Today I went to support a friend who was sitting on a discussion panel on porn and its effects. This week is "Love Your Body Week" at Sierra College, a community college nearing 25,000 students in Rocklin. Loving your body in the way Sierra College means it is to be an expression of social and sexual freedom. In fact, the slogan of this emphasis is a quote by Eve Ensler, "Love your body, take back the world."
My friend did well. He represented a Biblical worldview in regards to porn but the environment of this discussion was never set up to actually be influential in changing the way porn is viewed. No one left that auditorium thinking they would actually reconsider watching/looking at porn. However, there was one message that was clear. Men and our male-dominated culture and way of thinking is the enemy. The pro-porn side was fueled by a gay Sex and Gender Sociology professor, female Feminism Study's professor and a female Sociology Professor. Here was their consensus: Porn is good. Men are bad.
I'm not using hyperbole here. Over and over throughout the discussion it was said, "Our culture, which has been dictated by male dominance, is the source of the negative affects and uses of porn. Women being objectified in pornography is because men have been taught to objectify. Men who impose sexual practices and standards on women that they have seen in porn is because boys have been taught at an early age to suppress women. The reason women, by in large, do not participate in pornography to the degree of men is because they have been taught by their male suppressed mothers they shouldn't be sexually free." Outside of this debate the entire emphasis on loving your body was anti-male.
On the flyer, the seminars given to discuss the topic of manhood are:
1. Pecks, Penises, Patriarchy: A discussion about Masculinity and popular American Culture.
2. Peaceful Warrior - Mediations to gain awareness of body, mind, relaxations.
3. Tough Guise: Violence, Media, Masculinity.
4. Bodies and Gender: the socially constructed meaning of gendered bodies.
Seriously? The only discussions are dealing with masculinity? As you can see, the results are in...masculinity is the enemy.
Where are the dudes who follow Jesus, love their wives, lovingly lead their kids, honor women, sacrificially lead and defend the hurting? Men have been the problem but not because the world has been male dominated for 50 centuries. It's because men have become less than men. We need men to rise up and take back a gender-grey culture. Men need to stop pursuing boats and hobbies and start pursuing their wives, children and wisdom.
I walked out of that discussion today resolved not to allow Biblical, true masculinity die in our culture. I will go to the grave raising up men. Guys where are you? Guys, we will never be the men our wives, kids, friends, culture, Jesus needs with our pants around our ankles in front of a computer. Our agenda is not to regain a masculine control. Our agenda is to be men, embodying all that God intended when he made us male.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
lead on! it only takes a little encouragement, and a strong biblical example and you'll have the "males" comming out of the woodwork just to recapture the true meaning of masculinity in its right form. I am blessed to have such a strong man... and one so intent on leading. I would hate to imagine what would happen if real men didn't rise up... and destroy the fem-nazis and their distorted idea of gender roles. ugh... crazy girls.. they probably didnt get enough love from their dads?
What a radically distorted environment we live in, where most "boys" interaction with women is through a screen or on World of Warcraft. I'm with you till the end Mark, we need to raise up a crew of men who will take up their cross, find their pants, open the bible get a job and take responsibility, even for what's not theirs. I love what Driscoll said this week. "The definition of masculinity is taking responsibility." Let's do it!
Amen! I loved what you said "Men need to stop pursuing boats and hobbies and start pursuing their wives, children and wisdom." Men need to stop being passengers and re-engage. Stand up and be MEN!!!!
What a great post bro. I think that the primary issue is that people need to be Godly--living lives modeled after Christ. People need to start honoring their spouses and children and humanity in general. They need see people through the eyes of Christ and then treat them as such. We would be a lot closer to correcting the perspectives of those professors at Sierra if we were going in that direction. By the grace of God we will.
Post a Comment