How Manly Was Jesus?

As a worship leader I've been pretty interested in the last few years to read several articles about how church has been "feminized," making it irrelevant to the average man.

Some very popular books have been written taking this point of view, and I do think there is some real merit to their message. For example, in my own worship planning, while I believe we are called to an intimate relationship with our Savior, I'm a little wary of worship songs that give too much of what I like to call a "Jesus-is-my-boyfriend" vibe. (If you're unfamiliar with this writing style, here's a popular example). Statistically, there are more women in church each week than men, and I think it's valid as church leaders to ask why.

Still, the recent masculinity surge has seemed somehow incomplete to me, and today I read a wonderfully balanced article from Christianity Today called "A Jesus for Real Men" by Brandon O'Brien. If you'd like to read about this fascinating topic, I recommend this article to you.