The Crisis of Human-Hood: One Christian Response

The last week or so have seen a variety of stories echoing the futility of a secular, narrow understanding of what it means to be human. I'm not in this post going to be advocating for anything approaching a theocracy or even a return to 'the good old days' of moral uprightness, enforced-collar wearing, and ankle-coverings. Because that doesn't represent the Jesus I follow or the grand redemptive view of humanity that the Bible paints for us. I want to briefly look in this post at the way in which humanity - in a few different specific cases - has been devalued, and why that is something we should all be concerned about.

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My starting point is the Christian story, the explanation of everything that I believe to be true. And one of the fundamentals of that story, one of the inherent assumptions in an authentically Christian worldview, is the view of humanity, human beings, that comes from their creator. Historically, this has been called 'Imago Dei', and has provided the grounding for the value and worth of human beings that only the external authority of a creating, relating, sustaining and redeeming God can provide. I've written a post on Imago Dei before. It is from this starting point, the inherent value and worth of all human beings, that a Christian can speak into problems facing our culture.

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There is a crisis of Human-Hood for babies and the unborn. I don't want to get bogged down in discussion of the ethics surrounding abortion here - it is an incredibly complex issue that requires careful and prayerful engagement - but the underlying assumptions behind abortion are terrifying. In my popular post 'Slippery Slopes, Dodgy Assumptions and Imago Dei', I commented on the story that broke a while back about the idea of 'post-birth abortions'. Literal child murder. A discussion of the ethics of this appeared in an important medical journal. Since then we've seen the horror of the Kermit Gosnell (don't read if you are squeamish, seriously) case in the United States. Unless you have a thought-through understanding of the value of human life, you have no grounds on which to condemn this man's vile practices. I believe that an informed Christian perspective is the only solution to the horrors that can arise when man is given free-reign over what is 'moral'. The crisis of human-hood comes when the rights of a father, a mother, and an unborn child are separated out, given different value, and fiat passed down upon each situation. The Christian message of Grace can speak directly even to the most brutal and horrific situations, because it is driven by a God who can and does redeem from even the worst.

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There is a crisis of Human-Hood in relation to the early-adulting of Children. I'm thinking particularly of the over-sexualisation of our culture, the way that pornography is invasive, and the ease (frighteningly so) with which children can come into contact with even explicit pornography with very little difficulty. There are so many conflicting and complicated issues at play here. Put simply, though, Pornography devalues human beings in general, sex as a thing, and women in particular. It is a literal defacing of the image of God in human beings, and of the value and worth of sex as a beautiful part of Gods design. Again, I do not wish to claim to have all the answers, but a traditional sexual ethic, as the Bible joyfully and consistently proclaims, shifts the focus in relationships from individuals to something bigger. A Christian understanding of sex and pornography lifts the worth of individuals, calls for justice from those trapped in systems of oppression, and makes space for freedom and conversation on a topic so often polarised and exclusive. For our Children's sake, regardless of what we might personally believe is appropriate for adults, we need to think about the Porn Problem. And the over-sexualisation of female images in the media, for instance the re-branding of a Disney Princess to a Barbie-lookalike, something about which you can sign a petition here.

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There is a crisis of Human-Hood in relation to the treatment and value of women. I've written before about the need to support Ending Violence against Women - and that is an ongoing concern. I have great sympathy and respect for many feminist concerns, but occasionally I feel that trajectory can have unintended consequences. Regardless, however, I strongly feel that God's design for women is far greater than anything the secular world can come up with - because I agree with a Guest Poster that Jesus was (amongst other things!) a Feminist, and that the Bible values women far more than many people think. As we see in Johns Gospel. The Christian perspective on Women liberates every human being, as it speaks into every situation where womens rights are specifically squashed. The Gospel brings liberation and hope to situations. It brings restoration and healing to relationships. It brings real life. Often, however, as the great feminist charge is levelled, there is something to be said for the failure of men. And this is where I want to start to close.

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There is a huge crisis of Human-Hood in relation to manhood, masculinity, and the myriad of related issues. Because men are not taught what it is to be a man, let alone be a human, the knock on effect is huge. There was a depressing article in the Guardian about Diane Abbott's speech on the issue. Do read it. And the Church is often guilty of this as well. When we limit manhood to a blunt-edged, narrow way, we limit reality. And we end up with unsatisfactory results. I believe that one of the causes of societal breakdown is the gradual marginalisation of family and community - though there are occasionally encouraging signs in the latter. I've written before about the idiocy - even though to be honest it is to be entirely expected given the lack of clarity - of so-called 'LAD Culture', and this kind of thing is a real issue. It is prevalent throughout society, from top to bottom, and misogyny and chauvinism rear their ugly heads in a variety of ways.


