Departing from Masculinity: Two Ditches to Avoid

Two Ways to Depart from Masculinity from Desiring God on Vimeo.

I don't get it. He says:

"If you want to stay on the road of biblical, godly masculinity, one way to veer off the road is simply to abdicate, to collapse in a heap, to fail to fulfill your obligations because you twisted your ankle. Sort of an effeminate, um, collapsing."

Effeminate (Websters Dictionary):

1. Having some characteristic of a woman, as delicacy, luxuriousness, etc.; soft or delicate to an unmanly degree; womanish; weak.

2. Womanlike; womanly; tender; - in a good sense.

Part of Speech: verb transitive

1. To make womanish; to make soft and delicate; to weaken.

Part of Speech: verb

1. To grow womanish or weak.

The word effeminate comes from Middle English effeminat, from Latin effmintus, past participle of effminre, to make feminine : ex-, ex- + fmina, woman; see dh(i)- in Indo-European roots.

So, Doug Wilson believes that it is unbiblical for men to act like women. And just how do women act?

to abdicate, to collapse in a heap, to fail to fulfill your obligations because you twisted your ankle.

Is that what he think characterizes femininity - the failure to fulfill obligations because of a twisted ankle? Collapsing in a heap?

Judging by this statement I think it can be fairly surmised that Doug Wilson believes femininity can be characterized by weakness and irresponsibility.

 I beg to differ.

One of my most beloved mentors is student and activist Sophie Scholl of the White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany. She was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother Hans. As a result, she was exeuted by the guillotine.
As detailed on Wikipedia, Sophie was an avid reader, she developed a growing interest in philospohy and theology (although, in Doug Wilson's estimation, the exploration of both are masculine explorations). Her firm Christian belief in God and in every human being's essential dignity formed her basis for resisting Nazi ideology. This belief was foundational to her view of the world around her that fundamentally differed from the one expounded by National Socialism which was, by the time of her death, the only one approved or allowed within the Nazi State.
She and the rest of the White Rose were arrested for distributing the sixth leaflet at the University of Munich on 18 February 1943. In the People's Court before Judge on 22 February 1943, Scholl was recorded as saying these words:

“

Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just do not dare express themselves as we did.

”

Scholl was sentenced to execution by beheading. Prison officials, in later describing the scene, emphasized the courage with which she walked to her execution. Her last words were:

“

How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause. Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?

”

This feminine soul was certainly not an example of failing to fulfill one's obligations because of a "twisted knee."


Also, in Doug Wilson's account of man's fall into sin, he implies that there was sin (or imperfection) in the world before the fall since Adam abdicated his purported God-given leadership and followed his wife instead. That claim is not very theologically sound, if you ask me. But you can read a very good exposition of Genesis 1-3 in Bilezekian's book, Beyond Sex Roles.

The Gender Gospel has come to play. Again.

I am sitting here this Sunday afternoon with anxiety knotting in my stomach as I await the commencement of this year's Desiring God Conference for Pastors, which happens to be called "God, Manhood, and Ministry." Oh joy.

Why the anxiety? Well, because I anticipate, first of all, an onslaught of implied negative messages about womanhood that all these pastors will gloss over and proceed to regurgitate to their congregations of men, women, and children alike, hurting countless people.

Secondly, I predict will once again be made out to be a "Jezebel" - a disobedient woman whom God is displeased with simply because I believe I am more than an artificial role, and I utterly refuse to assume this position of subordination and thus perpetuate sexism and abuse in the body of Christ. Although I am growing in strength and resolve to trust my God-given instincts and persevere in the face of opposition and condemnation,when my community - all the people I most love and respect in this world - disapprove of my convictions and push their own interpretations with the force of "God's Word" and "Design" behind it, it is very difficult to go against the tide.



In short, I fear that all this conference will be successful in doing is fueling the fires of injustice in the church - in my church (I already know firsthand how these gender doctrines perpetuate domestic abuse in the church) - and that not only angers me, but leaves me anticipating the condemnation from my leaders.

I will try to stay on top of the messages throughout the next couple of days and "figure things out," though that is reportedly a very masculine thing to do. (You see?  There I go again assuming a male role; real women are airheads who should not be given to any kinds of exploration, whether scientific, geological, or theological.)

I will sign off for now with a little tidbit my son posted on Facebook that I think some of these men would appreciate...though not for the same reasons that I do, I bet.