Feminizing Jesus: A Crisis of Faith

Step into any church on Sunday, and you’ll witness a glaring imbalance: women vastly outnumbering men. This isn’t coincidence; it’s a mass exodus of men from the church. We’re not talking about a specific denomination, but the broader body of Christ – those claiming to be Christians. The implications of this male flight are profound for families, the church, and society at large.

The statistics are damning. For a century, male church attendance has plummeted, with no sign of reversal. Most sources peg the gender ratio at 60/40, women to men. This isn’t just a number; it’s a crisis with far-reaching consequences.

The gender imbalance in church attendance is a well-documented phenomenon that has significant implications for the church, families, and society. As the search results indicate, the typical U.S. congregation draws an adult crowd that is around 61% female and 39% male. This gender gap is present across all age groups and denominations, with some variations.

The reasons behind this male exodus from the church are complex and multifaceted. Sociological research suggests that traditional gender roles and expectations, as well as cultural shifts in masculinity, may play a role. Many men may feel that the church does not cater to their needs or speak to their experiences in a meaningful way. Additionally, the decline in male church attendance is part of a broader trend of decreasing religious affiliation and practice among men in the United States.

The implications of this gender imbalance are profound. The absence of men in the church can have a detrimental effect on church growth, health, and unity. When men are not actively engaged in the life of the church, it can lead to a lack of role models for young men and boys, as well as a diminished sense of community and belonging for those who do attend.

Furthermore, the gender gap in church attendance can have ripple effects on families and society. When women vastly outnumber men in the church, it can create challenges for those seeking a spouse who shares their faith. This can lead to delayed marriage, decreased fertility rates, and a weakening of the traditional family structure.

Addressing this issue is crucial for the future of the church and the well-being of families and communities. Church leaders and Christian organizations have recognized the need to actively engage and minister to men, but progress has been slow. Strategies such as developing targeted men’s ministries, creating more male-friendly programming, and fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging for men may be necessary to reverse this trend.

Alien Territory

Modern churches have become alien territory for many men, as they have become saturated with a feminine-centric culture that often prioritizes emotion and meekness over traditional expressions of biblical masculinity. The contemporary worship experience, with its “Jesus is my boyfriend” undertones and doctrinally vapid, emotionally manipulative music, can make most men feel deeply out of place, as if they are a lumberjack trapped in a nail salon. Forced hand-clapping and other performative elements only serve to exacerbate this sense of discomfort and disconnection.

The content of sermons has also shifted in a concerning direction, with many devolving into watered-down self-help messages offering “7 steps to being a better husband” rather than substantive spiritual nourishment. While this is a great message and we should always strive to learn how to be better, men need more from the church to promote what makes them feel manly as well. Men often leave these services feeling guilty and emasculated, without encountering the transformative power of the gospel message. They hunger for meat – harsh truths about sin and salvation, not feel-good platitudes. That is sometimes the nature of man.

Perhaps most insidiously, there is a growing trend towards the feminization of Jesus himself. The Son of God, a carpenter who challenged religious authorities and willingly went to a brutal execution, is increasingly portrayed as a soft, passive figure. This neutered Christ may appeal to the church’s predominantly female audience, but it serves to further alienate men seeking a strong, decisive leader to follow.

The result is that many men feel like strangers in their own churches, unable to connect with the prevailing culture and messaging. Reclaiming a robust, biblical masculinity within the context of the modern church is an urgent task, lest the church continue to hemorrhage its male members.

The Distortion of Christ’s Message: The Perils of an Overly Feminized Gospel

The contemporary church’s fixation on a solely loving, nurturing Christ has led to a dangerous distortion of His true nature and message. This feminized version of Jesus prioritizes feelings over doctrine, comfort over commandments, and inclusivity over spiritual integrity.

This skewed perspective manifests in various ways:

1. Chastity:

The feminized Christ perspective often leads to a weakening of sexual morality standards. Proponents argue that a loving God wouldn’t restrict sexual expression or exclude individuals based on their relationships. This results in pressure to change long-standing doctrines and practices, such as temple marriage requirements. The “hell together” concept epitomizes this mindset, suggesting that violating God’s laws is acceptable if done in the name of love or inclusivity. This approach undermines the sacred nature of chastity and the divine purpose of sexual intimacy within marriage.

2. Cherry-picking:

Adherents of the feminized gospel frequently engage in selective interpretation of scripture and church teachings. They focus on passages emphasizing love and acceptance while ignoring or downplaying those dealing with obedience, repentance, and judgment. This leads to a distorted view of Christ’s teachings and can cause cognitive dissonance when confronted with more challenging doctrines. The reactions to President Holland’s “musket fire” speech and President Nelson’s October 2023 address demonstrate how this selective interpretation can leave members unprepared for the full spectrum of gospel principles.

