"Hope 2008" - Hopelessly misguided?
Captain Sensible writes: Within Christian circles in the UK, something called "Hope 2008" has been receiving a lot of publicity. It's being billed as a big opportunity for outreach. Yet just a cursory glance at the website, fills me with despair, not hope!
Women! Children! Youth! The Elderly!
What is there that will appeal to MEN? Not much, is the dismal answer.
Just look at the publicity that churches in Bristol are sending out (Click here and then there is a link to a PDF via the words "check out"). It's incredible. The main image is in soft focus, and shows a woman holding a small plant. There then follows a list of courses and activities for, well what do you know? Almost exclusively women, children, youth and the elderly. And this is being flagged up as an exemplary model?
How many men are going to be drawn to a leaflet that shows a woman in soft focus holding a plant?
What genius thought that was a good idea?
Seriously, why is it that the church has decided to ignore men? Is it a spirit of fear? Laziness? Cowardice? What? Did the early church busy themselves with family fun days, women's meetings and children's ministries, and ignore outreach to men? Can you imagine the Apostle Paul saying that what the Body of Christ really needs is a bouncy castle? Didn't he emphasise outreach to fathers instead, and then expect the fathers to lead their whole household?
Albert Einstein famously said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Since 1980, there has been a drop of around 50% in men in their 20s (Christian Research). Carry on as we are, and soon there won't be any men left to outreach to other men anyway.
Perhaps the best "hope" for the Body of Christ in the UK is to abandon "the church" completely? Is it possible to keep your sanity if you don't?
Women! Children! Youth! The Elderly!
What is there that will appeal to MEN? Not much, is the dismal answer.
Just look at the publicity that churches in Bristol are sending out (Click here and then there is a link to a PDF via the words "check out"). It's incredible. The main image is in soft focus, and shows a woman holding a small plant. There then follows a list of courses and activities for, well what do you know? Almost exclusively women, children, youth and the elderly. And this is being flagged up as an exemplary model?
How many men are going to be drawn to a leaflet that shows a woman in soft focus holding a plant?
What genius thought that was a good idea?
Seriously, why is it that the church has decided to ignore men? Is it a spirit of fear? Laziness? Cowardice? What? Did the early church busy themselves with family fun days, women's meetings and children's ministries, and ignore outreach to men? Can you imagine the Apostle Paul saying that what the Body of Christ really needs is a bouncy castle? Didn't he emphasise outreach to fathers instead, and then expect the fathers to lead their whole household?
Albert Einstein famously said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Since 1980, there has been a drop of around 50% in men in their 20s (Christian Research). Carry on as we are, and soon there won't be any men left to outreach to other men anyway.
Perhaps the best "hope" for the Body of Christ in the UK is to abandon "the church" completely? Is it possible to keep your sanity if you don't?
posted by Captain Sensible at 4:37 PM
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