As I’m sure those of you who visit this site have noticed, [Re]Connected has recently undergone massive visual changes. For this, we owe much thanks to JosiahR of TFG for volunteering to redo our site’s theme. Thank you Josiah!

[Re]Connected on the Rebelution Conference

Note: Hännah Schlaudt continues her series on Biblical femininity, “A Desperate Housewife-to-be?”, with her second post at Beauty from the Heart.

A man’s word is his bond. We’re all familiar with the cliche and those of us from Christian backgrounds, or (truthfully) “moral” backgrounds, would even claim to believe in the truth of the statement. But let’s step back from the statement. There’s another’s word that is your bond. Did that test something of your independence? Your manhood? Rightly so. We’ve always been told, taught and felt that a man’s his own man and no other man’s bond can lay hold of him justly. What I’m referring to, however, is not the bond of man, but that of God’s Word. God’s Word is our bond. Period.

Much has been discussed (read “argued”) about the authority of the Scriptures through the 19th and 20th century, particularly with the rise of Christian liberalism, neo-orthodoxy, fundamentalism, evangelicalism and, now, Emergent and the emerging church movement. Those terms may mean nothing to you, or they may stir your blood. In either case, suffice it to say that groups of Christians took remarkably different stances on how, where, and in what the Bible has authority over our lives. Were we to go back through 3,000 years of Judaic theology, and even further with the life of the Hebrew Scriptures, however, there really only comes forward one answer with regard to the authority of the Word of God: it’s total.

That said, it is not totalitarian. It is, in fact, holistic and benevolent, working in our lives as the tool of God’s grace and the clearest means by which He communicates with His Creation. Countering much of the apathy of today’s Western culture, the Scriptures demonstrate to us the frequent, effective, and gracious interest of the Creator God in human beings which, He claims, are made in His image. Preposterous much? If that is what you think, consider a few realities around you.

Whether you are premodern, modern, postmodern, post-postmodern or entirely unsure of where you fit with the above, the reality is that you accept and acknowledge some form of authority in your lives. It may be tangible – like yourself, your parents, your church, your government – or conceptual – Scripture, logic, rationality, instinct, goodness. It may be personal choice or socially enforced on you. Whatever the case, we are not creatures apart from authority of every kind. Even the rebel has his own authorities.

It is not my purpose here to make an apologetic for why you should put yourself under the authority of the Word of God. That has been done far better than I could ever do, by Mark Dever and Dr. Al Mohler at this year’s New Attitude Conference. By all means, listen to their messages and hear the strength of their case, if you doubt that. No, for the rest of the series, I will assume that you have a basic commitment (at the least) to the authority of Scripture as it pertains to every area of life.

It does, however, have great relevance and authority over what our masculinity looks like. While many today have argued that gender roles and the like are culturally-defined, not something that is essential to Biblical understanding of life, the truth of the matter is that we cannot ignore that the Scriptures speak to this topic, with authority that is timeless and defining for our lives as we pursue God’s grace. It is as Abraham Kuyper once stated (paraphrased), “There is not one square inch of life over which Jesus Christ does not stand over and shout, ‘Mine!’” He does this in our masculinity and, if we love Him, we will obey what He has commanded (John 14:15) for us in this area.

What claim has Jesus Christ over your manhood? To begin with, He is your Creator. Were that not enough, He is the only one to live the human life in perfection and total righteousness, thus bearing dominion over all men. Still more, He redeemed you by His suffering on the cross, bearing all of God’s wrath against your sin. Still more, God has placed Him as King over all of heaven and earth, and will give to Him all the kingdoms of the earth in the future. So when He comes to judge the living and the dead, will He have your allegiance? The truth is evident: Jesus Christ has every claim over your manhood and, indeed, your entire life. Does that offend your independence? Good, because our desire to be independent from God must die, and that quickly. Get with it. God’s Word is our bond.

