Why Men Hate Going to Church

I just finished reading this book. Very interesting. Here are some of the points author David Murrow makes:

He says that the current culture of "church" is not conducive to men. He sees the church valuing safety over risk, stability over change, preservation over expansion, and predictability over adventure. Murrow correctly observes that the Christan life is a matter of following Jesus. He says, "Fishermen dropped nets full of fish to follow Him, but today's' church can't convince men to drop their remote controls for a couple of hours a week". Following Jesus is a quest and might very well be what Jesus meant when He said that He came so we may have an abundant life.

Is the church challenging men (& women) to take risks? Is the church embracing change or trying to stop it? Are members challenging each other? There is a great story in Matthew 25 where the Master praises two servants who took a risk and invested their assets to produce more while the one who played it safe is cursed.

The early church grew in its first three hundred years because men and women were being persecuted for their faith (for taking a risk). The Anabaptist movement was all about taking risks against the established state church (and many of them died as well).

Does the church today have a big enough God-vision that men and women are willing to die for? Or have we domesticated them by sitting in a mauve pew and teaching them to behave for an hour a week? Murrow says that men are not able to check their testosterone at the church door which is why John Eldredge's book, "Wild at Heart" is so popular among male Christians. It reminds us that every man wants to live (& die) for something greater than himself. It's OK to want to seek greatness. Jesus promised His disciples that they would do even greater things because of the Holy Spirit, but it's not done through self-promotion. Instead, it is accomplished through self-sacrifice.

Murrow says, "Jesus had a vision. He called it the kingdom of God. It was huge. It involved nothing less than a re-creation of the world, one person at a time. And we are His partners in this task. This vision was the focus of His entire life. This vision is what kept Him focused on His mission. It was the reason He lived and died. If men don't have a vision of what God is doing in a church, they will not invest themselves. They want a cause, not another club."

I believe this is why it is not so important to "go" to church as it is to "Be" the church. What an adventure!