Finding Common Ground

One of our trademarks within the Coram Deo community is a relentless commitment to biblical masculinity and femininity. We think men should be men and women should be women. And being a man means repenting of sin and following Jesus and holding down a job and taking a wife (as the opportunity arises) and being the spiritual leader of a family. We have often said that as the men go, so goes the family, and so goes the culture.

With this, our broader community is beginning to agree. This past weekend the Omaha World-Herald published some statistical data on the social problems in our city. Among the findings: more than 75% of blacks who gave birth in Douglas County last year were unmarried. And 400 unmarried female students within the Omaha Public School district were pregnant or gave birth last year.

Commenting on these statistics, the Omaha World-Herald editors state: "[T]he clear trend is toward regarding single teen motherhood as the norm and traditional two-parent families as the exception. That path leads toward continued poverty for young mothers and social confusion as the vital, positive role of responsible fathers is pushed to the cultural fringes."

"The vital, positive role of responsible fathers." Hmm. Almost like they're saying that men need to step up and be men. Almost like they're agreeing that sex is intended for marriage. Almost like they're saying that healthy marriages and families are key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

The great thing about statistics is that they help us all agree on the problems. Not everyone in our city agrees that the gospel is the solution. May God use Coram Deo to demonstrate that the transforming power of the gospel turns boys into men and produces the kind of masculinity that will measurably change the realities of sin and brokenness in our city.