tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12508681.post115090534158445270..comments2009-12-23T16:30:34.479-05:00drew mosernoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12508681.post-1151000242293669992006-06-22T14:17:00.000-04:002006-06-22T14:17:00.000-04:00jen--thanks for your thoughts. I agree that the media is largely to blame for the degradation of true, healthy manhood. In many ways, it's a chicken or egg type of situation. I belive that the media caught on to the trend of men NOT stepping up very early on, and then they exploited it, and now the stereotype has been fed by the media, perpetuating it even further. It's a vicious cycle. <BR/><BR/>I have to hope that the church is the one place that the cycle can and must be broken. Yes, promise keepers and Wild at Heart have made some wonderful strides. My fear is the future. Given our postmodern world, is the church equipped to teach and mold men to be biblical, effective, hard working men in the postmodern world. Church tends to be a bit behind the times, and I'm afraid with the rapid advancement of postmodernity, we may be a bit behind on 1. knowing who the pomo man is, and 2. how we can help them to become men after God's own heart.Drew B Moserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02953661254646728164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12508681.post-1150937313731801242006-06-21T20:48:00.000-04:002006-06-21T20:48:00.000-04:00Hi Drew. I've been hanging around your blog for a while--I think I linked to it a from a Relevant article. Thanks for being a thinker. I respect your social commentary and it often looks a lot like mine. :) <BR/><BR/>To the topic at hand...<BR/>I've had more than a few conversations with friends about the trend in the media to portray family men (and men in general) as idiots. I know that's generally not a reflection of men I've had the pleasure to know. My father, and a great many other men I know, do not fit this stereotype, but rather the opposite. Having been born an observer of people and trained as a social scientist and behavior analyst, I wonder about the effect of media on our behavior and thinking. Is media setting our expectations for the performance of men in strategic areas of social behavior, church, and family life? Or is media a reflection of what we've become as a society? Why is this stereotype so acceptable and viewed as funny? Are married/family men one of the few "safe" things we have left to joke about?<BR/><BR/>This begs the following questions:<BR/>How can followers of Christ teach truth against such a pervasive viewpoint? How can we model the Bible's teachings about masculinity in a relevant way? <BR/><BR/>The Promise Keepers movement along with John Eldrege's work have encouraged me as a step in the right direction to answer these questions. Unfortunately, in many churches men are not leading other than by proxy. This is a vital matter of prayer for those of us who wish to see Christ's church celebrate its Creator.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099087571243338869noreply@blogger.com