Here is Andrews latest blog,
There has been a rising and sweeping change in the current culture. Men today have developed an attitude that they should never gain responsibility, never grow up (or at least not until they are 40) and should see women for their bodies alone.This has slowly led to a change in women’s attitudes towards them, trying to break themselves away from their intimacy based desires for love, and dive head first into miserable regretful one night stands amongst other things.
The Lad Culture Tells Men:
- You need to show wealth to boost your self worth (even if you don’t in fact have wealth)
- You need to sleep with as many women as you can to find true happiness and relationships make you miserable
- Marriage is an unnecessary step too far in any relationship and children are the sole responsibility of the woman
- Violence and arrogance are the best ways to deal with situations or even good ways to show off
- Avoidance of real life is common, with life completely revolving around sports, pubs/clubs, tv, internet, and games consoles
- Rape is ok – It has even been well documented that pornography has affected men’s views on rape resulting in the increasingly common and under-reported phenomenon of date rape (by means of alcohol or drugging)
The Lad Culture Tells Women
- They have to dress revealingly in public, on holiday, on facebook, anywhere to be noticed
- Sexualised forms of sexism are gradually more acceptable and women let it slide
- The objectification of women’s bodies is also considered more and more acceptable
- It’s the other woman’s fault. Women blame other women for men’s sin rather than the man (because that’s just the way men are). This is in itself outlived through the hatred of women in porn
Sound like anyone you know? This attitude seems to be more and more common in the church and in fact some ministries trying to be relevant seem to be using the lad culture to draw men in. But what does the bible say about how men should act?
1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love”
– So firstly love is the a cornerstone of biblical manhood.
Psalm 119:9-16 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.”
– Secondly God’s word is the Foundation of biblical manhood. This is how we learn what to do to keep pure. The bible will teach us the dangers of wealth, the importance of marriage and family, the true wealth found in a Godly woman and the value of every last woman, why violence and aggression are wrong for a Godly man and how a Godly man shouldn’t waste his time.
1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways”
– This speaks for itself, we need to grow up and prepare our young men and women to grow up. Put down your games consoles and TV remotes!
1 Timothy 6:3-11 “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”
– This is practically written for lad culture, it is another doctrine and these things mentioned lead in the end to spiritual death.
Lad culture and this lack of male leadership has been here from the very start. It has just taken on a newer more aggressive form than in living memory. As the previous text refers to; Eve was deceived by the serpent but what is hidden in the texts in Genesis is the lack of leadership by Adam. Why did Adam not step up and stop her? Was he too lazy, curious, or just too immature to tell his wife to stop what she was doing before it was too late? Why did he not obey the ruler of all things?
Adam was the first lad…can you be one of the last and become part of the Jesus Culture?