THE
Christian Man
By David R. Kenney
While I certainly could not make this statement
without reservation, I enjoy stereotypical humor. I can appreciate a good laugh with someone
provided I am not laughing at or to someone’s detriment. Solomon stated “A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22, NKJV.) Of course, there are many things said and
done in the name of humor that are not very funny. Still, we should be able to enjoy a good
laugh with one another as we enjoy one another’s company.
That being said, there seems to be a rather steady
target of stereotypical humor that concerns me as a father of a son (and
daughter). There is such a thing as
overdoing a matter, even in the case of humor, that can be damaging. One example is the constant use of what is now
a ready-made target in our society, as seen regularly on sitcoms: men. While certainly there are exceptions in the
portrayal of men, it seems like those are becoming just that—exceptions. Of course, the same certainly could be said
of women. There is no shortage of those
who seek to pit one group against another and exploit for their own advantage,
but I want to ask a different question.
What type of men does our society truly need and ought to work towards
promoting?
It has been observed that to be a male is to be born
that way, to become an adult is to live that long, but to be a man is to be
taught and trained to become that way.
When we talk about the type of men we want to foster in our society, we
are talking about the morals and values by which males are taught to live to
become men. But the big questions—whose
morals and whose values?
It seems like the name
“Christian” or Christ” is rather unpopular in some circles. Secularists seek to drive out the name of
Jesus and His position as Christ from our society. Even those who are not atheists support the
scrubbing of Jesus Christ from our society.
I have noticed that the name of some religious groups seem to avoid having
the name “Christ”. When you notice the
formation of religious bodies that seek to have the word “community” but appear
to refrain from the word “Christ” in their names of identification, one wonders
if this is deliberate or a consequence of trying to appeal to a society that
has become ashamed of Jesus Christ? We
take the morals of the Bible (sometimes called Judeo-Christian) out of our
schools, and we wonder why our society is crumbling. Of course, secularists would be quick to
claim that pluralism would be a great benefit for our nation, but sometimes
this is a smokescreen to further the agenda of some—dilute Christianity in the
land. Have you ever wondered why
atheists and secularists are so interested in the promotion of tolerance for
Islam but often silent about Christianity?
My theory is that the reason they do this they are willing to do
anything to hinder Christianity. There
is an Arab saying “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Ask yourself honestly,
is our society significantly stronger as we move ever closer to pluralism, the
idea that all religious views are equal and must be accepted that way? Jesus certainly never taught pluralism and
other religions on the popular COEXIST stickers certainly do not teach such
either. Sadly, there are those who have
not given much thought to the outcomes of their high-minded ideals.
But what about Jesus of
Nazareth? Were His teachings commendable
and beneficial to society? There was a
time that such a question would be dismissed with “Of course!” But what about our society today? Are the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
worthwhile? One wonders if people have
given time to seriously study His
teachings. My High School Speech Teacher
was asked who she thought was the greatest public speaker who ever lived. I remember her response “Without a doubt it
is Jesus of Nazareth! While we do not
have an audio or video recording of His delivery, the Sermon on the Mount
leaves no doubt who was the greatest public speaker to ever walk the
earth.” Sometimes I wonder how many
people in our land have even read the Sermon on the Mount? His teachings must be of significance, or why
else would Jews, Muslims, Agnostics, and even Atheists hold his teachings in
high esteem although their perceptions of Him are incorrect?
The Wadsworth church of Christ
will be having a series of lessons on “The Christian Man” from May 18 to
22. These lessons will be taught by my
father who lost his father when he was three years of age. He has learned what it means to be a Christian
Man from the example of others, rearing three children, and the things he has
studied in the Bible. If schools are not
teaching our boys about the importance of being a Christian Man, then we must
look someplace else for such teaching.
What kind of men should we want for our daughters to marry? What are the attributes that our daughters,
grand-daughters or even great-grand daughters should be looking for in a man to
marry and start a family with? Whose
standards and values are such that we could and should pattern our lives after;
especially if we do not have such examples of godly men and women in our lives
to pattern ourselves after? The
importance of Christian men in our society is that important!
My Hero
By
Karen McCoy
I
want to be like you
You
know you are my hero
My
love for you is true.
I
feel safe when I am with you
You
are so brave and strong
You
stand by when I am happy
You
hold my hand when things go wrong.
So
make your footsteps smaller
So
I can keep up with you
Then
some day when I’m a Dad
I’ll
be a hero, too.
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