The Telegraph has an article, "Young, single men are leaving traditional churches. They found a more ‘masculine’ alternative," that highlights an issue that I've posted about before: how the feminization of churches is driving men away from many denominations. This is an issue that initially arose hand-in-hand with industrialization and urbanization as work in cities pulled men from communities and churches, which then, in turn, began to cater more and more to women's values. World War I and II seemed to accelerate this trend. Today, many denominations seem to worship what I've heard described as a "teddy bear Jesus" who is long on coddling feminists and their pet causes (especially the LGBTQ) and short on commandments and consequences. This is not the true Christ. Christ is merciful, but he is also just and cannot abide sin. And he was not afraid of offending people.
I've seen the decline of churches into feminism within my own faith, the LDS Church. When I was young, the Boy Scouts were an integral part of the activities for the young men, and all men were encouraged to participate in Church sponsored sports. (There is a reason most every LDS Church building in the U.S. has a basketball gym). Obviously the Church exited the Boy Scouts (the decline and feminization of the Boy Scouts is its own story well described in this article: "Girling the Boy Scouts"). And organized Church sports are hardly ever mentioned in the congregation I attend (although that might be because my ward's population is skewed heavily toward old and elderly members).
But the feminization of a church goes well beyond the abandonment of the Boy Scouts or lack of organized sports for the boys and men. It has to do with the whole approach to religion and life. The Telegraph article, for instance, reports that "[s]ome converts said they felt disillusioned with the 'feminisation' of the Protestant church and were attracted to the 'authenticity' of Orthodoxy, which they claim pushes them physically and mentally." One convert interviewed for the article stated: “What really drew me to Orthodoxy… was the structure, the guidance, the authenticity and the historicity”. Another convert interviewed for the article described his prior church's services as not too different to his Saturday night in a bar.
They had the “same kind of lighting, same kind of music, same kind of the same feeling, and after reading the gospels and the book of Acts, you know, I knew that’s not how they worshipped 2000 years ago, I kind of knew, hey, I’m, I don’t think I’m in the right church.”
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He believes part of the surge in men converting to the Orthodox church is a rejection of the “feminisation” of other denominations.
“It’s unfortunate that feminism has kind of sunk its teeth into all of our organisations to include Christianity,” he said.
He said that at Protestant churches, the majority of the leaders “aren’t good, strong men”, whereas the Orthodox church leaders are more like “father figures”.
He said: “They look like men. They look like fathers, they’re strong, spiritually, mentally, physically... I think young men right now are yearning to follow a good father.”
Jesus Christ, he thinks, is the “perfect example of masculinity”, someone capable “of calling down all of Heaven’s armies to destroy his enemies” but who instead chose to serve others.
“I’m very comfortable with physicality and because of my Orthodox faith, I’m also very comfortable at just, you know, being soft and kind... but being capable also of violence towards, you know, those who would do harm to those I love... I think young men, too, they want that.”
An Orthodox priest to whom the reporter talked also mentioned that "one aspect that appeals to newcomers is that while other churches are being drawn into rows about cultural issues, such as debates around the LGBTQ community, the Orthodox church does not shift."
The desire for a Church that champions masculinity and fathers may be key. The article on the decline of the Boy Scouts explains:
Today, American boys are plagued by fatherlessness, both real and symbolic. Whereas in the early twentieth century, boys lost their biological fathers to industrial accidents and tuberculosis, now they lose them to parental irresponsibility. In 2022, 40 percent of all American children were born to single mothers. Black newborns faced a catastrophic 69.3 percent illegitimacy rate, while more than 53 percent of Hispanic children were born to unmarried females. Whites had a 27 percent illegitimacy rate; the rate among the white underclass is twice that. Already in 2016, 59 percent of births to white women who did not finish high school or obtain a GED occurred outside of marriage. Boys suffer the most in the typical fatherless household, with its lack of structure, parade of shiftless boyfriends, and inconsistent discipline. (There are exceptions to this chaos, of course.)
The disintegration of the family coincided with the devalorization of males, making the possibility of even a symbolic father figure remote. Feminism was zero-sum: it championed females by tearing males down. The concept of toxic masculinity was active decades before the American Psychological Association declared traditional masculinity (which the APA defined by such civilization-creating traits as competitiveness, stoicism, and the desire to provide for others) a malady. Positive male characters in television and movies were replaced by dolts and abusers. And a cascade of female-uplift programs started pouring out of the government, foundations, corporations, and universities.
I think what men are looking for is a church that allows them to reach their potential as men rather than forcing them into the role of pussy-whipped metrosexuals. Unfortunately, the watchword among the leaders of the congregation I attend is to avoid offending anyone.
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