A couple of days ago I had someone ask me why we were doing a bible study for guys called Fight Club? Good question. Here’s my answer.
In our culture there is a shortage of men who actually act like men. Think about it, from the spoiled toddler-like behavior of most professional athletes, to the CEO who fleeces people out of millions of dollars, to the pastor who commits sexual sin, there are very few examples of men who walk in walk in humility, take responsibility and sacrificially lead and protect others.
I think that part of the reason for that is that the church has largely ignored the necessity of teaching what it means to be a man. Since our first father, Adam, fell in the garden, true biblical masculinity is not something that boys naturally pursue. My friend Jon Deans says that, “The natural default position for men is passivity”. In other words all men typically act like Adam. We neglect our God given responsibility and look for someone else to blame. (Genesis 3)
As a result you typically find two previsions of biblical masculinity. One, is effeminacy, the other is a macho over the top counterfeit masculinity. Doug Wilson describes these two perversions this way:
With effeminacy, a man takes on a set of virtues, which are not supposed to be his virtues. With the latter, he adopts a set of pseudo-virtues that are not virtues at all.
Biblical masculinity is something you have to fight for. It is learned through instruction and discipline and conforming to the likeness of our savior Jesus. It is not something that comes easily. It is a war, a war against our own flesh and against our enemy Satan, who has been attacking us since he went after Adam. So the goal for Fight Club is to give young men the weapons they need to win this war.
What is masculinity? How do we define what it means to be a man according to the Scriptures?
In his book Future Men, Doug Wilson writes:
Men are crated to exercise dominion over the earth; they are fitted to be husbandman, tilling the earth; they are equipped to be saviors, delivering from evil; they are expected to grow up into wisdom, becoming sages; and they are designed to reflect the image and glory of God.
Over the next several weeks at Fight Club we will begin to unpack what it means to be a man using these five areas:
Lords
Husbandmen
Saviors
Sage
Glory-bearers
If you are a man (or if you know a man) who is ready to get in the battle and fight the good fight consider joining us Tuesday nights @ 8:30 in the basement at WFBC.
