Jesus the Girly Man
A few recent books and articles have claimed that men aren't coming to church anymore, because church has become too "feminized" or "impotent." These writers claim that contemporary churches sing too many soft, romantic, "feminine," Jesus-is-my-boyfriend songs that real manly men can't stand. Now, leaving aside the strange, one-dimensional views of masculinity and femininity that such remarks betray, and leaving aside their disturbing implication that having lots of women in your church is a problem (would they say the same if mostly men were coming?), let's take a quick look at the lyrical evidence. A quick glance through scripture and hymnic history shows that men can write wonderfully soft, intimate, tender lyrics about Jesus, while women can write blood-and-thunder, revolution-starting songs too.
Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
I, even I, will sing to the LORD;
I will praise the LORD, the God of Israel, in song.
Deborah, Judges 5:3,9
Show me the wonders of your great love...
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings...
David, Psalm 17:7-8
He (God) has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.
Mary, Luke 1
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Julia Ward Howe, "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.
Charles Wesley, "Jesus, Lover of my soul"
Like a rose, trampled on the ground
You took the fall
and thought of me
Above all
Michael W. Smith, "Above All"
(thanks to Dorcas George for steering me to some of these examples).
Now, I too am suspicious of self-centered, romantic songs about Jesus, but our worship does need to be both "masculine" and "feminine." Jesus is the New Humanity. He's the prototype of what God wants all humans to be, and if we put our trust in him we are launched, by his Spirit, into a process of being transformed into individual versions of him. Read the gospels; see Jesus stretch and break our modern notions of womanliness and manliness. He's tough AND tender, nurturing AND brave, and he calls us all to imitate him. So can we please cut the crap about "the church impotent" and getting "wild at heart" through imitating Aragorn or William Wallace or whoever, and get back to the real adventure of following the Lion who was a Lamb for us?
Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
I, even I, will sing to the LORD;
I will praise the LORD, the God of Israel, in song.
Deborah, Judges 5:3,9
Show me the wonders of your great love...
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings...
David, Psalm 17:7-8
He (God) has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.
Mary, Luke 1
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Julia Ward Howe, "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.
Charles Wesley, "Jesus, Lover of my soul"
Like a rose, trampled on the ground
You took the fall
and thought of me
Above all
Michael W. Smith, "Above All"
(thanks to Dorcas George for steering me to some of these examples).
Now, I too am suspicious of self-centered, romantic songs about Jesus, but our worship does need to be both "masculine" and "feminine." Jesus is the New Humanity. He's the prototype of what God wants all humans to be, and if we put our trust in him we are launched, by his Spirit, into a process of being transformed into individual versions of him. Read the gospels; see Jesus stretch and break our modern notions of womanliness and manliness. He's tough AND tender, nurturing AND brave, and he calls us all to imitate him. So can we please cut the crap about "the church impotent" and getting "wild at heart" through imitating Aragorn or William Wallace or whoever, and get back to the real adventure of following the Lion who was a Lamb for us?
posted by Justin | 4:58 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for the post, it'll give me something to think about.
I've often wondered, though, why it is that it seems easier for women to be believers than men.
I don't think that having lots of women in church is a problem, but having anything be one-sided, when it's supposed to be diverse, is a problem. Churches with only white people (when the community is not that way) is a problem. The community of believers worldwide should be as represented as possible in the local church, and that includes women AND men. I do agree, however, that men can get too easily offended (did you say that? maybe not...) at song lyrics. It's healthy to experience and wosrhip God in a way that, while not heretical, is out of your comfort zone. Thanks for the scriptures and song lyrics. :)
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