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Why Men Hate Going to Church
9 Marks ^ | Mar 2010 | Jamie Dunlop

Posted on 08/03/2020 1:11:21 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Why Men Hate Going to Church, by David Murrow, explores the elements of American church life that discourage attendance and engagement of men.

His conclusion? Churches have shifted toward a style that is comfortable for the stereotypical woman—at the expense of the stereotypical man. And by men, Murrow is referring to masculine men: high achievers, alpha males, risk takers, visionaries...

Murrow points to four categories of church elements that clash with the temperament of most unchurched men.

1. Church makes men feel uncomfortable because it emphasizes feminine values

For example, sentimental songs that celebrate the intimacy of relationship with Jesus Christ bring a more feminine style of worship...

2. Church forces men to do things that they find uncomfortable

From asking men to sing in public, to sermons that are longer than the space between television commercials...

3. Men assume that church will require them to give up masculine traits

Murrow lists a number of men’s misconceptions about what they must give up to become part of a church. They assume church will make them “dorky” and “nerdy”—the equivalent of the evangelical Christian Ned Flanders from the Simpsons cartoon.

4. Church does not present a compelling model of leadership

One assumption that underlies much of Murrow’s thinking on leadership is that “If men are to return to Christ, they need strong, godly laymen to help them in their walk . . . For too long we have asked men to follow our teaching, our methods, and our theology. Men do not follow these things. I’ll say it again: men follow men.” It is difficult to argue with the premise that visionary leaders are the source of much change in this world. As a result, Murrow castigates the church for its inability to inspire men to greatness.

(Excerpt) Read more at 9marks.org ...


TOPICS: Religion; Society
KEYWORDS: christian; christianity; church; masculine; masculinity; men
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To: Vigilanteman
My ideal church would meet outdoors on a mountain top or by a babbling brook full of bass, tout and/or catfish.

Jesus was big on taking his disciples sailing, fishing, hiking in the wilderness, climbing up high mountains apart... all the outdoor guy stuff.

The Messiah just might get lost in... Cabela's!

41 posted on 08/03/2020 2:05:13 PM PDT by Ezekiel (The pun is mightier than the s-word. Goy to the World!)
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To: Mr. Jeeves
Today's churches have little to no philosophical grounding. Men want to know "why" - and churches today answer in words only women hear and respond to: "Because Jesus loves us soooo much!"

You have a point. When I hear the pastor use phrases like ‘racial inequality,’ I immediately think of solutions based rejoinders like, ‘personal responsibility,’ instead, the sermon devolves into ‘white guilt’ bromides ... and completely loses me.

And this is a fairly conservative church that has recently been highly influenced by Tim Keller.

42 posted on 08/03/2020 2:07:36 PM PDT by 11th_VA (May you live in interesting times - Ancient Chinese Proverb)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Turning all the jobs in the church over to women gives men the idea that Church is Women’s Work and the wife should take care of the family religious participation. Worst is female pastors but in Catholic Churches with all the different ministers of this and that being now women, it works the same. Altar girls starts it early. “I don’t wanna do that, that’s for girls.”


43 posted on 08/03/2020 2:09:16 PM PDT by arthurus (covfefe)
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To: Mr. Jeeves

Part of the problem is there is no Hell. Too many sermons and homilies are constructed around “Be nice.”


44 posted on 08/03/2020 2:11:29 PM PDT by arthurus (covfefe too)
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To: DeFault User
About 20 years ago at a UMC church we started singing Onward Christian Soldiers except it wasn’t Onward Christian Soldiers. It was some sort of PC lyric that bore no resemblance to the original. An elderly woman next to me was belting out the original lyric until she noticed everybody else was singing something different. She looks at her hymnal with a puzzled frown and then starts weakly following the new lyric.

It was probably "Forward Through the Ages." The pastor at the Methodist church where I was baptized and confirmed liked this hymn. I found out later that he was a pacifist who had protested WWII, so he probably didn't care for "Onward, Christian Soldiers."

45 posted on 08/03/2020 2:11:38 PM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Exo 15:3 The LORD is a warrior; Yahweh is His name!

