Men make up reasons, across cultures and time apparently, to not do things that are uncomfortable. Accountability is uncomfortable, likewise submission to a holy God. This is mothing more than that, and the "solution" is apparently to hold up a sort "male exceptionalism" that makes it somehow manly to go to a church that's, I dunno, just for men? But probably with women in the background, making sure things run right while staying invisible and never, ever, taking credit or even being noticed? Some might describe that as "pandering", rather than "discipling".
We have a men's group at our church. We have a women's group, too. We have groups for younger people, and for older people, and folks in between. Then we have all kinds of groups and events where we don't segregate by age or gender at all. It works fine, and everyone is happy that everyone has a group, and everyone who participates is really happy when we intentionally integrate young and old men and women into an event. Like, y'know, Sunday Morning Worship.
I haven't got much evidence or deep research to back this up or anything, but I think one reason at least as to why men attend church less is because many Christian values are typically constructed as feminine in our society. Take the fruits of the spirit for example - love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness are all considered feminine and gentleness in a man would often be seen as "effeminate". The response to this I think should not be to ditch these "feminine" aspects of the faith to counteract some "feminisation of the church", but rather insist that these qualities aren't made specially for women or for men, but are made for all of us to embody.
We (I include myself as someone who’s been a part of the problem) tend to talk out of both sides of our mouth on this one. Overseas and and historically, women outnumber men in the church because the gospel frees them from the Bad patriarchy in their society. But in present-day white American evangelicalism, women outnumber men because Good patriarchy has not been sufficiently adopted and so some latent societal feminism has crept in. Or so we say.
"It’s taken for granted that the reason men don’t go to church is women's fault, not men's. Men do not need evidence their problems are caused by women, or womanhood." This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The second sin was Adam blaming Eve.
Men make up reasons, across cultures and time apparently, to not do things that are uncomfortable. Accountability is uncomfortable, likewise submission to a holy God. This is mothing more than that, and the "solution" is apparently to hold up a sort "male exceptionalism" that makes it somehow manly to go to a church that's, I dunno, just for men? But probably with women in the background, making sure things run right while staying invisible and never, ever, taking credit or even being noticed? Some might describe that as "pandering", rather than "discipling".
We have a men's group at our church. We have a women's group, too. We have groups for younger people, and for older people, and folks in between. Then we have all kinds of groups and events where we don't segregate by age or gender at all. It works fine, and everyone is happy that everyone has a group, and everyone who participates is really happy when we intentionally integrate young and old men and women into an event. Like, y'know, Sunday Morning Worship.
I haven't got much evidence or deep research to back this up or anything, but I think one reason at least as to why men attend church less is because many Christian values are typically constructed as feminine in our society. Take the fruits of the spirit for example - love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness are all considered feminine and gentleness in a man would often be seen as "effeminate". The response to this I think should not be to ditch these "feminine" aspects of the faith to counteract some "feminisation of the church", but rather insist that these qualities aren't made specially for women or for men, but are made for all of us to embody.
We (I include myself as someone who’s been a part of the problem) tend to talk out of both sides of our mouth on this one. Overseas and and historically, women outnumber men in the church because the gospel frees them from the Bad patriarchy in their society. But in present-day white American evangelicalism, women outnumber men because Good patriarchy has not been sufficiently adopted and so some latent societal feminism has crept in. Or so we say.
"It’s taken for granted that the reason men don’t go to church is women's fault, not men's. Men do not need evidence their problems are caused by women, or womanhood." This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The second sin was Adam blaming Eve.