samedi 5 février 2005

Side reading

I have such a bad memory that when I signed up for the Blog for Books campaign for Joshua Harris' book, Not Even a Hint, I forgot to write a review of the book after I received it. I'll have to reread it again and post my thoughts when I get the chance. In the meantime, because I'm also a procrastinator, I suggest you get the book and read it, as it was definitely worth it (I'll even bet you finish it before I do).

I'm on another book right now that I want to finish tonight since my homework has been slightly neglected. It kind of carries on the same theme, and it's called Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? The book addresses something my friends and I have been talking about lately: the role of men and women in relationships. Here's a short snippet of a paragraph that has really stuck in my mind:

"Let's talk about that habit of tossing our hearts at men. Practically speaking, our generation is completely clueless about romance. I believe that the women of almost any other era were much better equipped. But women today are told that we can just go get whatever we want; so we have no idea of the power of being reserved, the joy of being pursued, or the security of being cherished. As a result, we've arguably gained a dubious 'equality,' but we have forsaken feminine value."
- Carolyn McCulley

In short, it seems that because of the influence of our culture, men are becoming less masculine and women less feminine. Even those adjectives bear a negative connotation now (with the blurring of the lines between genders). This is something that can be observed in relationships, where the woman becomes the aggressive person, and with the man taking on the passive role. It seems bizarre to watch this happen because it doesn't seem natural for either person.

I've always been of the old-fashioned mindset that the man is the pursuer in the relationship, but to be honest it's something I rarely witness nowadays. The art of courtship and the practise of intentionality from the man's side have largely disappeared in this day and age, and it's a shame for Christian women. I think most of us are either tempted to adopt the man's role and be the pursuers, or to give up hope that men will ever come around. Anyways, my question has been: What should be the distinct roles of men and women?

[Listening to: Underneath - Starflyer 59 - The Nail, Vol. 1 (04:36)]

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