Why people with masculine gender identity hate going to Church

Last updated on: February 7, 2012 at 7:50 pm by Billy Kangas

Why people with masculine gender identity hate going to Church 2012-02-07T19:50:00-04:00 Billy Kangas

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Over the weekend I read through a book called Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow. I got a free copy from Thomas Nelson and figured it was worth a read.

And it was worth a read. There was a lot of good insights that were expressed. I found myself inspired at many times while reading through the book. As a man in professional ministry there is a lot I have experienced that he has warned against and I will be much more thoughtful in the future so that I can communicate the faith to people in the most effective ways as possible.

HOWEVER

I won’t recommend this book to any members of my church. There were a lot of assumptions about masculinity and I think that giving someone this book might cause more harm then good.

Although David tries to make it clear that the assumptions about masculine preferences are not limited to men, the feel of the whole book make me feel uneasy. For a book that seeks to inform pastors and church leaders on how to have a properly nuanced sensitivity toward gender there is very little care given to how this might be revived by a man or women who does not fit neatly into a gender box.

In light of recent comments by John Piper it is more important then ever for people to stand up for feminine christian expression. The book is dismissive of these sorts of expressions and I think can be hurtful to people of both sexes.

It was a good message BUT it was not wielded with enough care.

ALSO

I was struck by David’s anti-liturgical bias. I find it interesting that he spends time criticizing the praise songs that are sung and the feeling oriented worship of his own tradition, but still manages to point to these sorts of worship experiences as more “masculine” compared to liturgical traditions that are represented as drawing in males in spite of themselves.

David, there is a reason that the Orthodox don’t suffer a “gender gap” and that when songs like “A mighty fortress is our God” are sung men start showing up.

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