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It's reports like this that make it very hard for me to accept the rhetoric that maleness is uniquely under attack & needs defending, at least in the broad scheme of things.
Among western conservatives, there's a common talking point that society is targeting men & trying to emasculate them, that men are somehow uniquely vulnerable & must be defended.
Certainly, we're seeing a kind of pushback against men in western culture, but in the grand scheme of history & global culture, it's a blip on the radar. (And quite frankly, I don't think it will accomplish what it promises in the long run b/c of basic human physiology.)
The testimony of history & global culture is one set against female image bearers. One that seeks to destroy them (or more insidiously, as it does in western culture, strip them of their unique power to bring life into the world.)
The testimony of Scripture is similar. From Genesis to Revelation, the serpant/dragon seeks to destroy the woman, as a means of destroying life. Eve, Israel, the Church are all in the sightlines of evil.
And it the unique call of male image bearers to use their strength, not to protect themselves, but to protect the weaker members of human society, women & children, who promise life & future.
So forgive me if I'm a bit cynical when I hear western men complaining about somehow being under attack. Do you face resistance? Maybe. Do people misunderstand manhood? Sure. Are you being slaughtered b/c you are male? No.
Are you uniquely vulnerable to physical & sexual attack by the very nature of your physiology? No.
Is your God-given ability to bear children counted a liability in a culture that demands efficiency & capital production? Also, no.
Is your God-given ability to bear children counted a liability in a culture that demands efficiency & capital production? Also, no.
I don't doubt that men face a kind of frustration & annoyance in a culture that doesn't understand embodiment, how male & femaleness is a gift. Yes, people don't value your manhood. Yes, they may even see it negatively.
But can I kindly suggest that what you are experiencing, perhaps for the first time, your sisters have been experiencing for millenia.
So when they speak of their pain & how the world is set against their flourishing as women, listen & believe them. B/c if anything, your current experience of feeling marginalized, gives you a window to know that they might just possibly be telling truth.
In this world, I do not think that men have it easier than women, but I do think there are unique ways that evil tempts & attacks us as male & female. And it attacks men by convincing them that they are helpless & must be protected rather than protecting those under their care.
Brothers, God has uniquely gifted & equipped you to resist evil & create a culture of flourishing for those under your care. Your sisters are not your enemies. Evil is. And when it attacks, you must rise & fight.
