As a Christian…one of the things I like to think I’m good at, is having the ability to converse with other Christians, disagreeing with them, and yet I’m still able to keep it civil and not insult them. We’re likely to walk away more enlightened with a greater understanding of one another.
This week, I confess I got a little bit heated with this new Church group that I joined this year. It was on the issue of Baptisms and whether or not being Baptized is a requirement for being saved. Meaning, if you’re not Baptized, does this mean you aren’t “saved”?
This isn’t the first time I disagreed with them on something and it’s not something that would prompt me to say, “I can’t hang with y’all.” We just have different interpretations of the Scriptures.
As many of you know, this year didn’t start off the greatest. One of my most cherished cousins was murdered and if that wasn’t bad enough…the proceeding funeral events were almost as painful.
When I came back to Tampa, I spent at least two weeks in unimaginable pain and anguish. To cope, I kept telling myself, “Rock, you’re not that important. You’re not that important. You don’t matter. No one cares about you. It’s just you.”
That’s just a complex I have, where it’s more comfortable to stay nestled in the belief that I’m on my own. Here, you’d have the common response of, “But Rock. People do love you.” But what good is their love if they never express it? How do you benefit from their love and affection if they don’t show or demonstrate it?
First off, I apologize for the click-baity title, because I can’t entirely say the Manosphere has “ruined” the way Millennials date…in so much as it’s changed the way we date. Make no mistake, there are some great things that’s come from the rise of the Manosphere. But when experience is passed down with the absence of Godly wisdom, it can also be destructive and do more harm than good.
Here, I expound on the sixth of eight main points I’ve personally observed to help explain how one thing after another has sabotaged (ruined) dating for my generation. And at the end of each section, I’ll try my best to provide a solution because, I know…these sound like excuses. But I haven’t given up. I still have faith.
The rise of the Manosphere was a reaction to how Gynocentric the mainstream culture has become. It’s the counterculture, the result of Men adapting to a society that’s shown them no love, no appreciation, and little to no reward for the hard work, sacrifices, or very the essence of who they are.
Five days before Christmas, I learned that my 26-year-old cousin was shot and killed. This person wasn’t just any cousin. She wasn’t just any family member. Ever since she was a baby, she was like a little sister to me. And apart from her surviving sister, I don’t think I ever loved anyone more than Autumn.
This is the first of eight posts explaining how my generation of dating is not our father’s or grandfather’s generation.
Why am I doing this? First off, you should know that there are millennials who are fortunate enough to find their partners and get married. These Millennials are blessed and likely have no idea what’s going on…which also means they probably don’t care and have a “sucks to be you” mentality…until they’re single again and are hit with the same reality rest of us have to deal with.
Secondly, this is for the ladies who are still surprised about things like how men have stopped “making the first move”. Or why we don’t approach like we used to. They’ll say things like, “where have all the good men gone?” or “Whatever happened to chivalry” as if no one’s been watching the news for the past ten-fifteen years.
And lastly, this is for the Older Generation, the Boomers, the Gen-Xers, and even some Millennials who are so far removed from commons folk, like Sen. Josh Hawley here, talking about how Men need to step up and marry these girls. Again, it’s like they have no idea about what’s been going on.
Recently, Russia passed laws “banning the distribution of materials promoting homosexuality, pedophilia, and gender reassignment.”
In a speech, Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said the law would help protect the motherland’s traditions and values for her children and the future of Russia from the “darkness spread by the United States and European states.”
But Russia is the bad guy, right? They got all kinds of problems. They’re mean and wicked and evil, right? They invaded Ukraine! Who cares what they think! Right?
We’ve all heard the name, but I’m going to go deeper. The story of Jezebel is about a nation that’s lost its fear of God. It’s about those who think they can live without him. And it’s about the consequences that may not come over night, but make no mistake, it’s coming.
Allow me to begin by talking about the notion of “God fearing.” When I was a kid, I used to hear that all the time but I barely understood it. What kind of “loving” God wants us to fear him?
Well…consider every relationship you’ve ever been in. Consider why people lie when asked about an uncomfortable truth. I believe most people lie because they are afraid. They have a “fear” of hurting the ones they love and care about. Some are afraid of losing the relationships they have. Some are afraid of losing out on the benefits and opportunities of being associated with a person or organization.
That fear…I understand it. Because my fear of God is the fear of being abandoned by him.
Sometimes when more scholarly Christians toss around words like “Redemption” or “Sanctification” it can be a bit difficult to comprehend or understand what that looks like or what it is. What’s so appealing about it? Why should I care?
Seriously…when I was a kid, my parents used to talk about the “kingdom of heaven.” Then, I looked around the church and thought to myself, “No, Thank You!” That’s because I couldn’t understand what the Kingdom of Heaven was. Back then, they made it seem like “heaven” was this place where there was nothing but a bunch of stiff, pious, monks and nuns who don’t really do anything interesting.
It’s like being back in Advanced Algebra. When I asked when I would ever need to use things like the Quadratic Formula in real life? The teacher didn’t have an answer. And since I saw no benefit, I wasn’t motivated to learn. I didn’t care about getting better beyond that which was required to pass the class because…what’s the point?
I think it’s the same with concepts like “Redemption” or “Sanctification”. Now, to be completely honest. I was prompted to write about Redemption and encouraged by another website called, SigmaFrame. You should check it out, because Jack’s an awesome intellectual and the comments sections are always full of thinkers I’ve come to have a tremendous amount of respect for.
But after much reflection and ample prayer…I asked myself, who do I want to reach? Who’s my audience? Other knowledgeable Christians who are already striving to do what’s good in God’s eyes? I don’t think so.
Instead, my aim has always been on those who call themselves Christians but don’t know what Christ taught. I also target the agnostics who are on the fence, and the Christians who are indifferent towards the Truth because of terrible experiences they may have had with Christianity. If my aim is to help the layman to “embrace” the truth, I believe we have to talk to them at their level. So here goes…
Recently, Jason Whitlock received a letter from a woman where she criticized him for talking about the problems in the Black Community, but not coming up with solutions. So, I had to get some thoughts down. Because I don’t believe for one second that she’s actually looking for solutions. She’s looking to shame Jason into silence so wickedness can continue.
What I’m going to say is going to sound shameful by today’s standards. People will think that I’m an awful person or I’m a self-hating Black. But I’ve been holding it in for a long time. So here goes.
I’m not a fan of today’s Black Culture…and by Black Culture, I’m talking about the stereotypes, the mainstream lifestyles, behaviors, and mindsets promoted by today’s black entertainers and cultural leaders.
When I heard the lady’s criticism of Jason Whitlock, I literally stopped everything while getting ready for work to record a video about it. I had to.
Kevin Samuels used to say, “Y’all want a Boaz, but y’all not Ruth!” After reading the Book of Ruth for the 3rd time and taking the criticism into consideration, I had some thoughts here.
Points Discussed:
What Happens when People Do What’s Good in their Own Eyes
The Levite’s Concubine (Gibeah’s Crime) and how Women were Treated
Boaz as a Role Model for Men
Ruth as a Role Model for Women
Marriage and Divorce
A Biblical High-Value Man
Ruth MADE THE FIRST MOVE!
As always, I encourage everyone to read the Bible for themselves. Don’t just rely on the pastor or what someone told you the Bible says. Go to the source. Read it for yourself. Use your own mind to make conclusions about what you believe. God bless!
Stage In The Sky 