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Nov 2, 2022·edited Nov 2, 2022Liked by Scot McKnight

Wow, they have such a narrow view of manhood and womanhood. Funny that men only eat meat. I know of several vegetarian men who eat that way to ward off heart disease. They still look like men to me. I find their definitions very political in nature and I don't see these definitions in the Bible itself. I believe they are seeking to create a culture that is to their liking more than a vision from Jesus that aligns with the way of Jesus.

I also am trained in the Gottman Marriage Method, and couples can come to unity on various decisions without resorting to the husband pulling rank when there is a disagreement. I also don't believe that there is a hierarchy in the Godhead. I see The Father, the Son and The Spirit acting out of oneness and shared desire to see the world whole.

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Powermongering does indeed get toxic, and misogynistic in this case, where the wife is just a lunch-maker, and we leave the serious theology to the menfolk… In my encounters with not a few of these ESV-toting SBS men, their heads were so pumped full of stereotypes about how men are the pastors and theologians and women are the helpmeet “enablers” who assist them in fulfilling their dreams that women couldn’t possibly comprehend the depths of their orthodox theology that goes back 2,000 years where women have never played a serious role in the church (according to what they have been taught in their staunchly complimentarian church history courses). It’s a tragedy that has a cost both for these “Godly men,” trapped in toxic masculinity who miss out on the gifts of their sisters, and also for the “Godly women” who are raised and trained to quench the Spirit individually and systematically. Looking forward to (and also dreading) what’s coming next with the “Godly women.”

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Nov 2, 2022Liked by Scot McKnight

I saw much of the same cultural aesthetic during my time at Moody Bible Institute. A popular source for this vision of manliness was the blog The Art of Manliness which I think heavily influenced the knife carrying, beard grooming, genteel look and culture. Would be interesting to look into the influence of that blog as an enabling factor of this.

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The knives make me think about that episode of the Simpson’s where Lenny says to Homer, “you’d think someone with two wives would be happy.” And Carl says, “No, you’re thinking of someone with two knives.” The camera cuts to Moe holding two knives and he says, “You know what? This is pretty awesome!”

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