All Saints Highertown
  • Home
  • Safeguarding
  • All Saints Church
    • Our vision
    • Who we are >
      • Staff Team
      • Ministry Team
      • Church Council
    • Where we are
    • Blog
    • Transforming Mission
    • Anti-Racism
    • Baldhu Church
  • Church Life
    • Sacred Rest
    • Life Events >
      • Weddings
      • Baptisms
      • Funerals
    • Children & Young People
    • Sunday Services
    • Toddle
    • Home Groups & Bible Study
    • Fellowship Groups
  • Community
    • Hall & Room Hire
    • Truro Lifehouse
    • Acts 435
    • Cornwall Children's Clothes Bank
    • Truro Foodbank
    • Christians Against Poverty
    • Churches Together in Truro
  • GIve
  • Contact Us
  • Lent 2021

The Best a Man Can be?

1/2/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
In January 1989 Gillette launched its new slogan ‘The Best A Man Can Get’ with an $80m campaign during the Super Bowl XXIII. The slogan caught on and was translated into fourteen different languages.


Thirty years later the company released a new campaign ‘The Best A Man Can Be’ encouraging men to reject bullying and ‘traditional masculinity’.

Reaction to the ad was overwhelmingly negative across the world with many skeptical of a company profiting by telling men how to act.
 
It has however opened up the debate once again as to whether ‘traditional masculinity’ is a problem.
 
The facts from North America where the ad was first released are alarming:
  • Men commit 90 percent of homicides in the US and represent 77 percent of homicide victims.
  • More than 73 percent of those arrested in the US are male and men outnumber women in prison by more than ten to one.
  • Men are 3.5 times more likely than women to die by suicide with male suicides rising from about 20,000 in 1981 to 35,000 in 2016.
 
The American Psychological Association recently released “Guidelines for the Psychological Practice with Boys and Men” which were founded on the postmodern belief that “masculinities are constructed based on social, cultural, and contextual norms.”
It identified “traditional masculinity” as “anti-femininity, achievement, eschewal of the appearance of weakness, and adventure, risk, and violence.”
 
 
Is this how it should be and if not what is the answer?
 
David French recently wrote that “grown men are the solution, not the problem” and he calls on men to shape their “inherent aggression, sense of adventure, and default physical strength for virtuous ends.”
 
In his view, we need more fathers to raise sons with discipline, respect, and encouragement.
We also need to escape masculinity which tells men they are to go it alone and to seek assistance is to minimalise their manhood.
 
We have a delicate balance, given to us by God from the very beginning, which is needed to be kept.
 
“…the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).  Work and keep translate Hebrew words meaning to improve and guard. Men were created to produce and protect, to work and provide.
 
However, men were not intended to be self-sufficient. Immediately after creating the first man, God created the first woman, explaining: “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (v. 18). To fulfill their life purpose, men need women, other men, and especially their Father.
 
Self-reliance is a destructive illusion - “No man is an island” is not just a poem–it’s a fact and self-sufficiency is spiritual suicide. It cuts us off from the only true source of abundant life (John 10:10).
 
So how do men become the “Best A Man Can Be”?
 
Jesus Christ was the perfect male and should be our example.
 
He was strong enough to drive money changers from the temple (Matthew 21:12) but gentle enough to embrace children (Matthew 19:13-15). He was courageous enough to confront the corrupt leaders of his nation (Matthew 23) but compassionate enough to weep for them (Luke 19:41).
Now he is praying for us (Romans 8:34) as his Spirit works to transform us into his character (v. 29). He is ready to help every man become “the best a man can be.” And every woman to become the best she can be as well.
 
It is the challenge of a live time to live up to this standard but if we strive for it we will be our best and the people we serve will be blessed, to the glory of God.
1 Comment
Rachel
1/2/2019 07:24:59 pm

Thank you for this thought provoking and uplifting article

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    A collection of thoughts and reflections from the people of All Saints. 

