Part 2: How To Be A Man

"Who Am I", is not a question for just the soul searchers anymore, but a modern question for the two sexes. From John Wayne to Arnold Schwarzenegger American males have been corn fed the macho ideal "real" man. The problem is that the old west is over, and few men have the time to cultivate a body like Arnold's. If having a six shooter and biceps the size of thighs is what it takes to be a man, I quit!

I have heard faceless radio shrinks and t.v. talking heads blather about men's "roles" in society, and that men find their self-worth in what they do for a living. Is a man less a man if he stays at home with the kids while the wife works? Do men have a feminine side to get in-touch with? Should men be secretaries or nurses? All these are interesting questions, but I do not think they tell us anything about being a man. Since people have different opinions about such questions, it may seem that "maleness" has been confused beyond any hope of identification.

But men are confused because they have lost their belief in a creator, and replaced him with science and relativism. We need the John Waynes and Arnold Schwarzenegger because the intellectuals and pop culture have iced God, and replaced him with the flavor of the month. Brad Pitt may be the male standard today, but it may be queer eye for the straight guy tomorrow.

Since we have been created for a purpose by God, it seems logical that when we pursue this purpose our "maleness" flows naturally without question, or confusion. Manhood is expressed most fully by the man closest to God. The ultimate example we have is Jesus. Christ breaks all of the modern rules and past historical pre-suppositions concerning manhood, and the N.T. teachings have chisled a difficult road to travel for the "dazed and confused". Stay tuned for the next mind numbing post on "manhood".

TOTT

Psalm 18: Saved

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave [b] coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him� the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies , great bolts of lightning and routed them.

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. TOTT

Part 1: How to Be A Man

What does it mean to be a man in the twenty first century? The idea of manhood and what it takes to be a man varies in different cultures. National Geographic televised a 13 year old boy being initiated into manhood by his tribe. 8 to 12 cows were lined up side by side,and the boy had to run across the backs of the cattle without falling off.if he failed, his family would be humiliated and he would not be considered a man by his tribe. Here in the United States, the idea of becomming a man has ranged from a boys first sexual conquest, to how much alchohol he can consume until unconscious.

I have been reading articles portraying the American male as "dazed and confused" over what it means to be a man today. Women are much easier to bed down nowadays,so their is not much "manly" skill needed for a sexual "conquest", and drunken masculinity is now an oxymoron. So what makes a man today, or any day for that matter? I believe the problem is theological, philosophical, and then anthropological. It is theological because if there is a god and he created us male and female, then there is a reason and a purpose for the two sexes. It is philosophical because we must define what it means to be human, and male or female. It is anthropological because we must discover how humans have been defining their roles as men and women throughout history.

The theological probelm is the cornerstone;whatever we conclude about god and his purpose in our creation affects the philosophical and anthropological. Men are lost because god is lost to them. Secularism has defined humanity as a meaningless product of evolution, and since relativism is the going trend, feminism, homosexuality,and transgenders can redefine the meaning of manhood. Men are confused because society is in a spiritual and moral upheavel. As a Christian I am not bound to the whimsical speculations of a lost society, but I have hope and guidance in God's word to lead me to a true definition of manhood.

Stay tune for my next exciting post on manhood! That is, if you are man enough to take it! Except for you ladies of course. TOTT