Men Know They Are Looking For Something
A recent New York Post article made headlines with the title, “Young men leaving traditional churches for ‘masculine’ Orthodox Christianity in droves.” Of course, this is no shock to Protestant pastors like myself. We are well aware that many young men have left Protestantism for Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
It is not hard to understand why. In a day when modernity tramples upon history and tradition, Orthodoxy and Catholicism offer a return to the past. Both churches tout the tradition of the apostles with their claim of “apostolic succession.” Both churches hold worship services that look and feel older, like something out of medieval Europe.
Orthodoxy, in particular, has a masculine feel. Their priests often have big gray beards. And unlike the typical Roman Catholic priest, most Orthodox priests are married (as they are free to marry prior to ordination). While Roman Catholicism has its liberal factions, Orthodoxy seems to be more courageous in opposing modernity. In fact, Orthodoxy claims to be the church that has not moved beyond the seven ecumenical councils. Orthodoxy can rightly claim to be traditional because they are in a sense stuck in the ninth century.
There is much to commend in Orthodoxy. However, Eastern Orthodoxy has significant flaws as well. I know because I grew up in a Greek Orthodox church. Yet like many Orthodox Christians, I was almost entirely unfamiliar with the Bible. I was surrounded by icons but did not really know who that man was on the cross. I did not understand that Jesus was the God-man come to die for my sins. I left Orthodoxy as a teenager because I was converted while reading the New Testament and came to Protestant convictions.
Now, I realize Orthodox churches vary in practice and teaching. But I do not think my experience is an anomaly. Eastern Orthodoxy places tradition alongside Scripture and does not view the Bible in the same way as Protestants do. From this flow various theological errors, such as Orthodoxy’s veneration of icons and the dismissal of justification by faith as “Western.” However, this view of tradition also explains why Orthodoxy doesn’t change. The Orthodox love their tradition.
Yet I would contend that Protestants also love tradition, or at least they should. Historic Protestantism is rooted in tradition so far as it accords with the Word of God. During the Reformation, the Protestants looked to the Bible as the highest authority because it is breathed out by God (sola scriptura). Yet in interpreting Scripture against their Roman Catholic opponents, Protestant theologians consistently appealed to the church fathers, especially Augustine.
Reformed theologians like John Calvin and the Westminster divines were highly-trained scholars, and that meant they were steeped in church tradition. Of course, tradition is not all good. Jesus warned against the man-made teaching of the Pharisees, saying, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition” (Mark 7:9). Jesus was following the prophet Isaiah, even quoting him—“But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Mark 7:7; Isaiah 29:13).
Religious traditions contradict one another and thus cannot all be true. (For example, you cannot just follow the “church fathers” because they differ on many doctrines.) And religious traditions often contradict the Word of God. When this is the case, man-made tradition is to be discarded in favor of God’s commandments. Tradition is an inevitable part of being human, and we must not reject it all. We should not uphold tradition for tradition’s sake, but we should seek to uphold a God-informed and father-honoring tradition.
Which brings me back to the appeal of Orthodoxy. We live in a day and age where modern academics, politicians, and religious leaders are destroying our traditions. They tear down our statues. They erect ugly buildings. They whitewash our history. We are in a battle for the future, and that means we are in a battle for the past. Young men and women need history. They need tradition. They long for it.
But where will they find such tradition? Unfortunately, most Protestants have ignored or outright rejected their own tradition. They have spurned their history. And thus, they have little to offer modern man looking to lay down his roots.
Many of the men leaving Protestant churches are not leaving “traditional” churches (despite the title of that New York Post article). For the most part, they are leaving anti-traditional Protestant churches for Orthodoxy. These are churches that don’t even call themselves “Protestant” but prefer the nebulous term “evangelical.” They use the labels “non-denominational” or “Bible church,” which signal they are completely detached from the Protestant Reformation. All the confessions and catechisms that came out of the Reformation, and all you have is a ten-point statement of faith? These are churches that meet in buildings that look like shopping malls. Where pastors share stories in t-shirts behind music stands instead of pulpits. Where women lead various portions of the worship service. Where a rock band plays love songs to Jesus. Where a concert has replaced prayers and Scripture readings and corporate confessions.
This is not historic Protestantism. But neither is the church that has the forms of liturgy and traditionalism without the doctrine of the Reformers. Anglican and Lutheran churches with traditional garb are not traditional if they are egalitarian or pro-LGBT. Presbyterian churches are not traditional if they cater to progressive culture and politics instead of preaching convicting, Bible-saturated sermons.
What men need is a masculine Protestantism. They need churches led by male pastors and elders, steeped in biblical liturgy, upholding historic confessions (like the Westminster Confession of Faith), proclaiming the gospel, and teaching the whole counsel of God. They need churches that courageously uphold the Bible’s teaching on male headship, support traditional families, promote godliness and oppose wickedness, and encourage men as they seek to carry out their God-given duties in a world that hates them.
Men don’t always know what they need. But modern men know they are looking for something. They want tradition and grounding. And Orthodoxy and Catholicism will win the day so long as Protestants continue to spurn their tradition. So this is my plea for my Protestant brethren—stop trying to be modern and return to the glorious doctrines of Scripture as taught and applied by our Reformation forefathers. Protestants have much to offer. We have a rich tradition. Start embracing it.
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