Do Men Hate Going to Church?

The old adage that you can always find a good man in church isn’t so true — considering that women outnumber men in most churches, says author David Murrow. In fact, a typical congregation is made up of 60 percent women. Why have all the men gone from church? They hate going because the modern church promotes “feminine spirituality,” contends Murrow in his book “Why Men Hate Going to Church.” “This church system offers little to stir the masculine heart, so men find it dull and irrelevant,” Murrow is quoted in the Winnipeg Free Press. And by the masculine heart, Murrow is alluding to qualities associated with male behavior; risk, adventure and challenge — all of which are discouraged in church. “Instead, most congregations offer a safe, nurturing community — an oasis of stability and predictability.” What of the fact that most churches are led by male pastors? Murrow calls the modern church “an army of women led by a few male generals.” A recent study in England found that men outnumber women in Buddhist, Jewish and Muslim places of worship. Who do you see in the pews at your church, and why do you think men hate going to church?