After a two month break (and I must say that it has been refreshing) due to the birth of our new baby girl, we finally ventured back to church. Powerful, emotional, moving – those might be some of the words used to describe the service. Not me, though. You wouldn’t hear me describe it in those words. In fact, if you asked me to sum up my Sunday morning church experience into one word it would be: pansy.
Church would have been great if you are a pantie wearing mamma’s boy. The entire service was sentimental and idealistic, based on the effects our emotions have on us during a spiritual parade of believers singing together. Don’t get me wrong. It sounds touching and appears sincere, but there was one point during the choir’s weekly ensemble when I realized the altar was flooded with all women. I looked around and the women in the room were in tears. There were a few guys with red faces and watery eyes, but they were quickly dried by the skirts around their wastes.
I’m not trying to come off as chauvinistic. Women have been uniquely designed to display the extremely divine sensitivity of the heart of God, but I can’t help thinking that men are somehow given the message that godliness is making sure there are no runs in your pantyhose.
Maybe I am still stuck in the crazy words of Chris Elrod. Maybe I am out of my mind, and if you agree with me maybe you are out of your mind. But “if we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.”
I love the church, and I love the sincerity in the worship. However, I think we probably wouldn’t be singing and moved to tears if we were in a prison cell nursing each other’s torture wounds.
The godly men of this country are bored, and we are gearing the western church more and more towards the appeal of women. It is no wonder that:
1) 43% of US children live without their father.
2) 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
3) 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes.
4) 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father.
5) 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
6) 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes.
7) 90% of adolescent repeat arsonists live with only their mother.
8) 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
9) 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes.
10) 70% of juveniles in state operated institutions have no father.
11) 85% of youths in prisons grew up in a fatherless home
12) Fatherless boys and girls are: twice as likely to drop out of high school; twice as likely to end up in jail; four times more likely to need help for emotional or behavioral problems.
Tags: Christianity, Church, Faith, Fathers, God, Jesus, Men, Religion
November 7, 2007 at 2:18 am |
You inspire me!!!
November 7, 2007 at 2:22 pm |
So, what are you going to do about it?
November 7, 2007 at 6:38 pm |
Wow yo! Them some rough stats.So let’s chat about dads. Being a dad, in general, is a hard job. And being a dad that goes the whole way is even more draining, tiring, hard, crazy job than anybody ever tells you.
I have been having a hard time with Handson during school time. Just getting him to work and do well. After two weeks I was tired of it. Apparently some time this past weekend (I don’t think I am as vigilant as I think I am)Rod took Handson off for some man to man time. And wa-la. Handson is trying. Seriously. All it took was his daddy going to him, alone, and saying “I care about you and I expect you do do this and this”. Handson felt cared for and wants to be like his dad.
Not that this one time of chatting with Handson will cure our problem, but there is A LOT to be said when our children feel “seen’ by their dads, ya know? Through these men that are their fathers also comes their concept of Jesus as Father. If men stick around, if men take the time for their kiddos, if men SEE their children, can you imagine all the possibilities for these children and what Jesus can do with them?
Char, what a great conversation!!!!
January 7, 2008 at 4:51 am |
Lovely site! keep up the great work, regards bree :)
February 7, 2009 at 12:40 pm |
Hi, just reading through and i was thinking a few things.. :)
How does the fact that godly men are bored preface all those fatherless stats? Church is for gathering God’s people and worshipping him. Whether or not men cry during a service shouldn’t dictate how the service is set up. We’re called to worship in Spirit and Truth. I’m not sure if i see the association between “pansy” worship services and dead-beat dads. I have a dead-beat dad myself, and he cries in worship services…Go Figure. I’m not sure what the solution to getting the Christian men of America to shape up and take on the responsibilities God has given them, but I’m not sure I understand your point about how most church services operate? And just wondering why guys that cry you said “skirts around wastes”.. Is crying a bad thing? In scripture we read that those OT men fell before the throne singing and praising God. Those are men, and when they saw God there was nothing they could do but fall on their faces. They didn’t stand there with a straight face looking at God’s glory.
I don’t say all that to say i disagree about dad’s being slackers. I know that first hand. It is a real and evident problem. There is no doubt in my mind that i would be in a completely different situation if my dad had been in my life through high school. What’s the association to that and sincere worship services though?
Thanks and I like this site!
Molly