Amen to that. I'm really glad that John Carroll told me about Fight Club a couple of months ago. Going into 2010, I really wanted to provide an outlet for the guys I know to hear what the Bible says about men. As soon as I read the manifesto from Fight Club, I knew that this what I was looking for.
So this morning at 6:30 the new 5-week session of Fight Club kicked off. Here are my notes from this morning's talk.
Genesis 1-2 reveals the five noble pathways: Manhood, Womanhood, Marriage, Parenthood & Calling/Vocation. Genesis 1 is all about God creating. Genesis 2 is all about him giving his creation mandate to Adam. Now it's Adam's turn. Sin enters the picture in Genesis 3, and the good relationship and the good work is broken. JB said that Genesis 3:6 is the most damning verse for men in the Bible. Here's the paraphrase: The serpent came to Eve and deceived her. So she ate of the fruit, then gave it to Adam, "who was with her", and he ate. It was Adam's biggest opportunity to be a man, yet he failed to step up. He was passive.
The results of the fall are two-fold. On the one hand, we have people like Eve, who decide that they know better than God what they need. They rebel and want their own way. This is like the younger brother in Luke 15. He said that men who fall into this category never become true men. In our culture today we have the phenomena of extended adolescence. These are the "dudes" who go away to college and then move back in with their parents. They don't get a job. They don't have any responsibilities. Their lives are marked by laziness, video games, and consumption.
On the other hand, we have people like Adam, who decide that they will look the part in order to please God. This is religion, and it mirrors the older brother in Luke 15. These are the cowards. They can talk a big game, but they are scared to make their lives count for something. They have problem making decisions for themselves, much less for anyone else. And many of them turn into critics (many through the blogosphere).
That's the bad news. Here's the good news: the original plan of God has not waned. The call to create and cultivate still goes out. And the even better news is that God has a plan for our brokenness. It's the Gospel, and we first see indicators of it in Genesis 3. The fig leaves that they had made to cover their nakedness did not do what they hoped it would do. Their sin was still apparent to God. They still felt shame. So God took the skin from an animal and clothed them with it. He then sent them back into their work, only the work would now be difficult because of the brokenness now present in the world.
So much of this brokenness has marked me through the years, yet I know that God is working on me. How I am grateful for the Gospel!
1 comment:
it's true, that movie was brilliant. how about unpacking this one for me.
A generation of men raised by women. I’m wondering if another woman is the answer we really need.
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