“God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (rf. Gen.
1:27).
In last month’s article, we
discussed the roles of women, primarily, as distinguished between the teachings
of Scripture and the views of Dr. Melvin Konner of Emory University in his
anthropological study, entitled, Women
After All: Sex, Evolution, and the End of Male Supremacy. This month we
want to turn our attention to his views of men and likewise set them against
what the Bible has to say on the subject. I assure you God has a much higher
view of His creation than does this professor regarding his fellow man.
Rather than paraphrasing, I will
directly quote Dr. Konner for greater effect. His words, thereby his beliefs,
are much more chilling when read verbatim than filtered.
There is a birth defect that is surprisingly common,
affecting a key pair of
chromosomes. In the normal condition the two look the same,
but in this
disorder one is shrunken beyond recognition. The result is
shortened life span,
higher mortality at all ages, an inability to reproduce,
premature hair loss, and
brain defects variously resulting in attention deficit,
hyperactivity, conduct
disorder, hypersexuality, and an enormous excess of both
outward and self-
directed aggression. The main mechanism is androgen
poisoning. I call it the
X-chromosome deficiency syndrome, and a stunning 49 percent
of the human
species is affected. It is also called maleness.[i]
I share this because, on the one
hand, such perspectives are rapidly taking hold within our society, especially
within the realm of higher education. One need only watch sitcoms and
commercials on television to see that men are portrayed as stupid and juvenile
when compared to women. Men are clearly moving away from pursuits of
college-level education[ii].
The rise of women over men is borne out in other areas of society as well,
especially in the Church. This is largely due to the perception that men either
do not know their rightful place anymore in the world and/or have been harassed
into submission by a feminist society. Confusion abounds with too few fathers
as examples and too many women acting as their mothers. Men need to be
appreciated and respected for our maleness. In contrast to Dr. Konner’s view,
men must understand that we are not biological defects at all. Men are
purposeful creations of Almighty God.
As Gen. 1:27 states,
God created us as human beings “male and
female” and He did so because He willed it. Each sex has a place and role
to fulfill in His plan. Biologically, emotionally, we are different because He
has designed us that way because we are to complement one another, especially,
through the marriage covenant, to join together and bear children. As males, we
are called to lead our families as the “head”
of our homes, protecting them, both spiritually and physically, even as Christ
protects and keeps His Church (rf. Eph. 5:23-33). In fulfilling
this responsibility, we always do so as a servant leader, not as one who lords
our authority over those whom God has given us to serve (rf. I
Pet. 3:7).
Though these few words have applied
primarily to men as husbands, they are meant to show all men, as an example,
that God has given them His Word as a guideline by which we are to follow in
order to be all that He wants us to be as males. He made us who we are in our
specific gender on purpose, a fact of which we should never be shamed. Indeed,
God intends that both men and women should bless Him in the fullness of their
individual natures, knowing that He perfectly designed them for each other with
marriage and procreation in mind, in addition to working together in non-marital
relationships as complements so that through their mutual gifts the fullness of
God’s work on earth could be realized. If the Church as a whole ever grasped
this truth, rejecting the philosophies and teachings of the outside world,
imagine what blessings we would experience as the body of Christ, laboring
together, side-by-side with no barriers between us? Yet, this possibility can
still be realized if we abide in His Word, living our lives as men and women of
His creation to the utmost of His design. It simply is a matter of reliance on
the power of His Spirit to do so.
[i]
Konner, Melvin. “The End of Male Supremacy”, The Chronicle of Higher Education:
The Chronicle Review. March 20, 2015, Reprinted from
http://chronicle.com/article/The-End-of-Male-Supremacy/228769/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
[ii]
Hugo Lopez, Mark and Ana Gonzalez Barrera, “Women’s College Enrollment Gains
Leave Men Behind”, March 6, 2014, Reprinted from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/03/06/womens-college-enrollment-gains-leave-men-behind/
