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Real men find Church too girly
Times of London ^ | January 27, 2010 | Ruth Gledhill

Posted on 02/19/2010 7:13:39 PM PST by hiho hiho

Real men don't like going to church because they don't want to "sing love songs to a man", because the "vicar wears a dress", because they feel like "mongrels on parade at Crufts" and because they want to be waited on by women rather than queue for coffee after the service.

Instead of the usual flowers and statues of the Virgin Mary, they suggest, "How would it go down to decorate with swords, or pictures of knights, or flaming torches?"

"Maybe it's not 'politically correct', but men quite like the attention of women! They also like to be waited on - so long as they are not made to feel guilty. Instead of having to queue for coffee, why not ask some of the women to go round with trays of coffee and biscuits or chocky bars? Coupled with a charming smile, many men would find that very attractive!"

Then there are the hymns, or modern worship songs, themselves.

Quite apart from the sheer embarrassment of having to sing out loud when the tune might go too high or be in an unfamiliar key,

"Jesus, I am so in love with you," or "Beautiful one I love, beautiful one I adore," - many men wouldn't sing that to their wives, let alone another man, the charity advises.

Among the changes recommended by Christian Vision for Men, a member of the Evangelical Alliance, is to use the World Cup to boost falling congregations. The charity wants vicars to erect big screens above the pulpit during this summer’s World Cup in South Africa and even serve beer during games.

The charity, which also recommends subjects as "pornography" are discussed in church men's groups, has also launched two Christian-themed men’s magazines in a further bid to lock into male culture.

(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Religion & Culture; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: evangelism; males
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To: csmusaret

Sounds kind of self righteous. ;)


41 posted on 02/19/2010 8:01:42 PM PST by SaraJohnson
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To: Texas Eagle

Onslow!


42 posted on 02/19/2010 8:04:53 PM PST by La Lydia
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To: csmusaret
As a Christian myself I kind of agree. It seems it has turned more into a weekly brainwashing session more than learning about God.

I am still considering attending a local non-denominational church. You should see if any of those are around. The preacher doesn't have a scripted message from a theologian school or from Rome.
43 posted on 02/19/2010 8:05:01 PM PST by randomhero97 ("First you want to kill me, now you want to kiss me. Blow!" - Ash)
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To: La Lydia
Heh, heh.

Funny show.

44 posted on 02/19/2010 8:06:19 PM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. -- Texas Eagle)
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To: brytlea

OURS, TOO, AND THEY AREN’T ASHAMED TO SING ABOUT HIM EITHER.


45 posted on 02/19/2010 8:08:04 PM PST by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: hiho hiho; Centurion2000; smokingfrog

Time to brink the Archangel Michael to their attention. Plenty of masculinity to go around there.


46 posted on 02/19/2010 8:08:39 PM PST by La Lydia
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To: hiho hiho

This is interesting because the same has happened in Jewish congregations. First, reform synagogues allowed women to participate fully in Torah reading. Then they could even become the rabbis. They are usually a majority of the non-Orthodox temple committees too. The whole thing becomes like a PTA. Men find less and less for them there. It becomes wholly woman-centric. (To the point of taking the masculine “He” away from the Bible in the most liberal prayer books!!!)

As a mom of sons, I find it sad.


47 posted on 02/19/2010 8:18:01 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: hiho hiho

Yeah, I’m gonna suffer hell because I think appreciating my savior is girly.


48 posted on 02/19/2010 8:19:28 PM PST by The Future 2012 (Would the good people like a reply?)
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To: agrarianlady

The psalms are what my church sings. Almost all of them are masculine, because most were written by men.


49 posted on 02/19/2010 8:24:21 PM PST by The Future 2012 (Would the good people like a reply?)
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To: hiho hiho
Real men don't like going to church because they don't want to "sing love songs to a man", because the "vicar wears a dress", because they feel like "mongrels on parade at Crufts"

Yup.

and because they want to be waited on by women rather than queue for coffee after the service.

Hunh? Is that a Brit thing? Doesn't resonate with me at all.

they suggest, "How would it go down to decorate with swords, or pictures of knights, or flaming torches?"

Equally as clueless as sissifying the service.

50 posted on 02/19/2010 8:28:03 PM PST by Lee N. Field (Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

AMEN.

This article doesn’t distinguish between the sissies that drink from watered-down, compromised preaching, and those that want it cut straight directly from the Bible.

The difference being, the former don’t know what the Bible says, and the latter will challenge the preacher if the Scriptures are twisted.


51 posted on 02/19/2010 8:31:21 PM PST by Salvavida (The restoration of the U.S.A. starts with filling the pews at every Bible-believing church.)
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To: Yaelle
You only need to look around for a church that suits your needs. I was at a church meeting a few years ago, when one old lady started making vigorous complaints about something. Another old lady shut her down by saying that if we wanted young adults and children, then we should not allow policy to be set by the complaints of old ladies.

