If ever preoccupied professed Christians should be able to plainly see the increasingly brazen, open rebellion of the world from every societal quarter against our God, His Anointed and Word at this hour (Psalm 2:1-3), it is in the guidelines for physicians that work with males by the American Psychological Association (APA) released this month according to a Christian news service article.1 Also this month, Gillette Razor unveiled a commercial calling out male behavior it wants to see changed. Both entities challenged what the APA termed “traditional” and Gillette, “toxic masculinity” from a secular humanistic worldview while ignoring God’s gender design and man’s fallen condition.2
The APA speaks authoritatively to the world as a branch of science engaged in the ongoing study of the human mind and behavior in developing and presenting its new guidelines. It contends that the traditional (ancient) view of masculinity that allows ‘“anti-femininity, achievement, eschewal of the appearance of weakness, and adventure, risk and violence’” along with ‘“stoicism, competitiveness, dominance and aggression’” are ‘“harmful.’” The APA is concerned that males socialized this way are not likely to behave in healthy ways and are at a higher risk of committing suicide. They also declare gender should no longer be seen as just male-female.
The foregoing declaration is an obvious assent to the social trends of popular culture as is the conclusion in the guidelines that “traditional masculinity is viewed as a negative thing because men could feel forced to suppress ‘“gender-nonconforming’” feelings which can lead to increased hostility toward LGBT men.” The article sums up the objective of the new guidelines is to help medical professionals support ‘“men in breaking free of masculinity rules that don’t help them’” and in the process, strangely, move them into a ‘“positive masculinity’” that is exemplified by ‘“courage and leadership.’” What? Isn’t courage and leadership also the intended display of historic manhood?
It must be understood here that what the APA and the politically correct, tolerant secular culture today considers “anti-femininity” is any suggestion from any source that females be denied the opportunity to do anything that has been historically considered for males only. In fairness, the APA is also rightly incorporating into its definition as Gillette does in its commercial what wrongly involves male entitlement to oppressive and sexually abusive behavior toward females. However, this is not a masculinity issue, but what the Bible calls sin! This is because as the same Bible teaches mankind is fallen; males and females are born sinners by nature (Psalms 51:5, 58:3-5; Romans 3:10-20)!
As the Lord has led me to write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics3 and many blog posts,4 masculinity as it originates with God is perfect as was His design of it in man (Genesis 1:26-27, 31). God designed and created mortal man and woman to act out of divine eternal masculinity in an order (Genesis 2:7, 15-25) and their respective gender role assignments and responsibilities. But the original act of usurping rebellion against God by the first woman not imputed to the race until its head followed her lead, irreparably corrupted human nature with no hope apart from what God could do and did to deliver us (Genesis 3; Romans 3:21-31, 7:12-8:6)!
In their elect assignment to lead in the divine image and likeness, men are purposely designed by God bodily to have vision and with ambition, risk, seek adventure, be strong, build, aggressively compete, conquer, achieve and govern with authority; rejecting behaving as a female and same sex attraction since these run counter to their design.5 As such historically, men have built civilizations, advanced technology, walked on the moon and filled the earth with progeny born of females! And this is all harmful? No, but what has been harmful is sin in men that has marred their gloriously designed mortal masculinity leading to all manner of wicked and perverted behavior!
Indeed, the APA, Gillette and this Ministry share in common an understanding that something is wrong with men.6 But in the wisdom of God, the cause of this Ministry is to righteously restore men through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and renewing of the Holy Spirit that deals with our sin problem and actually transforms us from the inside out as I am a witness (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:17-24)! Surely, the APA will truthfully say to me, “many professing to know your Savior are just as messed up still as those who have made no such profession.”7 There are many reasons for this including impostors, a lack of knowledge of and growth in the faith, but also, the hypocrisy of many of our church leaders who have sided with the world against God in dismantling biblical manhood!8
Representing fallen mankind now moving toward the apex of their rebellion against their Creator, the APA guidelines appear to give legitimacy to the rebellion with its arrogantly authoritative, misinformed attempt to revise masculinity. Scripture declares any man or group of men that believes they are wiser than God whom they reject is over the top arrogant, deceived and makes themselves fools (Job 28:20-28; Psalms 10:4, 14:1; Isaiah 19:11-15, 45:9-10; Jeremiah 8:8-9; 1 Corinthians 3:18-20). In your worldly wisdom taught by demons, O proud man, you are tearing down God’s ancient order of mankind and design of gender roles and responsibilities only to the end of destroying the world and bringing wrath upon yourselves (Isaiah 2:10-22, 24:1-13, 17-23; Romans 1:18-32)!
