Crisis in Masculinity

So I’ve been wrestling for several years now as to how to best respond to what many are now calling this crisis in masculinity. On any given day on the news and even in our communities we can see another example of masculinity gone wrong, in which we are missing the mark of God’s divine intent for our lives. But part of what I’ve observed is that these are often good men, but they’re lost, in large part because of the narratives we have around our manhood.

Toxic Masculinity

On the one hand, we have what has been called toxic masculinity. And I think this narrative does a good job of at least naming some of the ways in which we abuse and misuse our manhood. But taken to the extreme, this narrative also comes with this underlying assumption that there’s something inherently wrong with our manhood itself.

Neutered Masculinity

At the other end of the continuum is then what is considered a neutered masculinity. These men might be safe and cuddly or comic relief, but not showing up in a way that has a true impact for good.

And while there’s a place to name the presence of the negative, if we’re not also bringing the presence of the positive, then neither one of these narratives offer a compelling vision for men to move forward.

Art Project – No Penises Allowed

I was reminded of the incident growing up, maybe late elementary or early junior high that kind of bought some of these thoughts in greater clarity for me. We were studying ancient Greek culture and my assignment was to…it was an art project to design an ancient Greek vase. This is somewhere around the ’96 Olympics that I enjoyed watching track and field, and I’ll still enjoy watching track and field…and so the image that I chose was of the running men running in those early Olympic games. And for those of you who are familiar with that culture also know that the men ran in the nude. And so being the good student that I was I drew my figures anatomically correct, penises and all and didn’t think much of it. However before I turn my project in my mom let me know that my dad was not okay with their “flags” being shown. And so I erased the flags, I erased the penises and turned in my project of men without penises.

Men Experiencing a Failure to Thrive

I don’t think my dad had any malicious intent at the time or even conscious awareness of what he was communicating. But the incident has stuck with me over the years. And I think in large part, because it represents the lived experiences of many men…that are very manhood is being diminished and erased.

And when this is the case, it’s no wonder that men are experiencing a failure to thrive. And so what is our way back? How do we find and remember the glory that God has given us to reveal?

Our Bodies Speak

I think it starts in part with drawing the penises back on our images…images of masculinity because our bodies speak, got created us as males and females, genitals and all of their functionings, and declared that it was good, indeed very good. The apostle Paul, later in Romans, tells us that the invisible realities of God are clearly seen through the things that are made. This means that our very bodies, as men, tell us something about God, tell us something about what it means to be men and tell us about the role of masculinity in God’s kingdom.

When the very marks of our manhood are erased, then we miss some of the story of God’s glory and also what it means for us to show up as men, husbands, and fathers to bring more life and goodness into the world.

Conclusion

I want to say more on these topics…showing how both our bodies speak and how we can better reflect and recover the masculine icon.

I don’t know if these will be ongoing conversations or just a limited series, but either way, I’m looking forward to diving into these topics. Let me know your thoughts.

What are the ways in which you’ve seen the marks of manhood being erased in society? And what have you done to help recover your own manhood?

I look forward to hearing from you until next time. Take care and live passionately.