You know him. He's home reading the paper while his wife and children fill a church pew. When the pastor asks for prayer requests, his wife raises her hand and murmurs, "Unspoken." But everyone knows. She's been praying their entire marriage for her husband to come to church.
But he won't come. He may not even be able to articulate why. Something about church that drives him away, makes him feel like less of a man. He doesn't find God there.
Author and television producer David Murrow says that 90 percent of American men believe in God and five out of six call themselves Christian, only two out of six attend church. They accept the reality of Jesus but see no value for themselves in attending church. Church is for women and children.
But Murrow has finally given the absent, alienated man a voice. His book Why Men Hate Going to Church will not simply cause a flutter in program committees: it will ultimately change the way we do church.
"I'm not calling men back to church," said Murrow. "I'm calling the church back to men.
"It's nor about male dominance: it's about male resurgence. If we don't turn things around, we're going to lose a generation of boys. This is going to be a disaster for society and eventually result in the death of the church," said Murrow.
"There are churches targeted at every conceivable minority-seekers, young couples, older people-yet men are the largest unreached people group. They are the largest minority in Christendom today yet we do absolutely nothing to make church attractive to them. I'm simply trying to do what the church has always done and reach out to unchurched people."
Although many may argue that the church is already male dominated, Murrow sees it differently. Quoting Dr. Leon Podles, "Modern churches are women's clubs with a few male officers," Murrow observed that while the church looks patriarchal on the surface, it is actually feminine. "This whole idea of a male-oriented patriarchal religion is a myth. If you're talking about the senior pastorate in Protestant churches, then yes, you've got 'way more men than women. If you're talking about the spirituality, participation, lay leadership of the church, it is feminine in every way.
"Every church needs both the feminine and masculine spirit. You see this balance in growing churches: a masculine concern for quality, effectiveness, and achievement yet a feminine supportiveness, nurturing, and tenderness. It's not about roles. It is about restoring a healthy, life-giving masculine spirit to the church."
