Has The Church Become Too Feminine?

I invite you to discover what I found about why men don’t go to church in Australia. I search for the answers to the questions— has the church become too feminine? Is Christianity a women’s club for women’s business? Is the church too feminine? Why are men missing in matters of faith? Why are there more women in church than men? Is the church to blame? I look at the problem with patriarchy and how the world’s system has impacted the growth of the church as far as men are concerned. I follow Peter’s journey with Jesus. The truth shocked the apostle Peter, but as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on water. Instead, Peter looked at his circumstances. Sometimes, we are all guilty of this, and it has become an excuse not to attend church on Sundays. However, attendance at church does not save us; only the Blood of Jesus can do that. Jesus did not come to get us into church. He came to bring a whole new way of being human and of being male and to overthrow the world’s fallen, competitive ‘man eat man’ syndrome. He came to save his image bearers and make them his sons and daughters. Men who follow Jesus will be ‘mighty mercy men’ like Jesus. I wanted not so much answers but understanding. In my travels, mainly in Asia, I visited churches on a Sunday whenever the opportunity arose. In every service, there were significantly more women. There was an overload of men sitting up front but not in the pews. Are we failing our men, or is it just that men need time off because they think Christianity is a set of rules? Is this what keeps men away? Romans 5:21 says, “So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus came with new mercies where race rules instead of law. Read on and discover that it is not about rules; it is about a Person who came to bring Life. Jesus came against legalism; his most potent words were spoken to the religious Pharisees, not the sinners. He never called sinners a “brood of vipers.” John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.” Someone say, “Hallelujah!” Jesus did not come to judge people but to demonstrate God’s unfailing love and mercy. That’s grace. The Law was given, but grace came through Jesus. That is the shocking truth of the Gospel. The Truth will set you free and shock you! Jesus, at every turn in the synagogues and along dusty roads of Jerusalem, broke age-old traditions under the confines of his culture. He said and did what no man had ever done before. Jesus was a counter-cultural radical man who did not come to make the world better. Instead, he came to change it completely. Jesus brought the New Covenant of Grace into an Old Covenant Setting. Throughout his three years of ministry, we find glimpses of grace contrasting the Old Covenant of Law. We see glimpses of grace in the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:10–11). Jesus healed a paralytic man who was let down through the roof by his friends. When He saw their faith, He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” And “Arise, take up your bed and walk.” Jesus extended grace to everyone He healed (Mark 2:1–12): sinners, lepers, the infirm, unclean, the despised, the outcast. Everyone received Grace in contrast to Law. He found the ordinary Jew was hard done by in the House of God, and here was Jesus shocking everyone by overlooking the myriad of rules that were imposed on the people by the religious leaders. This is good news for every man and woman. Is this the Jesus we preach? It wasn’t fiery preaching on the Law that brought Peter to his knees. What broke the fickle fisherman was a boat-sinking, net-breaking, jaw-dropping catch of fish. When Peter saw God’s goodness, he knelt at Jesus’ feet and begged him, “Go away from me, Master, for I am a sinful man!” The others were shocked over the miracle catch of fish. Jesus answered, “Do not yield to your fear, Simon Peter. From now on, you will catch men for salvation!” (see Luke 5:8–9). It is the goodness of God that leads us to change our minds. Let God be God! It is okay to experience God’s loving-kindness, especially when we don’t deserve it. With many questions and an avid curiosity, I decided to look at the Apostle Peter for answers, as he is featured more in the Scriptures than others and is a man we can relate to. I invite you to come with me to investigate the life and times of Peter the Apostle. I list the shocking truths Peter and the disciples encountered as they followed Jesus on the dusty roads. It is shocking for us today, even though we should not be surprised at what God can do. Peter was confronted with such things as turning water into wine, a miraculous catch of fish, feeding crowds of people with fresh loaves and fish, and the commissioning of a once demon-possessed man and an adulterous Samaritan woman to go and tell about Jesus. Jesus criticised their divorce rules, exposed their racism, called their religious leaders vipers and calmed a storm with a word. He sent Peter to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth, healed unclean people, ate with tax collectors, marvelled at the faith of a Gentile, honoured women and raised a widow’s son from the dead. The Truth is shocking, I know.