Disbanded Brothers – Has a ‘Feminised’ Church Alienated Men in the UK?
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All Men Women 37.9% 1.1% 32.2% 0.4% 43.9% 1.8% Equally to both More to men More to women 61.0% 67.4% 54.3% FIGURE 10. Survey Response to the Question: “Do you think that UK church services in general appeal more to women, more to men, or equally to both?” There seems to be a consensus (61%) that UK Church services generally appeal more to women than to men. Yet again, we see significant genderal differences, with 67% of men believing that churches appeal more to women, compared to 54% of women agreeing. Overall then, there is a significant proportion of Christians whose descriptions of the UK Church support the view that it has become feminised and, if not quite alienating men, is at least perceived to be more welcoming to women. It is highly significant that men’s perceptions and sensitivity to these signs of feminisation are different to women’s. In the next chapter, we consider whether genderal differences within the Church are ignored or downplayed, and whether this too could be a cause of men’s alienation from the Church. 28
CHAPTER FIVE ANDROGYNY – A FURTHER EXPLANATION? We have seen that there is evidence of feminisation within the Church, both generally in the West and specifically within the UK. I propose that there is an equally serious trend accompanying feminisation that also discourages men from belonging to the Church: that of androgyny, an artificial state of gender neutrality. The accusation here is that the Church has failed to recognise the profundity and significance of differences between the sexes and has failed to value men as men and women as women, to the detriment of both. 23 5.1 Denial of Genderal Differences One term that has been applied to this condition is ‘gender blindness’, whereby essential and fundamental differences are ignored or denied, either unintentionally or deliberately, often in the name of ‘equality’. Within the Church, this reasoning is conventionally based on two Biblical passages: Genesis 1:26-27 and Galatians 3:26-29. The first passage reminds us of the profundity that, from Creation, men and women are both made in God’s image: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27, NIV) It is rightly observed that men and women are both created in God’s “image” and “likeness” and, in some sense, have joint rulership over the earth. Whereas some would read from this passage the essential fact that humans were created in two distinct forms, male and female, others argue that the key point of this text is the commonality of humans, since they are all “in the image of God.” The second passage also addresses sexual distinctions (although verse 28 is often removed from its context in the rest of Galatians): You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29, NIV) These verses have frequently been used by those arguing against gender distinctions in the Church, since Paul claims “There is neither… male nor female.” Equality in salvation (“you are all one in Christ Jesus”) is extended to include functional and even essential sameness, or homogeneity. Christian feminists would argue, therefore, that differences between men and women have sociological, environmental and historical origins, rather than divine ones, and have downplayed differences between men and women. See, for example, Mary Stewart van Leeuwen’s chapter on ‘How to Think About Sex and Gender’ (1990, 53-71) which takes a study on verbal abilities and extrapolates its results to conclude that men and women are more alike than different. 24 23 Whilst there have been specific men’s movements or Church organisations for men (such as the Promise Keepers in the United States, or Christian Vision for Men in the UK), these have tended to be either short-term and transient with limited impact (Promise Keepers) or an optional extra for some churches (CVM) rather than influencing and transforming all aspects of a Church. This issue should not be seen as something merely for a ‘band of brothers’ or men’s group but rather something that must lead to a fundamental shift in Church culture in its totality. 24 Whilst that assertion might be true, the more pertinent issue is what are the differences and how significant they are. On the question of polarity (as suggested by the title of John Gray’s bestselling Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus) versus continuity, which Dorothy Sayers called “neighbouring sexes” rather than “opposite sexes” (cited by van Leeuwen 2002a, 28), it is interesting to recall suggestions that characteristics of masculinity include otherness and apartness, whilst characteristics of femininity include sameness, togetherness and inclusivity: could men tend to believe that men and women are differently, whilst women tend to regard them as the same? 29
- Page 1 and 2: Disbanded Brothers - Has a ‘Femin
- Page 3 and 4: “What it means to be a man under
- Page 5 and 6: LIST OF TABLES Table Page I. Variat
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- Page 37 and 38: Clare (2000) Clare, Anthony, On Men
- Page 39 and 40: Murphy (1994) Directions for Men’
- Page 41 and 42: May-June 1991, pp.591-593 Sheppard
- Page 43 and 44: APPENDIX 1 SURVEY AIMS AND METHODOL
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- Page 47 and 48: APPENDIX 3 SURVEY RESULTS Church In
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All <strong>Men</strong> Women<br />
37.9%<br />
1.1%<br />
32.2%<br />
0.4%<br />
43.9%<br />
1.8%<br />
Equally to both<br />
More to men<br />
More to women<br />
61.0%<br />
67.4%<br />
54.3%<br />
FIGURE 10. Survey Response to <strong>the</strong> Question:<br />
“Do you th<strong>in</strong>k that <strong>UK</strong> church services <strong>in</strong> general appeal<br />
more to women, more to men, or equally to both?”<br />
There seems to be a consensus (61%) that <strong>UK</strong> <strong>Church</strong> services generally appeal more to<br />
women than to men. Yet aga<strong>in</strong>, we see significant genderal differences, with 67% of men<br />
believ<strong>in</strong>g that churches appeal more to women, compared to 54% of women agree<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
Overall <strong>the</strong>n, <strong>the</strong>re is a significant proportion of Christians whose descriptions of <strong>the</strong> <strong>UK</strong><br />
<strong>Church</strong> support <strong>the</strong> view that it has become fem<strong>in</strong>ised and, if not quite alienat<strong>in</strong>g men, is at<br />
least perceived to be more welcom<strong>in</strong>g to women. It is highly significant that men’s<br />
perceptions and sensitivity to <strong>the</strong>se signs of fem<strong>in</strong>isation are different to women’s. In <strong>the</strong><br />
next chapter, we consider whe<strong>the</strong>r genderal differences with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong> are ignored or<br />
downplayed, and whe<strong>the</strong>r this too could be a cause of men’s alienation from <strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong>.<br />
28
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