Faux Masculinity

We live in a day where there is so much redefinition that is occurring, and we need to be grounded in the truth of God's Word.  John Stonestreet commented recently on how these are not particularly good times for men in the popular culture.  But, Scripture gives us plain and powerful instructions with regard to what makes a man.  1st John 2 states:
13 I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.
14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Simple principles found in these three verses include: walking in victory over the wicked one, being strong, allowing God's Word to abide in us, and not loving this world.  Those can actually apply to everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord.  It is not bad to be a male or a female, and the modern-day "battle of the sexes" produces no winners and no virtue.  Where the enemy has corrupted, we can hold up and hold to God's standards.

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In order to cut through the clutter and confusion over matters of gender today, we can embrace the
clarity of the Scriptures. Genesis chapter 1 says:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

One could say that the concept of "gender" is being challenged today, and the very essence of what it means to be male and female is coming under fire.  In another step in today's gender deception, the American Psychological Association, according to National Review...

...has drafted new guidelines for psychological practice with men and boys that declared “traditional masculinity” to be harmful. According to the guidelines, “traditional masculinity ideology” has been show to “limit males’ psychological development, constrain their behavior, result in gender role strain and gender role conflict, and negatively influence mental and physical health.”

David French, who wrote the article, stated:

In fact, the assault on traditional masculinity — while liberating to men who don’t fit traditional norms — is itself harmful to the millions of young men who seek to be physically and mentally tough, to rise to challenges, and demonstrate leadership under pressure. The assault on traditional masculinity is an assault on their very natures.

John Stonestreet, in a Breakpoint commentary, acknowledges some of the negative trends involving men and boys:

They’re diagnosed with ADHD at twice the rate of girls, they perform worse on standardized tests, they’re suspended and expelled from school at a disproportionate rate. As they get older, men use drugs and alcohol more often. They don’t seek help for mental health issues like depression as frequently as women do. They commit 90 percent of homicides, and make up 77 percent of homicide victims.

But, Stonestreet points out:

Faced with all of these troubling realities, the APA identifies the problem with men as being “traditional masculinity,” which they define as “anti-femininity, achievement, eschewal of the appearance of weakness, and adventure, risk, and violence.”

That’s not how I define traditional masculinity.

Jenna Ellis of the James Dobson Family Institute, at the DailyWire website, states:

Now, the APA is engaging in over-generalizing and stereotyping when it suggests that “traditional masculinity is “harmful.” Every culture throughout world history has recognized the essential differences between men and women.

While some men may be overly competitive, aggressive, or domineering this can also be true of some women. These are not properly defining traits of “masculinity.”

Integrating the Biblical worldview perspective, Ellis writes:

Bible-believing Christians hold that not only are the biological differences observable between male and female obvious, but these differences extend to soul and spirit. The differences between men and women in all these areas are part of God’s intended complementarity of design in creating us “male and female.” Because God intended us to be male and female, these differences are designed to be good.

She closes out by saying, "The problem is not with masculinity. Biblical truth is timeless and pre-political and pre-cultural. Men should desire to be biblically masculine and demonstrate those traits that make them men. Women should cherish femininity and the innate characteristics and outward design given by God, and women should also stand up firmly to defend biblical masculinity in men." She adds, "We need more real men. Real men embrace and exhibit biblical masculinity. And it isn’t toxic. It is essential."

Now, the concept of the "toxic" male is being explored in a razor commercial.  Another DailyWire story highlights the concept:

In a new commercial for Procter & Gamble’s Gillette razor brand, images of men are shown as audio from news clips about the “#MeToo movement” and “toxic masculinity” can be heard.

A narrator asks: “Is this the best a man can get?”

Then, as the story describes it, there are examples of men behaving badly, laced with the phrase, "boys will be boys."  Then, the voice of Terry Crews is heard saying:

Oh, but thankfully the Gillette narrator says, “We believe in the best of men.” We then see a clip of actor Terry Crews saying, “Men need to hold other men accountable.” Then we’re shown scenes of men intervening when other men tell women to smile, or walk after them on the street, or stopping bullying.

The message sounds good, doesn't it?  And, yes, men should step up and be positive role models, show respect for women, and set a good example for our children.  But, author Ashe Schow, who is female, points out a problem with the premise: "Until no man, anywhere, does anything bad ever again, we can continue to shame all men for the actions of a few is the apparent message here."

But, this is not new territory for razor ads.  Harry's did something even worse in 2017, according to David French at National Review:

If you want to see the difference between a rather awkward attack on truly toxic masculinity and a frontal assault on actual masculine virtue, then look no farther than this 2017 Twitter ad from Harry’s:

Today is International Men’s Day. Believe it or not, that’s a thing.

Now more than ever, being a man demands introspection, humility, and optimism. To get to a better tomorrow, we need to take a look at today, and at the misguided stereotypes that got us here in the first place. pic.twitter.com/1lViZqWbIx

— Harry's (@harrys) November 19, 2017

So, the gender itself is being held in contempt for the mistakes of the few.  Manhood itself is being denigrated; and yes, we all can do better.  No matter what our gender - male or female - we are all sinners and we need the grace and mercy of Almighty God.  We actually need to do more than be better people, we have to choose a better life, the abundant life serving the Savior, who enables us to walk in a manner that pleases our Heavenly Father.

The Church can speak out boldly and clearly about the importance of walking in our God-given roles; and while God has created and gifted men and women differently, and this has so many implications, we should be able to celebrate that.  The Scriptures teach us how people are to treat one another, and provides principles that we can follow in our marriage relationships.  Men are to treat women with respect and honor, and to depart from that is a violation of God's standards.

But, we have to admit that the enemy has sown confusion and deception - about what it means to be a man, and has attempted to corrupt those principles.  And, even errant teaching on sexuality and so-called gender identity have crept into our midst.  We can rediscover who we are in Christ and realize that God made us different for a reason, and we should never use those differences as an excuse to demean someone else.