Women: What Men Need To Know
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: Men need to consider seriously being more like women.
One could make a very convincing argument that part of the reason that we say some Christian ideas won't work (turn other cheek, love enemies, etc.) is because usually men have run the world, and these ideas are deemed too effeminate and thus out of bounds for men. At times and in some communities, the church has been seen as only for women and children. Let's examine this further.
a. Men and women's worlds. Boys are made of snails, nails, and puppy dogs' tails. Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. And these views are more accentuated as we grow up. Men are tough, rough, aggressive, competitive, brave, daring, cold, and unemotional, and they are not allowed to cry. Women are sweet, gentle, kind, thoughtful, sentimental, emotional, and warm, and they tend to cry. When Jesus speaks of forgiveness and love and holds up the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) for the ideal, these virtues do not line up well with the picture of a man's world we just painted. Love as presented in 1 Corinthians 13 is seen as weak. Christian virtues are more like women's ways. I consider this to be a problem of large proportions. I have even heard of Salmon's Head of Christ criticized as appearing too effeminate.
b. Women try to emulate men. Women have no problem dressing in men's clothes (the other way around is usually confined to your private room). To achieve equality in society, women unfortunately believe they must adopt men's ways. Men's ways tend to discard Christian softness and gentleness and kindness as signs of weakness and being unworkable. Women seeking to be more like men are giving up wonderful qualities.
c. Men try not to be like women. Because the traditional roles for men are to be the tough, manly hero, men have shunned the feminine image. They call any boy or man acting too much like the traditional women's role a sissy. Gay bashing is a result of this fear men have of appearing feminine. However ...
d. Men need women's virtues and not the other way around. They say if women ran the world there would be no wars. Before we can have a world of peace and justice, men will have to learn there is power, strength, and courage in Christian love and forgiveness; or women will have to gain more control, and those who do cannot give up the gentle virtues.
One could make a very convincing argument that part of the reason that we say some Christian ideas won't work (turn other cheek, love enemies, etc.) is because usually men have run the world, and these ideas are deemed too effeminate and thus out of bounds for men. At times and in some communities, the church has been seen as only for women and children. Let's examine this further.
a. Men and women's worlds. Boys are made of snails, nails, and puppy dogs' tails. Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. And these views are more accentuated as we grow up. Men are tough, rough, aggressive, competitive, brave, daring, cold, and unemotional, and they are not allowed to cry. Women are sweet, gentle, kind, thoughtful, sentimental, emotional, and warm, and they tend to cry. When Jesus speaks of forgiveness and love and holds up the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) for the ideal, these virtues do not line up well with the picture of a man's world we just painted. Love as presented in 1 Corinthians 13 is seen as weak. Christian virtues are more like women's ways. I consider this to be a problem of large proportions. I have even heard of Salmon's Head of Christ criticized as appearing too effeminate.
b. Women try to emulate men. Women have no problem dressing in men's clothes (the other way around is usually confined to your private room). To achieve equality in society, women unfortunately believe they must adopt men's ways. Men's ways tend to discard Christian softness and gentleness and kindness as signs of weakness and being unworkable. Women seeking to be more like men are giving up wonderful qualities.
c. Men try not to be like women. Because the traditional roles for men are to be the tough, manly hero, men have shunned the feminine image. They call any boy or man acting too much like the traditional women's role a sissy. Gay bashing is a result of this fear men have of appearing feminine. However ...
d. Men need women's virtues and not the other way around. They say if women ran the world there would be no wars. Before we can have a world of peace and justice, men will have to learn there is power, strength, and courage in Christian love and forgiveness; or women will have to gain more control, and those who do cannot give up the gentle virtues.