Psa_78:65 Then the Lord rose up as though waking from sleep, like a warrior aroused from a drunken stupor.


46 posted on 08/03/2020 2:15:16 PM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: stars & stripes forever

I find that to be very true.

While going through basic back in the early 80’s, our training company ran Sundays like this: You could go to church on Sunday morning or do chores around the barracks. But chores were going to get done whether you went or not. The guys who didn’t go would do most of them, but some would be left for those who did.

“Naw. Go to church if you want. We’ll be cleaning up sh*t here while you’re gone. We’ll save some for you, though.”

So I learned to stop going to church pretty quick. Three weeks in and no one was going to church any more. Peer pressure and their respect for you was a big thing in basic. Not saying it was right by God. But it was a fact of life in (my) basic training.


47 posted on 08/03/2020 2:15:58 PM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: sauropod
Yeah, not a fan of Praise music, or even modern “hymns” as put out by Keith and Krystin Getty, and many others.

Give me an old fashioned hymn any day.

Check out the Old Fashioned Revival Hour. Their hour-long broadcasts include about 35 minutes of music and a 20-minute sermon. Most date from the 1950's. The music includes hymns by many of America's great hymn writers including Charles Gabriel, P. P. Bliss, Ira Sankey, George Stebbins, Fanny Crosby and Howard Doane. Incidentally, my mother is singing in the choir.

48 posted on 08/03/2020 2:18:21 PM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: Ouchthatonehurt

All the real men I know attend church.
The real intent of this article is to create the backthought, “Real men, masculine men, don’t go to church.”
A truly lame attempt at leftist psy-ops.


49 posted on 08/03/2020 2:22:55 PM PDT by .44 Special (Tiamid Buacach!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

All of the men I know love going to church.


50 posted on 08/03/2020 2:25:52 PM PDT by Southnsoul
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

This sounds like liberal churches like the Congre-GAY-tional Church.


51 posted on 08/03/2020 2:28:40 PM PDT by attiladhun2
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

The church is lost. That’s why we can’t stand it

The Bible. Jesus. Nothing more. Nothing less


52 posted on 08/03/2020 2:33:24 PM PDT by Truthoverpower (The guv-mint you get is the Trump winning express ! Yea haw ! Trump pence II!)
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To: KevinB
John Denver - Thank God I'm A Country Boy

Truth is on the horizon.


53 posted on 08/03/2020 2:36:27 PM PDT by Ezekiel (The pun is mightier than the s-word. Goy to the World!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
IF men were to read the Scriptures I think they'd find it takes a pretty tough fellow to be an authentic Christian.

Paul, John, Peter, Stephen, just among a few, got the tar kicked out of them.

Christianity isn't for sissies.

54 posted on 08/03/2020 2:37:54 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: Fiji Hill

We listened to the Old Fashioned Revival Hour on the radio during breakfast on Sundays before church. Last summer we found some vinyl records of OFRH Quartet at Mom’s house. Some good music.


55 posted on 08/03/2020 2:39:34 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam (If 100% of us contracted this Covid Virus only 99.997% would be left to tell our story.)
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To: Jim W N

EXCELLENT!


56 posted on 08/03/2020 2:59:32 PM PDT by frogjerk (We are conservatives. Not libertarians, not "fiscal conservatives", not moderates)
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To: Flavious_Maximus

“I could do without the loud rock concert atmosphere.”

I have to agree. Over the years, I have visited several evangelical churches and the music seemed to overwhelm the message.

I left several thinking I had gone to a concert rather than a church service.


57 posted on 08/03/2020 3:01:04 PM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: frogjerk

58 posted on 08/03/2020 3:01:29 PM PDT by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

What the author really meant: Men don’t like liberal churches.


59 posted on 08/03/2020 3:04:17 PM PDT by AggregateThreat
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To: Robwin
Church is for women; religion is for men

And, RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ is for EVERYONE!

60 posted on 08/03/2020 3:09:57 PM PDT by 2nd amendment mama (Self Defense is a Basic Human Right!)
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