Emasculated Church, Part 1

So I’m writing this paper on male religiosity.  I’m doing all kinds of research, academic and popular, and learning some kind of crazy things.  I guess it’s made me think about “how we do church” in a new way.  It has certainly caused me to ask a lot of questions. 

 This guy namde Murrow wrote a book called “Why Men Hate Going to Church.”  I’m not sure that I buy everything he says (I think he is often guilty of gross over-generalizations), but it has made me think.  He thinks that we have changed the way that we talk about Jesus to appeal more to women (who are sitting in the pews) than to men (who aren’t).  He argues that the church, slowly, over a long period of time, has created a McDreamy Jesus.  A man who can meet all your needs.  You can have a close, intimate relationship with him and he will love you unconditionally.

I think these things are true of Jesus.  I also think that it is only part of the story.  But we will save that for another post.

I wonder, though, have we emasculated Jesus?  Have we emasculated the church?  I was talking with a Biblical scholar about it today.  He said that there is a long tradition in the church of “homoerotic Jesus.”  This perfect lover.

He also said something that made me think.  He asked me how Jesus is often depicted in art.  I thought about it a little, and I said, “androgynous.”  Often you can hardly tell if he is a man or woman (thank goodness for the occasional beard).  I wonder.

More wil be coming on this topic later.

~ by Mike Seawright on February 23, 2007.