This crisis of Man-hood is prevalent in the Church today. There is too much talk of 'courage' and 'warrior's as being a defining trajectory of biblical manhood. I would rather stress 'responsibility' and 'integrity'. Not every man is called to be a father - but every man is called to be a contributor to community. This notion of community is in stark contrast to our consumerist, individualist culture. But the Christian concept comes from the very being of God, as Trinity, God is himself a loving community of Persons. Not every man is called to be a 6ft 5", muscled warrior - but every man is called to work and live. The Christian understanding of manhood is supremely expressed in Jesus, and his sacrifice on the Cross. The models of manhood we see throughout the Bible represent the patchwork of individuals that God is redeeming. So we see mighty warriors like Samson, and great builders like Noah. But we also see wonderful musicians like David, and men grappling authentically with everything like Job. In Jesus own life we see courage and boldness - but we also see submission and servitude. I believe that manhood looks different for different men - but that to be a man you must first be a human being.

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Throughout this post I've been alluding to a 'Christian view of human-hood'. As a solution to and a way out of so many of the problems in our culture. And it starts with a recognition of something good, something bad, and a way that makes sense of those two poles of being. First of all, the good. People - every single toast-eating, texting, swimming, toilet-filling, heart-breaking, socially-infuriating, awe-inspiring person on this planet - has an amazing value and worth because they are made in the image of their Creator, God. This simple fact - regardless of actions, circumstance, lifestyle - is the basic fact of human existence. Then there is the less welcome news. That image came from God, and finds its fullest expression in relationship with him. But most people aren't. And that is because of sin. Sin is what separates us from God, its the root of all of the crises in human-hood that I've been looking at. Its pervasive. It totally depraves and affects us. We are still made in God's image. But its a broken, distorted thing.

But that isn't the whole story. You see the Christian story is centered on the Cross of Christ. More specifically, it is centered on the person who hung there. God himself came and lived amongst us as Jesus, a man, the Son of God. He knew what it was to be human, to feel human, to live as a human. As a man. And he  had one very specific mission. To repair the relationship between God and man. To forgive sins. Which he did. By dying bloodily on a cross outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Which would be great. Except the reality is even greater. He rose again. And he didn't just rise to let us know he meant it, that we are forgiven. He rose to demonstrate that when we follow Jesus, when we identify and align ourselves with him, we end up with something better. A restored relationship with God, and a gradual and unstoppable restoration of the image of God in each of us. The Good News of the Christian Gospel starts with your forgiveness and goes on through your transformation and will one day find rest in the restoration of God's kingdom in all creation: what Christians call heaven.

The start of that - and its a journey, a family, and a call - is simple. Pray a prayer. Ask God to forgive your sins. And make the simplest confession, the simplest prayer, that Christians have every prayed, the starting point: Jesus is Lord. I don't claim that following Jesus, believing the Bible and so on, instantly solves all your eternal problems or answers every question. But it does bring you into knowing the one who made and knows everything. Jesus. The King of everything. There is a crisis in our culture of what it means to be human, of what it means to know anything, or what it means to be a man or a woman. But the solution is found in Jesus, the one who made and loves us. And walking with him to a better place. In community. Towards the great feast at the end of this age that will be beyond our imagining. That, I believe, is a Christian response to the crisis of Human-Hood.

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Beyond that first and primary shift - the one in your own heart - I'd really recommend a few things to read, ways of informing attitudes. I was encouraged by my discovery of 'WE ARE MAN', and there are good things I have learned from their. There is also the 'Good Men Project', an often frustrating attempt to work out what it means to be a good man, but they have hosted two posts of mine, 'Sugar Daddies' and 'Gender and Grace'. I'd also love to commend to you 'Jesus, Lover of My Soul', which shares a little of the journey I've been on with masculinity and Jesus. Finally, to bring it back to the main thing, I'd encourage you to read 'When Causes become our Christ'. An invitation to a deeper story, a full reality, a real life, and a relationship with Jesus. 

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