As some of you may be aware, and as many of you are not aware, I will be attending the Rebelution’s “Do Hard Things” Conference in Gaithersburg, MD on July 26, 2008. It is my hope to have some video footage with some thoughts, perspectives and maybe some special guests on the conference and how it relates to our discipleship. But this isn’t all on me. There are some things that you can do, as well:

1. Pray for the advance of the Gospel. There will be many teens at the conference, some of whom have never heard the Gospel and some who really don’t let it change how they live. It needs to be our primary concern that the Holy Spirit would work through the Gospel’s centrality and power to transform them.
2. Pray for the continued discipling of parents and youth. Conferences are a lot of fun, but that’s not really the point. It should be our hope that all the fellowship, listening, worshiping, and book-buying that happens will be a launchpad for new avenues and inroads in discipleship for believers as they are challenged by Alex, Brett, and their father, Gregg.
3. Pray for insight that will be an aid to [Re]Connected. I would be remiss if I did not expect this conference to benefit the ministry and expansion of [Re]Connected in its content and development. Matt and I need much wisdom and direction, continually, in order to see this fulfill God’s will and serve the Kingdom, as we hope to do.

Thank you, in advance, for your prayers. God bless!

In the Gospel,

David Ketter

Note: This series intentionally complements that of Hännah Schlaudt, “A Desperate Housewife to Be? Delighting in God’s Design for Femininity” as hosted by Beauty from the Heart. Construction will like continue on the site as the series goes forward.

Go to college. Graduate with $25,000 in savings. Get a steady job. Meet a pretty girl. Talk to her dad. Court. Get married. Buy a house. Live life (and all to the glory of God, to boot). That’s the “big picture” image of what many a conservative Christian young man has envisioned for his future, and for what a responsible, “manly” Christian life looks like. After all, it meets what we typically define as the roles of manhood – provision and protection. Contrast it with the more common “big picture” image of masculinity these days: Go to college. Party. Graduate. Start working to pay off loans. Date around to find Mrs. Right. Propose. Get married. Live life. Now, it’s important to note that these are basically only “ideals” of either side that is given here. Yet, it is still essentially getting at the roles of protector and provider. In essence, all are agreed on what manhood involves principally.

John Piper, in his book What’s the Difference? (Crossway 1990) defines masculinity in this way:

“At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differing relationships.” (22)

If the problem were in agreeing on definitions, then this would not be an issue to address in the Church. Yet, what has proven to be the case, time and time again, is that men are not really pursuing these roles Biblically and with discernment. We assume that making lots of money makes us good providers. We assume that living in a suburban neighborhood or installing a security system and not letting our kids run rampant over all creation makes us good protectors. We assume that if we love our wives, love our children and devote ourselves faithfully to seeing them prosper in that regard, we are going to fulfill what God has called us to do. Even though I speak as if I am married and have children, I am not. I am one single guy, who isn’t currently “courting” or “dating”, with the hopes of being a husband and father in the somewhat-near future and yet, I find it impossible for us to separate our masculinity from how we function in the family. The truth of the matter is, brothers – whether you are married, engaged, courting/dating, or single – we are failing at Biblical masculinity if we think that by providing and protecting in the ways presented above, we are fulfilling God’s design and intention for us in the Creation!

In 1 Corinthians 16:13, Paul commands that the men there to “act like men”. In another place, he expresses desire for men (1 Timothy 2). In yet another place, he exhorts the men to relationship (1 Timothy 5). Still more he urges men to action (Titus 2:6). Even more amazing than these words of the Apostle Paul is the writing of John in 1 John 2, as he writes and addresses men specifically with the echoes of God’s voice flooding from every word. There is much that the Scriptures have to say to men…and about men. And I suppose that were one to write on every thing, you could easily produce a series of books, not simply a short series. The point is, gentlemen, we have a need and we need to recognize it. When it gets down to it, most of us do not have a Biblical framework for expressing our masculinity, even if we can baptize our framework with Biblical terminology.

I plead with you then, for the sake of your sisters in Christ, for your wives and children, for the good of the Church, for the good of your fellow men and, above all, for the sake of Christ, take time to hear the Word of God. Let us search out the Word for His intentions, designs, and amazing plan for us. Let us see where God has forbidden our entrance, and where we should flourish. Let us see and understand more deeply the significance of God’s good creation of gender. Let us call on God to give us wisdom and insight to lead and live well in the light of the glory of the Gospel of God in Christ Jesus. Brothers, will you join me in this adventure? There is more to come and much more to see in the Word of God.

Due to some major server issues, basically all that was once [Re]Connected has been lost. We are working to renew our ministry here and you’ll see new themes, as well as some new team members working on the ministry of [Re]Connected. Stay tuned for more updates!

In the Gospel,

David Ketter