The roots of feminism in the Women’s Suffrage Movement was originally Christian, and it was an important and needed resetting of male and female roles. But a lot has changed since then.
When I was born, men were mostly the achievers: doctors, scientists, master chefs, and leaders of politics and industry. Women’s rights reset that to some extent, and men started to lose their identities.
In the early 2000s, it was okay to portray men (especially in sitcoms and commercials) as buffoons in a way that, if you switched the genders, there would have been an outrage. There was a backlash, and it identified men with beer, bbq, sports, and war. There was also the endearing slacker/surfer/stoner type. None of those helped to dignify what it means to be a man.
So, men now don't have the traditional role models from black-and-white TV, and the the lowest-common-denominator roles don't fit.
What is the modern idea of a man and what should it be?
In a post-modern world lacking clear-cut borders and distinctions, it has been difficult to know what it means to be a man and even harder to feel good about being one... and men are groping in the dark for their identity.
What is the modern idea of being a man? Buffoon? Self-centred? Carelessness? Careless of thinking?
What piece of wisdom did you gain the hard way that would help a young man understand what it means to be a man?
How can the church do more to help those men who need to ‘find themselves’ and lead a more productive, fulfilling life?