Another time we had some young man say he was uncomfortable being in a church due to his sins. An old man gave hime a hard look and told him that most of the people in the church had committed more sins than the young man had ever contemplated and that is why people need to go to church.

52 posted on 02/19/2010 8:32:03 PM PST by fini
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To: The Future 2012

Right, I dunno what kind of men this article describes, but geez, ‘wanting women to wait on you?’

Seriously?

I find it impossible to find a nice lady to go to church with in the mornings. You want the men to come, have the ladies show them some attention, you know, maybe a smile once or twice would be nice instead of pushing through the back of the church. “Nice to see you here today!” would be great.

The hymns are a bonus. I love singing and I don’t care if people sing along with me or not.


53 posted on 02/19/2010 8:35:11 PM PST by BenKenobi (Any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind ;)
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To: randomhero97

The answer for faltering Christianity is to get out of the institution. Too big and too breaucratic, and too proud to change, the denominations will not be able to leave their franchise for higher ground. That high ground is a Return to Torah, and a rediscovering of the true Hebrew Religion of the Messiah. Hear the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s House shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it. And many people shall go and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:2,3)

Listen Christian! Listen Jew! It’s time to come home to Torah


54 posted on 02/19/2010 8:37:20 PM PST by Torahman (Remember the Maccabees!)
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To: BenKenobi


me thinks the ladies should hafta get up and dance.
55 posted on 02/19/2010 8:38:55 PM PST by campaignPete R-CT ("pray without ceasing" - Paul of Tarsus)
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To: smokingfrog
Maybe we could have a pistol shooting range in the basement too.

A friend is a Missouri Synod Lutheran minister at a church in Detroit with a two-lane bowling alley in the basement, will that do?

56 posted on 02/19/2010 8:39:53 PM PST by MacombBob
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To: csmusaret
I’d like Church more if the pews weren’t filled with self righteous do-gooders who are always looking down their hypocritical noses at everybody else.

Anyone who goes to church because of the people who are there is wasting their time.

Anyone who doesn't go to church because of the people who are there is a fool.

57 posted on 02/19/2010 8:45:31 PM PST by Prokopton
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To: hiho hiho
Among the changes recommended by Christian Vision for Men, a member of the Evangelical Alliance, is to use the World Cup to boost falling congregations. The charity wants vicars to erect big screens above the pulpit during this summer’s World Cup in South Africa and even serve beer during games.

The charity, which also recommends subjects as "pornography" are discussed in church men's groups, has also launched two Christian-themed men’s magazines in a further bid to lock into male culture.

Oh, please. I do not come to church to hear about sports. Sports anecdotes, sports analogies, sports references of any sort, lose me instantly!. The only sport I'm remotely interested in (poking holes in things with or knocking over steel plates with .452" diameter 230 grain bits of cast lead) is so politically incorrect it'll never get mentioned from a pulpit.

Most church people seem to be utterly clueless about men.

The only presentation I've ever heard that resonated with me at all is this one right here.

"Richard D. Phillips visits Christ the Center to discuss his new book The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men. The book is a reaction to recent cultural trends as well as John Eldredge’s mega-hit Wild at Heart. Much more than a simple reaction, Rev. Phillips promotes a positive, biblical approach to masculinity by touching on biblical anthropology and God’s specific call that men should “work” and “keep.”"

He roots his discussion of masculine roles in the creation mandate to Adam to "keep and guard". About an hour of audio, highly recommended.

58 posted on 02/19/2010 8:48:14 PM PST by Lee N. Field (Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.)
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To: Just another Joe

My husband goes to church to study in men’s bible groups and to perform service designed for and by men. They are a tight bunch. Play golf and sports together outside church. They network in business - help younger church folks get jobs and into college, etc. They tutor church high school kids who are screwing up. Single moms go to them when they are having trouble with a kid and they will spend time with the kid to figure out what is up. Sometimes it is as simple as the kid’s mom can afford the fees for sports and the kid feels left out. It’s no big deal to arrange things so they are right. It’s a middle class church. When a boy turns 13, they can join the men in most of the activities they do. That is a big deal to the boys and they are treated like men.

The women do the stuff they want to do and pretty much the services are geared towards women. They mostly teach sunday school for the little ones. Their service projects tend to be geared outside the church community for the poor, etc. They do a lot of musicals and plays at nursing homes.

Since they have designed this separate man thing five years ago, they have attracted a lot more males to the church and become quite a powerhouse amounst themselves in life and in Christ. In my opinion, the Priest does better serving the ladies than dealing with the men. Some women can not stand men being the bosses of themselves at church, protest then leave. It is pretty shocking to some women that they are “excluded” from male created, directed and centered activity. But it is very good for the nurturing the faith of males.


59 posted on 02/19/2010 8:48:15 PM PST by SaraJohnson
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To: Texas Eagle

I love that show.


60 posted on 02/19/2010 9:04:08 PM PST by bergmeid (Gas up the truck and pedal to the metal!)
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