Monday 20 December 2010

The Masculine Mandate

I started reading this book by Richard Phillips this morning, it is a book I have been looking forward to reading as one of the big questions for men coming to faith is what does Chriatian manhood look like. The secular world's impression of the church is that it is old and feminised thus such a book is timely.

Having read the foreword (by Jerry Bridges) and the preface I think British culture is in this area tragically ahead of the US. Phillips fear is that men in churches do not know what the biblical mandate for men is, largely because secular teaching, the media and a lack of masculine role models in the church and the home has left men untaught and unsure. If this is the case increasingly in the States it has tragically been the case in Britain for over a decade and it is a trend that is gathering momentum. Men need to be taught what the bibles mandate is for men, what it means to be godly and be a man.

But it got me thinking in what context would you teach this? It is a significant issue for the church so would Sunday mornings be a good idea? What about in home groups? Or a series of men's breakfasts where we looked at this issue?

I'm hoping as I read the book to be practically challenged to change but also enabled to work out the best context in which to teach this material to others. I'm convinced this has been a problem for some time and may be one of the most pressing facing the gospel in the UK, both in terms of how we reach men, how we live as men and how we raise boys in our churches.

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