Thread by @OldReepicheep, Rambling thread perhaps. Reading "Jesus and John Wayne", chewing on @ericmetaxas and [...]

Rambling thread perhaps.

Reading "Jesus and John Wayne", chewing on @ericmetaxas and his assessment of "heroic masculinity".

Looking at Genesis 6:4: "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown."

Keep that last sentence in the back of your head.

Now look at the next verse (5).

"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually."

You know the rest of the story.

But here's what I'm getting at: there was a culture of hero worship; "heroic masculinity" if you will. A focus on "men of renown".

Whether that was THE cause of the conditions that led to the flood, or whether it was a contributing factor, let's be honest here: that culture of "heroic masculinity" wasn't working. In fact, it led to a culture of violence (v.11).

Now am I saying we shouldn't celebrate heroic achievements? Of course not.

Like Metaxas, I love reading--even writing--about great acts of valor.

I think of the Ten Boom family, who rescued a fair share of Jews from the Holocaust, from which only Corrie was the only family member who survived.

I also think of Gino Batali, the Italian cyclist who carried fake ID papers--stashed in his bike tubes--on training rides, collaborating with the Catholic Church to help Jews escape the Holocaust in World War II.

Like Metaxas, I also admire Boenhoeffer. But why were his actions heroic? They were supererogatory and out of step with the rest of his community, including the Christians. He was a hero.

In the Bible, women are heroes.

Exhibit A: the Hebrew midwives.
Exhibit B: Deborah
Exhibit C: Jael
Exhibit D: Esther
Exhibit E: Abigail

Why were they heroes: they were bold, and acted with great valor and wisdom, saving lives and even becoming war heroes.

The Abolitionists--from Wilberforce to Sojourner Truth--were heroes because they acted against the grain, at great risk to themselves, against an evil institution that had wide support.

Yes, I admire military heroes: Randy Shugart and Gary Gordon; Alwyn Cashe; John Ripley; Michael Thornton; Michael Monsoor.

Of that bunch, only Ripley made it out alive. The others acted to save lives, knowing that their actions meant certain death.

But can women also be heroes? You bet.

In the modern church scene, I present to you Jeanne Assam, who staved off a massacre at New Life Church--yes, THAT New Life Church--taking down an assailant who was armed with an assault rifle.

And let's not forget the women who are leading the large growth of the Church in Iran.

I look at every one of them with great admiration for their actions under great duress.

The issue here is that, in recognizing their heroism, do we recognize the character that produced the heroism, or do we worship them?

When I look at the heroes I've listed, the question I ask is what produces that action?

Most of the ones I've listed are Christians (or Old Testament Hebrews who feared God, whose faith was counted as righteousness).

In most of them, their heroism was a product of their sanctification: God prepared them for the moment.

But here's the thing: many of the ones I have listed were WOMEN. And even the men: very few of them projected the hard masculine posture that the CBMW crowd promotes.

And even in the military examples I provided, the men involved (except Ripley, who blew up the bridge at
Dong Ha) paid the ultimate sacrifice. It wasn't about authority to them; it was about laying down their lives to save others.

I'm not against heroes. But rather than worship THEM, I say admire and learn from the character that produced their heroism.

It's not about being a high-end gym rat who can out-crossfit everyone else. It's not about being an Ironman or a SEAL or a Ranger.

We all won't have to fall on a grenade or take a bullet for someone else.

We wll won't get beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam.

But let me ask you: what will you do if you are in a position where doing the right thing may cost you friends, family relationships, or even your job or professional relationships?

If your pastor and/or elders want to sweep a sex abuse case under the rug, are you going to call them out, even risk excommunication?

If your church wants to shame a teen who is pregnant, what are you going to do? Are you going to go along with it, or are you going to challenge them to do the right thing and lead by example?

What I'm getting at: for the Christian the character that produces great acts of valor is a product of sanctification, and it is integral to small acts of valor where there are no medals but where lives are also at stake.

My thread limit is up.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

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