Manly Christianity!

Good Friday afternoon, my friends.

I have been chewing on a thought all week.  It concerns the question (OK, my question): What does the relationship between God and a man (as in male, not the species) look like?

Over my decade or so in evangelical churches I have often heard the phrase "loving and personal relationship with Jesus Christ" and it has never sat very comfortably with me.  I am sure there are other men out there who feel the same way (I have spoken to a few) and perhaps even a few women.  (Conversely, I am sure there are men who are quite comfortable with it.)

So why am I uncomfortable with it?  I guess because it is not the way I view my relationships with other men, and Jesus was/is a man.  I could get into the whole "feminization" of the church, and reference David Morrow's "Why Men Hate Going to Church" but that is not where I want to go with this.  Instead, I just want to talk about what does make me comfortable in talking about my relationship with Jesus.

The way I see Jesus is as my commanding officer in battle.  I have deep respect and loyalty towards Him because He has proved Himself worthy of that - He has always made the right decision when it came to directing His "troops".  You could even call it "love", but you would not call it a "loving and personal relationship".  

This all came together on Sunday as our pastor preached from 2 Timothy:

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

I want to please my CO.  I want to serve Him with honesty, purity, dignity, integrity and endurance.  I want to earn His trust so that I will be given important assignments to carry out.  That's the kind of terminology I can feel comfortable with.  Can anyone relate?

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace to you,

Bruce

   God, give us men! A time like this demands 

   Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands; 

   Men whom the lust of office does not kill; 

   Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; 

   Men who possess opinions and a will; 

   Men who have honor; men who will not lie; 

   Men who can stand before a demagogue 

   And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking! 

   Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog 

   In public duty and in private thinking; 

   For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds, 

   Their large professions and their little deeds, 

   Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps, 

   Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.

   -- Josial Gilbert Holland, God, Give Us Men!, From The Best Loved Poems of the American People, selected by Hazel Felleman.

(http://www.sermons.org/integrity.html)

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca