The Church must take MGTOW concerns seriously
The Church needs to preach the goodness of marriage, but should not be blind to the destruction caused by feminism.
Marriage is a creation ordinance, meaning that it existed before the Fall. Scripture teaches us the goodness of marriage. The statistical data is clear that men are much better off being married than single: Married men are healthier, happier and wealthier than their single counterparts. Marriage is not something that is an obligation for society that takes away men's liberty. Marriage is good for men.
But when I saw bitter men angrily respond to Matt Walsh's comments about marriage and divorce last week, something became clear to me: Men who are consumed by bitterness and dedicated to the "men going their own way" (MGTOW) movement will not listen to that. (See here and here and here, as well as screenshots below.)
So we need to recognize reality, and the Church needs to be first in that line. There are women who are shrews. There are women who are sexually immoral and will commit adultery. And the Church, for the most part, has done a terrible job disciplining that. The Church cannot do much about the laws that favor women in a divorce, but they can have a powerful moral influence. If the Church is going to preach the goodness of marriage (and it is good) then the legitimate concerns of MGTOW men must be addressed.
One of the most important things for men seeking a wife is choosing wisely. Be very careful in who you date and marry. Seek godly counsel. And churches must warn men away from bad women. Many churches do that for women already, both directly and by exhorting fathers to guard their daughters. This is good, but that important aspect of shepherding souls needs to be expanded to men.
Unless the Church addresses and seeks to fight against the very sins and injustice that has led MGTOW men into the sins of bitterness and despair, those men will not listen to preaching and teaching about the goodness of marriage.
Previous posts about MGTOW:
♣ - MGTOW and God's sexual order
♣ - Revisiting the MGTOW movement
♣ - MGTOW, burning and bitterness
♣ - MGTOW and the growth of the Christian church
♣ - Are "Red Pill" and "Woke" the same thing?