1
I've noticed that in the body of Christ, since there is a lack of men stepping up to do their job, some are trying to fill the lack with new tools to encourage men to be 'men'.
The more I examine these well intentioned things that are encouraging men to be men, the more I wonder about their desired outcome.
I listen to James Dobson types and John Eldridge types talk and write about manhood, and it leaves me asking this question. "Are they trying to conform men to John Wayne,Grizzly Adams and Tarzan instead of to the very image of Christ?"
James Dobson seems obsessed with turning men into John Wayne or some kind of cowboy he saw in his Western movies growing up.
John Eldridge seems like he's trying to make men in to grunting hunter gatherer types, who swing from a vine like Tarzan and live in the woods grunting and rubbing their backs against the rough bark of a tree to pacify the itch on their back.
Hey, I get that there is a certain roughness and toughness that comes as an inherent trait to men, but that shouldn't be the focus when seeking to restore men to their 'intended' roles.
The goal shouldn't be to help men rediscover their primal urges, but rather to help men discover the urges the Father has intended us to find in conforming to the very image of Christ. We shouldn't seek to discover our 'wild heart' as John Eldridge proposes, rather we should seek to discover the heart of God and the very character of Jesus.
Romans 8:29
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
The more I examine these well intentioned things that are encouraging men to be men, the more I wonder about their desired outcome.
I listen to James Dobson types and John Eldridge types talk and write about manhood, and it leaves me asking this question. "Are they trying to conform men to John Wayne,Grizzly Adams and Tarzan instead of to the very image of Christ?"
James Dobson seems obsessed with turning men into John Wayne or some kind of cowboy he saw in his Western movies growing up.
John Eldridge seems like he's trying to make men in to grunting hunter gatherer types, who swing from a vine like Tarzan and live in the woods grunting and rubbing their backs against the rough bark of a tree to pacify the itch on their back.
Hey, I get that there is a certain roughness and toughness that comes as an inherent trait to men, but that shouldn't be the focus when seeking to restore men to their 'intended' roles.
The goal shouldn't be to help men rediscover their primal urges, but rather to help men discover the urges the Father has intended us to find in conforming to the very image of Christ. We shouldn't seek to discover our 'wild heart' as John Eldridge proposes, rather we should seek to discover the heart of God and the very character of Jesus.
Romans 8:29
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Last edited: