Promise Keepers

           There have been some accusations posed against the Christian mens group Promise Keepers. With this page I intend to show that these accusations are falsely grounded and come from a lack of knowledge about what the Promise Keepers are and what their mission is.
           Yesterday, when they had the "Stand in the Gap" in Washington, DC there were a lot of people who were commenting about the Promise Keepers. The press sure jumped on it to. There were 3 main accusations made against it 1. it is sexist 2. it's purpose is to teach men to dominate women 3. they have a hidden political agenda. Now, anyone who knows about the Promise Keepers should know exactly how stupid these claims are.

1. Promise Keepers is sexist.

           Promise Keepers is not sexist. They have simply filled a whole in many churchs. Today, there are plenty of women's groups in the church, but there isn't anything for the men. What God called the Promise Keepers to do is to fill that void. To minister to the men and help them to fill the hole in the family. (This is a basic summary of what was said as a recurse to this accusation at the "Stand in Gap". The next paragraph is personal observation.)
           Many people think that Promise Keepers are sexist. In my personal opinion I think to say that is pure stupidity. Promise Keepers has a very specific ministry within the body of Christ. And that is to build and strengthen the men of the church. In order to accomplish this you have to address certain things that are not as easily talked about in the presence of a crowd of men and women. That is why there are no women among the crowds of Promise Keepers.
           Another misconception that could lead the thought that Promise Keepers is sexist is that women are not involved in any way with Promise Keepers. I, and every man who has attended one of their conferences or meetings in the Church, know that this is absolutely wrong. Women are involved in it to a very large degree. A lot of the people who are volunteers for making lunchs, selling things in the bookstore, and other things are women. Women are also involved by being in a prayer groups in their church to pray for the men as they attend the meetings. Women are involved with Promise Keepers.
           So, to summarize, there are basically 3 reasons that I believe that Promise Keepers are not sexist. 1. they are simply fulfilling God's mission for them; to minister to the men 2. by having only men in their meetings they can talk more openly about certain issues that men struggle with. 3. Women are involved with Promise Keepers.

2. Promise Keepers teach men to dominate women.

           Promise Keepers does not teach men to dominate women. I, personally, have been to some Promise Keepers functions and can tell you that they teach men to respect and love their wifes, but also to become a leader into the home. That is the role that men were designed by God to fill. However, this does not involved being dominate, at least in the sense that many people in the world seem to interpret it as. Promise Keepers teach the men to follow the biblical perspective of a husband, which is to "Love your wifes as Christ loves the church."
           One of the 7 promises of a Promise Keeper is "Build strong marriages and families through love, protection, and biblical values." A person must agree to follow, to the best of their ability, this and the other 6 promises in order to become a promise keeper. Doesn't sound like an organization that is teaching men to dominate their wifes.

3. Promise Keepers have a hidden political agenda

           Stated many times during the "Stand in the Gap" was, "There are no political agendas" (and stated other ways). I think that if anyone takes a closer look at what Promise Keepers are about, then they will realize exactly how dumbfounded this accusation is. Sure, after a man has been born again and has grown closer to the Lord, his political views may change, so may his voting habits. But, this is not the driving force of Promise Keepers, nor is it something that it was organized to do.

Written by:
me


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