America has a testosterone problem.
America has a testosterone problem because, before that, the church had a testosterone problem.
I recently stumbled across this blog-post and it seemed to ring true with what I have observed regarding the pastoral ministry. In particular he writes:
2. We are mama’s boys. Apologies to the female pastors, this one’s just about the guys. I’ve read studies that higher than 80 percent of male pastors say they are much closer to their mothers than their fathers. This has a lot of implications, and it explains why we’re more likely to play an instrument than fire a gun, have coffee with a friend than watch a game, read a book than restore an old Mustang. It also means that nobody in the church gets our attention as much as the old ladies, who can make or break our day with a kind word or a disapproving scowl. When you’re dealing with your male pastor, keep in mind that he’s more likely to speak the language of nurture over discipline, collaboration over competition, forgiveness over punishment. These aren’t things he learned in seminary, these are things he learned in diapers.
I don't identify with any of this but I do believe a majority of pastors do. In David Murow's book Why Men Hate Going to Church, he posits that pastors have one of lowest testosterone levels of any occupation. This is a huge problem. If the church (a place to learn manhood) is not led by manly men, where will godly, strong, masculine men come from?
When I think about the type of guys who would have gone to church 50 years ago, I realize that nearly every one of them would have been former servicemen and most would have been WWII and Korean War veterans. They would have been manly men who would:
- Not put up with violent flash mobs or naked creepos assaulting women in subway stations but would have reflexively taken care of any threat while protecting the defenseless.
- Would have loudly scoffed at the ridiculousness of California's new Assembly Bill 1266 that allows schoolchildren to utilize bathrooms of the opposite sex because they feel transgendered.
- Would have said that parents who let a 40 year old, unmarried, childless man have sleepovers with their teenage daughters are nuts and would be watching the dude like a hawk.
But it all starts back with the Apple of God's Eye, the Church. We've been asleep at the switch and it's time to wake up. I believe the church should be intentional in discouraging effeminate men from entering pastoral ministry and encouraging manly men to apply. This is a singular step that would reap huge benefits down the road.