1 American Psychological Association Deems ‘Traditional Masculinity Harmful.’ Kayla Koslosky, Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com, January 14, 2019. All quotes attributed
to the APA in the post are from this article.
2 “Toxic Masculinity” is the title Gillette has given to its commercial. Google “Gillette Commercial” to verify this.
3 My book and the companion instructional resource, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study are both available in the Strong Man Store.
4 Read the June 19, 2016 post, Eternal Sons Of God, under the category, Instruction. Also read the following multi-part posts, Jesus, Son Of Man, January 29-February
12, 2017 and The Value Of Men, June 4-25, 2017 all under the category, The Cause.
5 Only a generation ago most mental health professions also believed men acting as women or engaged in homosexual relationships were not behaving normal.
6 Learn about the work of Strong Man Ministries at https://thestrongmanofGod.org/About-Us.
7 The same charge could be accurately made about many of the male mental health clients and associated professionals that are instructed in the multitude of constantly
changing “expert” declarations as well as given drugs and therapies that do not regenerate their minds or souls! Male re-education attempts through the media such
as what Gillette and other “socially conscious” corporations are doing in Ad campaigns may successfully raise awareness and even inspire new social taboos along
with related criminalization. However, in the end, these secular efforts end up putting more guilt and shame on men powerless to do the reformation of their sinful nature
necessary to comply. And aren’t our jails and prisons filled with enough men? Only God through the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, has the remedy for fallen men!
8 Siding with the world in allowing women to preach to, teach and take authority over men in God’s house as an outcome of revising the gender role assignments He has
commanded (1 Corinthians 11:3, 14:34-37) has been and is an act of defiant rebellion and betrayal enabling the world to mock on the part of guilty pastors, elders and
churches. How can you seriously expect the world to hear you from God’s Word and you do not even obey it? Hypocrites! For your sakes and the men caused to be
confused, led astray and marginalized, I implore you to repent at this decisive moment in the world. For if you continue to harden your heart in unbelief fed stubborn re-
sistance to obeying God’s Word now (Acts 7:51-53), there may be no way back sooner than you think since the foretold judgment in His house is already underway
(1 Timothy 4:1-2; Hebrews 3:7-19; 1 Peter 4:17-18)! Read Now Is The Day Of Salvation, posted December 4, 2016, under the category, Call To Repent.
Today, the Lord would have me build an important bridge from the January 13, 2019 post, The Courage Of Conviction, under the category, Instruction, to a social issue and His preachers. The social issue is the wicked practice and tragedy of abortion solemnly held up, prayed about and protested by still not enough professed Christians and churches on this very day set apart each year as Sanctity Of Life Sunday. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a preacher who with God imbued courage, led many to stand up to nonviolently protest America’s oppressive and unjust treatment of its black citizens a generation ago before being assassinated. We celebrate his holiday tomorrow.
Surveying internet articles on abortion as a social justice issue, I was amazed not by the divergence of opinion, but by how the phrase “social justice” was defined, claimed and used by basically two different sides. And since social justice as a contemporary concept draws its most important personification by way of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., each side also claimed him as a likely endorser. In this post, it matters not where Dr. King may or may not have stood on abortion since he made no quoted direct and specific declaration one way or the other. What matters to the God of the Bible is where all of the truly called preachers of His Word should courageously stand!
Because definitions are an integral part of the intensifying spiritual warfare of these latter days, I cannot in good conscience go any further in this post until I first give proper definition to the terms “social” and “justice.” In its first layer of definition for social, Microsoft Encarta relates it “to human society and how it is organized.” Encarta goes on to associate social with how “people in groups behave and interact” as well as how they live or prefer to live as part of a community. Justice is defined first as “fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made.” It also refers to the legal system and how laws are applied according to this dictionary.
