The Feminization of Christ in the American Religion

Part III – The Masculinity of Christ

[Response to A Sentimental Journey - White Horse Inn broadcast the week of January the 15th, since I am trying to keep my post to about 500 words this response will be in more than one entry.]

Consider the following verses for this post:

“Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the LORD; you shall not do it within your land..." (Leviticus 22:24 – ESV)

“…and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood…” (Romans 3:24-25a – ESV)

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13 – ESV)

By now I have made a case for the theological concept of the hypostatic union (check the previous two posts). Being the God/Man means that Jesus had a divine nature and a human nature. His human nature had all same dimensions of humanity that we have but without sin! I think this is one the most amazing concept in all of Christian theology. Jesus was 100% human (like us) and he also had a true divine nature in addition to his human nature. Bear with me as I take on another concept of Jesus’ humanity. I must apologize because I may be using bad exegesis for this argument but I think it is sound exegesis. One area of Jesus’ humanity that I am going to discuss is an area I haven’t seen discussed much by theologians and that is of Christ’s sexual nature.

I can already sense that some are ready to click the close on this window. Let me explain what I mean and what I don’t mean by the statement of Christ’s sexual nature. What I mean is that if Jesus had a true human male body he had to also have the sexual nature that comes with that body. Jesus grew up as a male, just like all us men did. He went through puberty, just like all us men did. I know women went though puberty as well but I am writing from the male perspective which would also be the perspective of Christ. What I am not saying is that Jesus explored the sinful areas of sex. All men and women have a sexual nature that was created by God and it is not, in of itself, sin. Jesus’ testosterones were not tainted by original sin. His sexuality was as God intended before the fall of Adam. His perfect obedient to the law of God, including the sexual demands, are imputed to elect's account by faith alone (Romans 3:23-26). And that goes for women too!

I think most of us just don’t feel comfortable discussing the sexuality of Christ’s human nature but maybe we should think about it more. One reason I think we should think about it more is that there is a tendency in today’s American churches feminize Christ. As a result there is an alarming trend in which men are dropping out of church. The feminized cultural in American churches has created a Christ that men cannot relate to or would want to know. When we have songs in our worship services that portrays the worshiper as the lover of Jesus (for example, Jesus I am so in love with you), or speak of him in terms that is more suited to the pages romance novel (Like, “A personal relationship with Jesus,” ugh!) it is no wonder men don’t want to go to church. Many American churches talk about him more in relational terms instead of Christ’s commanding us “to believe” and “to follow.” Historically churches went from singing a Mighty Fortress is Our God to singing In the Garden or Away in the Manger, ugh! (For more angles on this subject listen to A Sentimental Journey - White Horse Inn broadcast the week of January the 15th).

Today’s churches tend to tone down the testosterone side of Jesus so that Jesus, as Paul T. Coughlin stated, “Has become the bearded woman.” We tend not focus on the confrontational Jesus or the commanding Jesus but like to focus on the Jesus that is only of love. There also is another trend in the modern American churches and that is to emasculate Christ. That right! As in castrating our Lord! For example, I once read passages in the Today’s New International Version of the Bible where the references referring to Christ as a MAN was replace with Christ as person. My hostile reaction to this bad version of the bible is “what is so wrong with Christ being a MAN!!” Christ perfect manly life was offer as a propitiation (Romans 3:24-25a - ESV) to God for our sins. That offering was an offering that didn’t have “its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut” (Leviticus 22:24 – ESV)! I guess I can take comfort in the fact that at least the pagan Pontius Pilate saw that Jesus was man when he stated, “Ecce homo!” which means, “Behold the MAN!” (John 19:5 - ESV)

I think that is ultimately good news (or gospel) to us men. Christ did not fail as a man even if he had the biology of a man. In other words he had some and had them without sinning. He uses his manly leadership perfectly where we fail everyday! It is good news that we can be at peace knowing that Christ lived out all of our human dimensions and paid it all on our behalf (including masculinity). Every liturgy of a good church should end by giving men and women a benediction. We should be told to “Go in His peace, your sins have been forgiven!”

Your Brother

Timotheus

Additional Reading: Why Men Hate Going to Church and No More Christian Nice Guy