    Archives

    January 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All
    Activism
    Acts 435
    Advent
    All Saints
    All Souls
    Alzheimers Society
    Ascension Day
    Ash Wednesday
    Babel
    Beginnings
    Bible
    Black Friday
    Black Lives Matter
    Blessing
    Brazil
    Brexit
    Brokenness
    Caasar
    Calais
    Calm
    Change
    Chaos
    Chartism
    Child
    Children
    Christlike
    Christmas
    Christmas Day
    Christ The Redeemer
    Churches
    Churches Together In Truro
    Civil Partnerships
    Climate Change
    Clothes Bank
    Community
    Compassion
    Connection
    Coronavirus
    Course
    Covid19
    Creation
    Creationtide
    Credit Union
    Curse
    Daily Mirror
    Daniel
    Darkness
    Desert Fathers
    Desert Mothers
    Discipleship
    Division
    Domestic Violence
    Easter
    Education
    Election
    Emmanuel
    Empire
    Environment
    Environmental Theology
    Epiphany
    Equality
    EU
    Faith
    Faith And Family
    Festivals
    Foodbank
    Football
    Freedom
    Funding
    Fundraising
    Gap
    Garden
    General Election
    Generosity
    Genesis
    George Floyd
    Giving
    Giving Up
    God
    God With Us
    Gogglebox
    Gospel
    Government
    Grace
    Halloween
    Harvest
    Headship
    Healing
    Hero
    Hole
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Week
    Homeless
    Homelessness
    Home Schooling
    Hope
    Immanuel
    Imperialism
    Incarnation
    Isaiah
    Jeremiah
    Jesus
    Justice
    Kavanaugh
    Kernow Credit Union
    Language
    Learning
    Lent
    Life
    Lifehouse
    Light
    Listening
    Live Godspeed
    Love
    Loved
    Love Your Enemies
    Luke
    Marriage
    Martyr
    Mary
    Mary Magdalene
    Media
    Midnight Mass
    Migrants
    Ministry
    Mission
    Monastery
    Monologue
    Mother
    Mutuality
    Nativity
    Nuns
    Olympics
    Oppression
    Orphans
    Parenting
    Parliament
    Passion
    Pastoral
    Paul
    Peace
    Pentecost
    Politics
    Pollution
    Poverty
    Prayer
    Prodigal Son
    Protest
    Protesting
    Psalm 139
    Psalms
    Racism
    Recycling
    Referendum
    Reflection
    Refuge
    Refugees
    Refugee Week
    Religion
    Remembering
    Remembrance Sunday
    Resistance
    Resurrection
    Righteousness
    Rights
    Romania
    Rome
    Rough
    Running
    Same-sex
    Samuel
    Sermon
    Shared
    Sharing
    Silence
    Sleepers
    Smartphones
    Society
    Stewardship
    Stories
    Study
    Suffering
    Suffragettes
    The 10 10 Project
    The Ascension
    The Cross
    Transition
    Tree Of Life
    Truro Methodist Church
    Unique
    Unity
    Valentine
    Victory
    Vision
    Vote
    Walking
    War
    Weather
    Wholeness
    Wilderness
    Witness
    Worship
    Young People
    Zero

    RSS Feed

SAFEGUARDING
Ensuring that children and young people as well as adults are kept safe whilst in our care is an integral part of our church life. If you have any concerns about safeguarding please contact:

Our Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator, Mrs Irene Mortimore who can be contacted through the church office on 01872 495121. | And our Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Sarah Acraman who can be contacted on 01872 274351.
​Out of Hours for after 5pm and weekends: 01208 251300

In emergency situation:
Local Authority Children’s Social Care: 0300 123 1116 | Local Authority Adult’s Social Care: 0300 1234131
Picture

​Reporting hate crime:

You can do this by: Contacting Devon and Cornwall Police   
​or Stop Hate UK
or Stop Hate Crime / Stop Hate UK BSL service 
​or CrimeStoppers
​

GIVING

Picture

PARTNERSHIP LINKS


​Transformation Cornwall
Churches Together in Truro
Transforming Mission Cornwall
Cornwall Refugee Resource Network
Truro Foodbank
​Acts 435
Christians Against Poverty
Cornwall Childrens Clothes Bank
Alcoholics Anonymous​
Singing for the Brain
Truro Memory Cafe
Cornwall Hugs
Kernow Credit Union
Inclusion Cornwall
Cornwall Faith Forum
A Million Acts of Sanctuary
Open Hearts Open Borders
Cafe Disruptif
Climate Vision
​
Transition Truro
Penn an Dre Residents Association
St Petrocs Society
​Cornwall Womens Refuge Trust
​Truro Street Pastors

SOCIAL

TOGETHER

Picture
Picture
Picture

CONTACT US


​All Saints Church
Tresawls Road
Highertown
Truro TR1 3LD

01872 495121 | office@asht.org.uk
The Parish Office is open
Mondays 1pm to 4pm
Thursdays 8am to 5pm

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HIGHERTOWN AND BALDHU is a registered charity and has the registered charity number 1179768.

​Visiting
​
Meeting Software
PCC Forms
Staff Team
Ministry Team
Church Council

Data Protection Privacy Policy
Safeguarding Policy
Anti-racism Policy
Environmental Policy
Lettings Policy
Health & Safety Policy
​
Equal Opportunities Policy

Room Booking Terms and Conditions
Room Booking Data Policy
The Truro Lifehouse Project is currently applying for funding through the European Regional Development Fund.
Picture
  • Home
  • Safeguarding
  • All Saints Church
    • Our vision
    • Who we are >
      • Staff Team
      • Ministry Team
      • Church Council
    • Where we are
    • Blog
    • Transforming Mission
    • Anti-Racism
    • Baldhu Church
  • Church Life
    • Sacred Rest
    • Life Events >
      • Weddings
      • Baptisms
      • Funerals
    • Children & Young People
    • Sunday Services
    • Toddle
    • Home Groups & Bible Study
    • Fellowship Groups
  • Community
    • Hall & Room Hire
    • Truro Lifehouse
    • Acts 435
    • Cornwall Children's Clothes Bank
    • Truro Foodbank
    • Christians Against Poverty
    • Churches Together in Truro
  • GIve
  • Contact Us
  • Lent 2021