A N T R O P O S 2 0 0 0+
Repairing the breach
TOWARDS THE RESTORATION OF MAN IN THE MALE
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the Antropos 2000 project is to identify the factors that have impacted on the male psyche in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and rest of the Western World. It seeks to show how these factors have been responsible for the deterioration of positive social values in the male causing the creation of negative stereotypes. It seeks to also show that with the application of Godly principles, the society can benefit as the dysfunctional behaviour of the male is corrected. It takes into consideration that though man is supposed to be the determiner of his own destiny, he is also a product of his environment. He, unlike the animals, however, has the power to change his circumstances. Having the awareness of the forces that impact upon him he can see things as they are. By developing the right set of values he can be empowered to alter the social realities of this time.
This document then, is a response to the social crisis that has developed in the last few years due to the breakdown of the basic family structure. It came out of the awareness that there is a satanic move in the western world to trivialise and negate the importance of the God-ordained role of the man in the family and the church. The values of western society have socialised the male into an icon of dysfunction. With a steadily weakening male image, the society now reels under the onslaught of steadily increasing violence, spiralling down the abyss of hopelessness. The fact is, the solution will not come from the universities or their experts in the humanities (sociology, psychology, etc). The solution must come from the Word of God and be executed by the vehicle that God has ordained, the Church. The Church is the vehicle of change.
Our mission then, is to identify and correct the social values, which perpetuate dysfunctional behaviour. By impacting a new set of values upon the male, we intend to redefine manliness in his mind. We have found that most people in our society do not have a clear definition of what manliness is or even a standard by which it can be measured. This is because there is a marked absence of positive male role models. The models we look up to are almost all defective. To correct this situation, one has to understand the relationship between the individual and the various social institutions he interacts with in his lifetime and how they impact upon his values. We have to see the church aggressively pursuing programmes which will force the male of this society to look at himself in the context of God’s plan and purpose. We need to restore man in the male!