I’d never heard of a “longhouse” until I read an article in First Things.  It sure struck a nerve with me – and it has caused quite a stir among those who have read it.  Written by an anonymous author named “Lom3z,” a longhouse is “a metonym for the disequilibrium afflicting the contemporary social imaginary.”  

The longhouse was a large communal hall serving as the social focus in various cultures throughout the world that were more sedentary and agrarian.  In today’s social structures, “this historical function gets generalized to contemporary patterns of social organization, in particular the exchange of privacy – and its attendant autonomy – for the modest comforts and security of collective living.”

Of particular interest is the role of the “Den Mother.”  “More than anything,” writes the author, “the Longhouse refers to the remarkable overcorrection of the last two generations toward social norms centering feminine needs and feminine methods for controlling, directing, and modeling behavior.” What a loaded statement.  As Rod Dreher noted, the longhouse stands for “a metaphor for the over feminization of our common life.”  He warns, “if we don’t talk about the ways the dominance of feminized categories in public discourse and policies harm men, and hurt the common good, we are guaranteeing the radicalization of a new generation of men. Real problems cannot be suppressed forever.”

Camille Paglia wrote that feminism wrongly “see[s] every hierarchy as repressive, a social fiction; every negative about woman is a male lie designed to keep her in her place.  Feminism has exceeded its proper mission of seeking political equality for women and has ended by rejecting contingency, that is, human limitation by nature or fate… If civilization had been left in female hands, we would still be living in grass huts.” 

The longhouse discussion is really about “safetyism.”  Again, going back to Genesis, the Creator made males and females different. “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them” (Gen 5: 2). Men and women are different and their “differences have an immense impact upon the climate of our social and political discourse.”  Boys in our culture experience immense social pressure to “self-censor.”  Present day ideologies function as a rationalization for more naturally female inclinations in discourse and socialization.  Jordon Peterson sees this as a maternal instinct.  He bluntly observes, “the political landscape is being viewed through the lens of a hyper-concerned mother for her infant.”

I know I am treading on thin ice with the direction of this blog.  I have written many times about the feminization of men and our culture.  When I first read this article, however, I could only say, “Yes.”  I had my wife read it soon afterwards.  She too responded, “Yes.”  Yours truly struggles mightily in these blogs to help men develop their masculine souls.  I continue to search for voices that reflect the issues of masculinity and femininity.  To me, this is a matter of soulfulness, men honestly crying out to God for healing and affirmation. 

Here are issues for men to keep always before them as they navigate the “gender wars” of our time:  1) Remember that you have a unique masculine soul that desperately needs affirmation and healing in today’s spiritual wilderness.  2) Celebrate the complimentary feminine soul. Honor and delight in the feminine. 3) Never forget your focus – Scripture portraying life as complementary.  4) Find men who are willing to be honest about their masculine souls in today’s culture (like in AA, CR or RA), and absorb masculine energy from older saints in your life.  

I am old enough to remember “Neon Deion” Sanders from his days as one of the most dynamic and entertaining players in the NFL. He was all about himself, his abilities, and his fame. He could out-talk and out-strut most anyone and then go play with the best in football. But after his NFL playing days, he made a commitment to the Lord. This became evident in how he conducted himself as a college football coach.  Recently he was hired as the new football coach for the University of Colorado. One of his first moves was to put his squad on notice. 

“One thing I don’t condone is disrespect to a woman,” he told his new team, which was assembled in a theater on the Boulder campus. Standing before a line of female students, the new coach was blunt with his team.  “So when you pass by these beautiful young women, I don’t know if they grace you to call them by their name or their title,” he told them. “You find out. Be courteous, be gracious, and be polite.”

“If there’s any dysfunction, obstruction with your girlfriend, fiancée, or whoever, with any abuse, that’s it, it’s over,” Sanders told the team. “Don’t call me, don’t have your momma call me, don’t call Rick (Colorado’s Athletic Director). It’s a wrap.  You understand that?  [We’re] gonna respect our women wholeheartedly.”  It’s inevitable that Deion Sanders’ standards and policies will be put to the test.  But the coach once said, “Whenever you make a promise, you have a responsibility to that promise.”

I admire the coach for what he started to institute as he began his coaching tenure at Colorado.  I hope that he can be a “father” figure to his players.  It will be quite a task to corral and shepherd hormonally charged young men, who live in a sensually charged culture, with 24-hour access to pornography, and with young college woman who want to date a football player. 

Most of all I admire “Neon-Deion” for being willing to swim against the stream of contemporary culture.  When it comes to sex, we have Paul’s understanding of how we lose touch with reality.  “They’re lost touch not only with God but with reality itself.  They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion” (Eph. 4: 18-19 – Message). 

I can almost hear the coach talking with his team of young males, “Listen to me, my sons, and pay attention to my words.  Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her.  Don’t wander down her wayward path. For she has been the ruin of many; numerous men have been her victims. Her house is the road to the grave.  Her bedroom is the den of death” (Prov. 7:24-27).  These are strong and direct words that need to be told to young men with a “tiger in their tank.” 

For all the men reading this blog, this comes as a reminder: 1) Admit you have a “tiger in your tank.” Don’t fool yourself and those near you.  2) Admit you need God to cleanse your soul, and to give you a deep desire to know Him.  3) Set an example as a man who has eyes only for his wife.  Beware of the “roaming eye.” 

Paul gives us this advice: “Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.  Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God” (I Thess. 4:3-5 – Message).  Find a brother to talk with about your tiger.