Ecclesiastes 12:10

    Manliness isn’t what it used to be. I’m not talking about man buns or fancy jeans but rather how it seems that the pendulum of what is considered manly has been swinging rather wildly.   At times, the worst traits (promiscuity, vulgarness, violence) are the ones that are promoted. Then society overcorrects and makes all masculinity toxic.   But what does the Bible teach?   In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 we read, “ Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love ”. Notice the traits that are emphasized in this passage for those who are attempting to “ act like men ”; Protection, Consistency, Faithfulness, Strength, and Love. A man is one who is there. Who watches out for others. That is a Godly man with Godly traits.    Don’t think if you can skin a buck run a trotline and hit a homer that you are a man. Real men are there when needed, ready to do the things that need to be done, ...

     In the sixties and seventies we saw the rise in the feminist movement (also known as the Women's Liberation, or Women's Lib).  This movement was an effort to increase the social standing of women in our society.  Girls were encouraged to throw off the traditional gender roles.  Feminists campaigned against cultural and political inequalities. Issues of equal pay, gender discrimination, sexual liberation and abortion all became “women’s” issues.  A concerted effort was made by groups to redefine the role of women.  Young girls were encouraged to do more and be more. Professions that were once just for men were now being open to women.        In those efforts, the teachings of the Bible came under fire.  How could you follow a book that taught “submit to your husband” (Titus 3:5, 1 st Peter 3:5) and that kept women from serving in leadership roles (1 st Timothy 2:12)?   We were told those Biblic...

  Swiss researchers arrived at a fascinating conclusion about the impact of mothers' vs . fathers' church attendance on the future religious observance of their children .  The detailed survey indicated that if the father attended church regularly, and the mother was non-practicing, then 44% of their children became regular church-goers .   But if the mother attended regularly, and the father was non-practicing, then only 2% of their children became regular church attenders .   Even when the father was an irregular attender and the mother non-practicing, a full 25% of their children became regular attenders, while if a mother was a regular attender and the father irregular, only 3% of the children became regular attenders .     In short, if a father does not attend church, it won't matter how dedicated the mother is in her observance, only one child in 50 will become a regular attender .  But if a father is even somewhat observant, th...