As men who preach, teach and disciple or otherwise lead ministries to men in churches or in regional or national parachurch ministries, we should be known foremost as Gospel Men and the fiercest champions of human dignity. What our friend Dan Darling says should be true of our churches should be likewise true and characteristic of ministries to men.
“…we [must] resist the world’s definitions of worth and power. It means we see the child with Down’s syndrome as a fully valuable member of our body. It means we resist the urge to only put on our platforms those who fit the cultural definition of beauty or masculinity. It means we are the one, and perhaps the only, place in society where you are accepted and loved not because of what you can contribute, but because of who you are in Christ.
“Those who are disabled, those who are poor, those who might not neatly fit into our modern notions of success, should have a prominent place in our assemblies not simply because they have full human dignity as image-bearers of God, but because each one is a future king or queen of the universe, who will one day reign with Christ.
“Our churches should be a collection of people that you would not normally see together. Just imagine congregations filled with people who have no business being together, other than the fact that they are redeemed people of God. Imagine rich and poor, conservatives and liberals, blue collars and white collars and no collars. Imagine a parking lot with hybrids and pickups, gun racks and whole foods stickers. Imagine a church lobby filled with walkers and strollers, canes and car seats, tattoos and bow ties. Imagine a church comprised of people whose primary, and sometimes only, commonality is their allegiance to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“We should long for this in our churches, but more than that, we should each ask ourselves what we are doing to make it more of a reality. This begins with each of us accepting—no, celebrating—the upside-down nature of the kingdom. It begins with each of us applying the kingdom ethic of leadership in our own hearts—seeing others as made in God’s image, and so serving others because we wish to cultivate their humanity and promote their dignity rather than because we wish to cultivate our ambition and promote our reputation. It begins with treating others with the dignity that the Lord Jesus did, and does, and will.”
From The Dignity Revolution by Daniel Darling
