Church and Real Men

I am going to vent today. After this video by Mark Driscoll, I realized even more how badly the church needs real men. The church has done a good job reaching out to women, and is even somewhat appealing to more effeminate men. In fact, it seems a lot of younger, Christian men tend too be more feminine than the ones outside the church. Perhaps it is just that society today likes metro-sexual men. Sadly, the metro-sexual thing is a disgrace to manhood. We have young men in the church (and out) who have never worked a real job in their lives. The styles of dress are meant to make men look more like women. Seems like 90% of these guys can't change a tire, change their own oil, much less do any real car repair. They can't do a hard day's work. Back in the day, if you were a young man, you would be working in a coal mine, or logging trees, or farming, maybe even working in a factory. Nowadays, there's a taboo against hard labor. I think it's up to the church to start reaching out to the manly men; the ones who like to hunt, fish, work on cars, and shoot guns. Let's get some more ministries that reach out to that kind of man. Let's make sure all of the other young men in the church can learn how to be a man. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with enjoying the finer things in life, but I do think that manhood is losing its masculinity.

(Note: this would not let me publish the video, so go to Youtube and type in "Mark Driscoll Macho Man")

Haiti and God's New World

This week for my New Testament class, as part of our meditative Bible reading, I have been meditating on Isaiah 65:17-25. This passage (read it on your own; it's short) deals with the hope of the new world Christ will create at His Second Coming. This is the oft-cited passage filled with the imagery of lions lying down with lambs, and the world being filled with prosperity, longevity, and close communion with God. This is a picture of the future hope that we are all looking forward to. We acknowledge, along with scripture, that Christ has been exalted to God's right hand where He rules the world as His kingdom is established (Phil. 2: 9-10, Acts 2:33). As Christians who are in Christ, we have become part of the new creation that God is undertaking. We get to look forward to the bright future ahead as both hope and motivation for doing the work of God on earth.

Strangely, I am meditating on all this within the week that a huge earthquake has struck the island of Haiti and killed thousands of people. While we could ask hundreds of questions concerning the goodness of God in allowing this to happen or the origin of evil, including natural disasters, what I would like to consider is how to evaluate this with the coming Kingdom in mind. How do we understand this sort of tragedy that occurs based on simple plate tectonics? Will the coming kingdom involve such tragedy? I do not know. I do not believe we can assume all natural processes will stop when God restores the world. The Isaiah passage itself suggests that natural life cycle processes will still occur (Is. 65:20), while at the same time making the world seem rather safe through the use of the lion and the lamb metaphor. I do not think this passage is to be taken literally, because if it is, then we have a terrible contradiction (people will die, but soulless animals will not?). I believe that everything God created is good, including the forces of nature. What I think this passage is trying to show is the extent of cosmic restoration the world will undergo. So will events like this occur in the new creation? Perhaps, but with no widespread destruction like what we see there. In our resurrected bodies, I imagine we shall be immune to the effects of death and destruction, because that is the final enemy that will be conquered (1 Cor.15).

So, as we see the effects this earthquake has had on the island of Haiti, let's do the work of the coming kingdom. While we live in these present bodies that are subject to the laws of death, let's look ahead to a better time. It is the job of a Christian to help out those who cannot help themselves. The poor, the oppressed, the hungry, those who have been displaced, these are the ones who God is calling into his kingdom. Failure to assist these people is failure to participate in the mission of the kingdom of God. Sending money, help, or prayers is the least we can do as beneficiaries of God's grace. While we may not understand why God allowed such evil to happen, we do know what His will is in it. His will is for us to show the people Christlike love.

World Without End

Currently I am reading a really excellent book. It's called "World Without End" by Ken Follet. It is the sequel to his 1989 novel "Pillars of the Earth." The story follows the lives of a group of peasants and merchants living in the town of Kingsbridge in the 14th century. The story revolves around the constant struggled between the Kingsbridge priory and the ordinary folks who are trying to make a living in a harsh time period. The Hundred Years War is raging and the bubonic plague is wrecking havoc on Europe. The church officials are corrupt and the lords and kings are selfish oppressors. It is not a time I would want to live in. However, it is an excellent novel and at over 1000 pages, it still feels too short. The only complaint I have against it is that at certain points it is far too sexually graphic for my taste. Sometimes it just seems Follet could have been a little more subtle and left more to the imagination. Otherwise, I would suggest it to anyone who loves a good historical novel.