So, then, it would seem that by combining the words social and justice one would come away generally understanding the phrase to mean the ways in which a human society has established standards of fairness and behavior that are upheld and enforced within it. However, the world governed by Satan cannot endure such simplicity and must complicate things with this definition of the phrase: “the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society.”1 And there it is, “human rights.” Differing views of legitimate human rights and the source of morality is the reason our society is divided on the social justice issue of abortion.
Faithful Christians--every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ--start with God and His Word rather than fallen, sinful human assertion no matter how scholarly or brilliant in understanding anything about societal function and concepts such as justice that originate with Him!2 Indeed, God as our Creator has made us in the divine image and likeness to function in community as God from eternity (Genesis 1:1-3, 26-28, 2:7, 18-24; Luke 3:21-22; John 15:17, 17:11, 20-26). Referring to God, Scripture proclaims: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne,” (Psalm 89:14, NKJV). God is the source of righteousness and justice!
God introduced His righteous and just nature into the human experience when He gave a command and the consequence of disobedience to the first man (Genesis 2:15-17). The man sinned and God brought His just consequence (Genesis 3:1-6, 17-19).3 For generations thereafter, Adam’s progeny were without righteous and just laws and nearly all destroyed as lawless in the global flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 4:1-24, 6:5-13). God, not man; God later gave to Israel and the world His righteous and just laws introduced through Moses (Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Romans 5:12-14). In His Law, Israel and any other human societies had a perfect standard of justice (Psalm 19:7-8; Romans 7:12).
Our nation’s Declaration Of Independence declares we derive certain rights from God. While individual rights were recognized in God’s laws, they never overstepped the eternal morality issuing forth from the righteousness and justice those laws embodied (Psalm 111:7-8, 119:142; Proverbs 14:12)! Thus, no human individual or society on earth apart from government punitively has the right to take another human life which begins by God’s design at the moment of conception (Genesis 9:5-7; Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 18:18-20; Romans 13:1-4).4 It is here that every God called preacher is to take his stand to uphold the righteousness and justice of God’s Word and speak up to call out societies engaged in the unjust, wanton murder of its weakest citizens (Jeremiah 7:28-31).
Truly, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. courageously stood up when called upon by the Lord to cry out for and demand social justice for oppressed, segregated, disenfranchised, poorly educated and impoverished black Americans from a nation claiming “In God We Trust” a generation ago (Psalm 103:6). But now, a folk more helpless and voiceless than my slave forefathers cries out to God for social justice; even the unborn whose right to live by divine sanction is taken away in their mother’s wombs. Why are the many preachers who know God’s Word silent? Why do they not courageously stand up like Dr. King for black Americans and cry out with one voice on behalf of the unborn? Is it not because they do not all know the Lord or have His heart (Matthew 7:21-23; Mark 10:13-16)?
Is it not also because the racial group in this society with the highest number of abortions today are black Americans whose post-Civil Rights era leadership that includes many preachers sold them out long ago like Esau for some stew (Genesis 25:29-34)?5 Therefore, unless they seek it now, they will not find a place of repentance in the judgment (Isaiah 1:10-20; Hebrews 12:12-17)! And to the nation that has made law the unjust right of women to murder their unborn as Israel once sacrificed its children to demons (Psalm 106:37-38): the Lord will stand for the unborn and vindicate their blood as their Avenger in His holy wrath (Psalm 9; Jeremiah 7:32-34; Nahum 1:2-6; Zephaniah 1:14-18)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Goggle “define social justice” and see the definition offered by Wikipedia.
2 Learn more about the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ from my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and com-
panion instructional resource, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study. They are available in the Strong Man Store.
3 Death as a consequence of the first man’s sin included separation from fellowship and harmonious community with God (Isaiah 59:1-2) followed by the same among
humanity at every level beginning in the family; working its ruinous end among brothers and spouses (Genesis 4:8; Malachi 2:13-16; Matthew 19:1-8). The Lord Jesus
Christ alone through His death, burial and resurrection has made restoration of life, fellowship and harmonious community with God and among all humanity possible
(John 3:16-17, 11:23-27, 14:6; Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:1-7; 1 Peter 3:8-12).
4 See the August 19, 2018 post, Valuing Human Life, under the category, Biblical Worldview.
5 Read the four-part post beginning February 26, 2017, God Of Restoration And Judgment (and especially part three for which this footnote is specifically made), under
the category, Black History.
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