Maybe it’s the way things are… or perhaps the way they were in the modern world. Secular society makes a discovery, finds a fad, starts a movement. The church takes note, decides there’s something of interest, and starts a movement of its own. Long after secular culture has given up on the movement or has normalized it, the church is still going strong, pressing this new Biblical vision.
Just so you know, I’m in a bit of a cynical mood here. That, plus I’ve never been able to identify with the sabre-rattling crowd, and it sounds rather bizzare to me when people preface every paragraph with “As a man…” (oh, sorry, I had assumed you were speaking from the perspective of a mother duck). And then there’s the fact that the person who first talked to me about Promise Keepers was one of the worst examples of a husband and father I could think of at the time…. so you may just want to write me off now, especially if you’re heavily Eldridge-influenced.
But…
The Boston Globe is running a story, Daddy, what did you do in the men’s movement? Not a bad read, it talks about Robert Bly, Promise Keepers, and John Eldridge (who gets likened to Bly without drums). The piece also says that the men’s movement is over, ended some time ago — except in Christian circles.
There’s nothing quite like being at the vanguard of the culture.
HT on this story to Father Jake, who also mentions Bush’s dishonesty in lying to the Brits and beginning to doctor up reports in preparation for the upcoming G8 summit. I won’t even start publishing links on these, the stories are all over… and I don’t want to get quite that political tonight… I’ve probably offended enough people for one day already.
The Men’s movement was not an after thought of the church. Is is funny how people who go to church can sometimes recognize the prophets God raises up to speak his word. Some, although
very few, actually saw God working thru a long haired
young musician to bring Jesus to radical christians in the 70’s.. Some people can even see Jesus using Paul Cain, John Paul Jackson, John Wimber, yet miss the boat when it comes to
John Eldredge, Steve Farrar,Bob Buford, Canfield,and others. Men like these will porbably have more dramaitc and life changing effect on men’s lives then B. McLaren ever will.
Good to hear your thoughts. I too have a hard time attending a PK rally, but the key to the men’s move. is as you say it encourages men to affect his family first. What many writers and speakers now do for men is give them some confidence that they can effectively shape their kids lives and be a positive role in the home.
“If we would endeavor, like men of courage, to stand in the battle surely we would feel the favorable assistance of God from heaven…..”Thomas A Kempis. Many men have become confused so much so that they no longer remember what it means to “stand in the battle” because that is what life is. HOw do they then build into their young sons what it means to have courage when boys are constantly told they should not be warlike yet that is what God put into men.What makes the christian men’s groups so effective is that they put tools in men’s hands(fathers, young adults, older men ) so they can be the men God has called them to be. “Wild at heart” is not hype about being some macho ahlteic guy. It is a book probably that every man over 40 should read. So maybe you are not there yet