has been broken and we have escaped” (Ps. 124:7).

First, God has made men to be an initiator.  A man who has found his male voice will be considered a rebel. In the beginning God took Adam and “put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Gen. 2:15).  Later, Eve came along to be a “suitable helper.”  It is definitely a rebel act to assume responsibility, taking the initiative in leading  your family.  Men, the “buck” stops with us not our wives. In taking the initiative we give direction, order, purpose and orientation to our family. To “move out” in  loving, humble servanthood within your family takes courage and faith.

Secondly, it is a rebel act to be “a one woman man.”  Men, we are to cherish our wives.  “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.  A loving doe, a graceful deer – may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love” (Prov. 5:18-19).  We have eyes only for the one who is our bride.  In a sensuous culture we say with Job, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” (Job 31:1).  We do not objectify the feminine, but rather celebrate the feminine as a compliment to our masculine.  We rejoice in the unique difference.

Thirdly, it is a rebel act to say that your most important task after cherishing your wife, is to be a good Dad.  Yes, we have a career along with other important outside committments.  But our children have only one father.  Being a dad will keep you humble.  There is no real measure of success.  The odds at stacked against being a God-fearing Father, who wants his children to follow Jesus.  This kind of dad is swimming up stream, with little cultural encouragement. But God sees what is done in secret.

Fourthly, it is a rebel act to believe that the influence  of a “tough and tender” masculinity soul is vital for the survival of our culture.  By his example, a Wildman desires to be an influence on other men in a  gender confused culture.  He is  committed to passing on to younger men a godly example, perpetuating a quiet revolt against the culture.  We take as our watchword I Cor. 16:13 -14, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

The response in  the New York Daily News, to the tragic shootings  recently in San Bernardino, Cal., seems almost blasphemes.  The headlines declared “God isn’t fixing this.”  What arrogance and presumption. They gave a round-up of responses from the various candidates and then gave this assessment: “Prayers aren’t working.” What spiritual blindness.  That prompted a new social media debate called “prayer shaming.”  Emma Green of the Atlantic saw it as: “Anger about the shooting was turned not toward the perpetrator or perpetrators…..but at those who offered prayers.”  She offers this chilling commentary: “There’s  a clear claim being made here, and one with an edge: Democrats care about doing something and taking action while Republicans waste time offering meaningless prayers.  These two reactions, policy-making and praying, are portrayed as mutually exclusive, coming from totally contrasting worldviews.”

When a writer at the New York Times twits: “Dear ‘thought and prayers’ people: Please shut up and slink away.  You are the problem, and everyone know it,” it seems to me that we have come a cultural moment, when the voices wanting to silence the public witness of a biblical faith will become more vocal. Men, we need to stand together in this cultural moment.  “Stand united, singular in vision, contending ….not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition.  Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against” (Phil 1:27-8 – The message). Here are a few reflections.

First, before you do or  say anything, submit to Jesus and his kingdom. Before any political or cultural allegiance, be a humble follower of Jesus. In Rev. 5:10 we read: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” We are reassured in Col 1:17 that, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Then pray as Jesus taught us to pray:, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Be deeply grateful to be part of Jesus’ kingdom reign is this world since Jesus  has declared, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18).   Men, submit yourself under the reign of King Jesus.

Secondly, act and speak with conviction and compassion, but first be a man of prayer.  Don’t minimize your prayers as a follower of Jesus.  Cry out  for God to be merciful.  The Psalms are full of such prayers, as the psalmist call out to Almighty God.  “I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.  I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble (Ps 142:1-2). Turn to the Lord and pray, “Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved” (Ps 80:19).

Thirdly, pray that God will give you a heart that is loving, yet firm in conviction (tough and tender). Refuse to be a victim.  Anticipate darker days, but be determined to “walk in the light of the Lord ( Isaiah 2:5). The cultural conflict will only get worse – be prepared but not alarmed..  As David French observed, the attack on “thoughts and prayers”  is a convergence of anti-Christian bigotry and the impulse to shame and silence a Christian witness. Pray to be strong hearted as you take the arrows of accusation that will come.  Embrace the words of Jesus in Luke 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way the persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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