If the ACLU really wanted to celebrate International Men's Day, maybe someone ought to explain to them what a man is. They certainly don't know. In a tweet that lit up social media, one of the country's "premier" liberal groups insisted, "There's no one way to be a man. Men who get their periods are men. Men who get pregnant and give birth are men." It's a good thing my wife never knew that. We have five kids. She'd have probably asked me to spend nine months carrying one or two of them around.
Seriously though, if you want a picture of the gender insanity that's taken hold of this country, this is it. At least the backlash was fierce, proving that the ACLU's wacky views aren't exactly mainstream. Even the reaction from some of their own crowd was intense. Carol Sundahl, a liberal, was furious at the suggestion. "I, a woman and a lesbian, have been an ACLU member since 1989. No more. Men do not menstruate, men do not give birth. Women do both. Girls and women are females." Others tweeted back, "Open a biology textbook." One woman asked if this meant "everyone is a man?"
On Wednesday's "Washington Watch," I asked FRC's Lt. General Jerry Boykin (Ret.) what he thought of the post. "It's lunacy," General Boykin insisted. "These people are, I think, so far out there drinking their own bath water, that they don't have a clue what reality really is. It's about feelings [to them] and not about facts." In a lot of ways, he said, it really underscores why FRC launched a new series of men's conferences.
"Masculinity -- biblical masculinity -- is under assault," General went on. "It has been… over the last few decades, but it's intensified. It's intensified to where now International Men's Day becomes a platform for spewing forth this transgender nonsense. [So what FRC] is doing is very countercultural." But, based on these developments, necessary.
"Families are falling apart because men are suffering. Men are hurting. It's not just that they're walking away from their families and not being the fathers that they're meant to be, but they're tied up with so many distractions. And what we've discovered… is that men are just waiting to unload that to get rid of the baggage. And obviously, porn is one of the leading distractions of men. But it's not just that, it's computer games and extramarital affairs and all that kind of thing with men…. So we're coming at [all of this] from a biblical perspective."
FRC is about to release a book called Man to Man: Rediscovering Masculinity in a Confused World, but it's not "preachy," as General pointed out. And neither are our conferences. This is real men talking to real men. And we're getting a great response.
FRC's Scott Hurley, who was at our Ohio event, explained how moved he was watching fathers and sons come forward together -- some crying, some accepting Christ for the first time, some asking for prayer, others rededicating their lives. All of them ready to become warriors again. That doesn't mean walking around with a baseball bat, General said, or AR-15s. "I'm talking about having a cause that you're willing to sacrifice for." It means being a defender, a protector standing for those things that are worth defending. And the term "warrior" doesn't necessarily mean something physical. In fact, where we're challenging men most is in the spiritual realm.
"Our adversary is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he might devour. It's very clear," the General explained, "that we're in a spiritual battle when we come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, where our spiritual battle. And you better learn how to put that armor on. You better learn how to stand in the battle, stand toe to toe with the enemy."
If you'd like to join us and Stand Courageous at one of our upcoming events, click over to the website and check out the dates and cities near you. It will be a transformative time, I guarantee you.
