The Western world is in what feels like a free fall when it comes to distinguishing between right and wrong, reality, and imagination.

Today, basic and natural distinctions like the differences between a man and a woman are blurred and even rejected.

Some in the church in an effort to recover traditional gender roles are eager to discuss the idea of biblical masculinity.

What are the characteristics of a godly man, though,

and is the pendulum swinging too far?

So the other day I was on Twitter

when a post written by a pastor caught my attention.

Dale Partridge writes,

Prayer Breakfast masculinity is dying. Pints and psalm-singing masculinity is growing. This is good.

Now, I'm not saying that prayer breakfasts are wrong. However, it's worth noting that prayer breakfasts were initially started by women and later adopted by men in the

1960s. It's a more feminine expression of spirituality that shaped a generation of men. Today, many

men are reevaluating church practices and seeking more masculine expressions of their faith.

Activities like singing psalms and raising pints in the public square resonate more with

the warrior spirit of men, and that's a positive shift. So I don't have any problem with drinking

beer, and I certainly don't have any problem with singing psalms. I do have a problem with

this take, though, especially because it seems to me like in scripture, one of the chief

characteristics of a godly man is prayer. And not just prayer on your own in your prayer closet,

but everywhere. Think about what the apostle Paul says writing to Timothy. And by the way,

if you're thinking about, okay, what are the characteristics of a godly man, 1 Timothy, 2nd Timothy, those are great places to look.

Because Paul is writing to his son in the faith, we might say Timothy, giving him instructions

for how one ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, the church of the living God.

And one of those instructions that he gives is men should be men of prayer.

...