3. Doctrinal dilution:

In an effort to avoid offense or discomfort, some leaders and members advocate for a watered-down version of the gospel. This approach often involves avoiding or soft-pedaling essential but potentially controversial doctrines, such as the Family Proclamation, when addressing certain groups. Some leaders, in misguided attempts at inclusivity, advocate for avoiding difficult topics like the Family Proclamation when addressing LGBTQ+. While well-intentioned, this practice deprives individuals of crucial eternal truths and can lead to a weakened, ineffective version of the gospel that lacks power to truly transform lives.

4. False dichotomy:

The feminized gospel often presents a false choice between love and doctrine, compassion and commandments. This creates an artificial divide that was never present in Christ’s teachings. Jesus consistently demonstrated that true love involves teaching truth, even when it’s challenging. By separating love from doctrine, we risk creating a hollow version of Christianity that offers comfort without the power of real spiritual growth and redemption.

5. Spiritual complacency:

Overemphasis on feeling loved and accepted, without the corresponding call to repentance and obedience, can lead to spiritual stagnation. When members are constantly reassured without being challenged to improve, they may become complacent in their spiritual journey. This approach fails to utilize the full power of Christ’s Atonement, which is not just about forgiveness but also about enabling personal growth and transformation.

6. Misunderstanding God’s nature:

Portraying God solely as a nurturing, accepting figure ignores critical aspects of His divine nature. While God is loving, He is also a judge who upholds eternal laws. This balanced understanding of God’s nature is essential for developing a mature faith. Ignoring God’s roles as lawgiver and judge can lead to a shallow, incomplete relationship with Deity and a failure to appreciate the full scope of the Plan of Salvation.

7. Weakened testimony:

A faith built primarily on emotional experiences and feelings of being loved is often ill-equipped to withstand serious challenges. When members inevitably face trials, doctrinal controversies, or intellectual challenges to their faith, a testimony rooted in feelings alone may crumble. A robust testimony requires a balance of spiritual experiences, doctrinal understanding, and personal conviction in eternal principles – elements often lacking in the feminized gospel approach.

And Justice for All

While Christ’s love is central to His gospel, it cannot be divorced from His other attributes: justice, judgment, and expectations of obedience. A truly Christlike approach balances love with truth, compassion with commandments, and inclusion with doctrinal integrity. The church must resist the temptation to soften Christ’s message in a misguided attempt to appeal to modern sensibilities, lest it lose the very power that makes the gospel transformative.

Men are voting with their feet, often never to return. This male exodus is catastrophic for children’s faith formation. Despite mothers’ influence, children overwhelmingly follow their fathers’ lead in matters of faith. The statistics are clear: when fathers abandon faith, children rarely maintain it.

Many churches, recognizing the problem, attempt to lure men back with superficial fixes like Superbowl parties. But these band-aids can’t fix the gaping wound: the church has been thoroughly feminized, and men are jumping ship. As this trend continues, the church will hemorrhage not just men, but entire generations of children.

More traditional faiths like Eastern Orthodoxy, Judaism, and Islam have largely avoided this pitfall and maintain higher male engagement. It’s not just possible, but likely, that men fleeing Christianity will be drawn to these more masculine religious traditions.

If your husband still attends church, pay attention. Is the environment overly feminized? Does he feel like a fish out of water? If so, find a church that teaches sound doctrine and celebrates masculinity – where men can be men, rough edges and all. Your children’s faith may depend on it.

For those whose husbands have stopped attending, confront the possibility that your church has become too feminine. Pray that he’ll reclaim his God-given role as spiritual leader. True biblical masculinity means sacrificial leadership – the willingness to die so others might live.

The church desperately needs men to return and lead their children to faith. To accomplish this, churches must stop catering exclusively to women and children. The hard truth is that women are most fulfilled when their men stand beside them – in life and in church. It’s time to restore the warrior Christ and welcome men back into His ranks.

over-masculinizing Jesus Christ

And to keep things well balanced, we should not be over-masculinizing Jesus Christ either. The dangers of over-masculinizing Jesus Christ are significant and can have harmful consequences. Here are some key points:

1. It can lead to an incomplete and distorted understanding of Jesus’ true nature and teachings. Jesus’ message was one of radical love, compassion, and acceptance for all people, regardless of gender, social status, or background. Emphasizing a hyper-masculine portrayal of Jesus can overshadow these core aspects of his ministry
2. It can reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and perpetuate the idea that traditional notions of masculinity are the ideal. Jesus challenged and disrupted traditional gender roles and social norms, welcoming women as disciples and embracing those on the margins of society
3. It can lead to the glorification of aggression, violence, and domination as virtues, rather than the compassion, humility, and self-sacrifice that were central to Jesus’ teachings
4. It can contribute to the marginalization and oppression of those who do not embody this idealized masculine image, including the very people Jesus sought to uplift and empower

In contrast, a more balanced and inclusive understanding of Jesus’ identity and teachings can inspire us to embrace the diversity of human experience, reject harmful gender norms, and strive for a more just and equitable society that reflects the radical love and acceptance that Jesus embodied. This, brings more members to the church. And that is never a bad thing.