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Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind... Romans 12:2

Rise Up, O Men of God!

by Ken Ewert

We're more successful at raising up godly young women than men. One reason for this, as Douglas Wilson has noted, is the sting of truth in the common taunt that "church" is "an activity for little old ladies of both sexes."1 It should not surprise us that a feminized spirituality is not all that attractive to young men. We should, in fact, rejoice in this!

Young men are made to be warriors. They are created to fight. It's not hard to see evidence of this. Young boys love to wrestle. They constantly compete: "I'm faster than you!" "My dad's stronger than your dad!" "Let's see who can throw a rock the farthest." Of course, this masculine drive to triumph can be perverted: fallen man seeks to rule over his fellow man.

The quest to dominate others, however, is a perversion of the dominion mandate: we were created to take dominion over the earth for God's glory. The drive itself, the drive to master, subdue, and rule over, is part of the dominion mandate that God has placed within males. We need to encourage this in our young men. Our goal is not to get our boys to behave more like their sisters. It is rather to train them to use and develop their strengths—physical and otherwise—for fighting the fight that God has called them to.

The church haemorrhages her sons into the world largely because she either doesn't believe herself to be in a battle or believes that the battle is only one of saving individual souls. The former type of church has come to see the world as the centre and herself as an adjunct: the church and faith are condiments that the world should sprinkle on its baked potato. This church is "seeker-sensitive" in order to attract people who are not too different from herself but are perhaps missing the chives and bacon bits. She has no real enemies, she would like to influence, and she is at essential peace with the world.

The second type of church has reduced the scope of the gospel—the declaration of a new Adam and a new creation—to a declaration of personal redemption, peace, and wholeness. The only important battle this church recognizes is that of converting individual souls; the only enemy, personal sin. To see Christ's redemption spread to all of culture is neither expected nor important.

But young men—at least many young men—are befuddled by this. They want to fight. They want to engage the enemy. And they know that the fight includes more than a shadowy battle somewhere in the vapour. They intuitively know that this world and the things in it are important. A faith that does not include a real engagement with this world does not engage them, and many of them leave the church to squander their strength building their own kingdom.

The church, and godly parents, must teach their sons that they are in an all-encompassing war. The war is that which God declared in Genesis 3. It is the war between the Seed of the women (who will triumph), and the seed of the Serpent (who will end up with a bad headache). We see it between Cain and Abel, Moses and Pharaoh, the Israelites and the Caananites; between Christ and the Pharisees, and Paul and the Judaizers.

This war continues today. God has called His people to war against a world-order despoiled by sin. Our role is as ambassadors of Christ, proclaiming His lordship and His inauguration of the new creation. Young men must know that they have been enlisted in a war by virtue of their being united with Christ (The Seed) through water and Spirit baptism. Their assignment is to proclaim the gospel and assert Christ's lordship over the arts, business, government, medicine, and everything else.

Young men need to be prepared, for this battle is real, it is hard, and it is lifelong. All soldiers must be trained to engage the enemy, and our young men's training is both spiritual and practical. A few words on this, beginning with the practical.

We need to teach our boys self-control, and for a young man this means learning a degree of "toughness." Not all young men will be brawny, but each young man needs to learn early to persevere through discomfort and pain without complaining or losing control of himself. He must rule over his physical feelings to defend the territory he's been given, and to advance into hostile territory. When he has a family he will use this strength to shield them from physical and spiritual danger. When in his workplace he will lead by carrying on when he is sick, tired, and discouraged. When he leads in the church he will persevere when challenged by wandering sheep and malicious wolves.

All this is not to say that "big boys don't cry." Rather, big boys know when to cry and when not to cry; why to cry and why not to cry. Boys will naturally weep in self-pity, but they need to be taught to weep for the things that God weeps for. Jesus wept over apostate Jerusalem, and our sons likewise need to learn to weep for Christ's church.

The battle is ultimately spiritual. We war, not in the strength of our flesh, but with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Young warriors must be trained to know and love Christ and His word. They must see their fathers and other men in the church grappling with and submitting to God's word and its implications. They must be shown how to love God's people, the church. And, at every turn, they need to be encouraged to use their strength to glorify Christ. If they will be carpenters, to build houses for Christ; if farmers, to farm to the glory of God; if lawyers, to practice law to advance His kingdom. For our Lord has been seated at the Father's right hand and is "from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool" (Heb 10:13).

Footnotes:
1. Douglas Wilson, Future Men, Canon Press, 2001, p. 93.

Return to Volume 9, Number 2.