Take back your manhood

California evangelist challenges men to assert themselves

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

In his view, Catholics are in a war with modern culture and men play a preponderant role in this war. "The Church is as strong as men are," he contends. "The family is as strong as men are."

Staples was the keynote speaker at the annual Catholic Men's Conference March 14-15. He gave four lectures at the conference: Godly Men Make Godly Marriages, Truth and Consequences, Catholics and the Culture War, and Fallen Fathers-The Real Crisis in the Church.

Other speakers included Archbishop Thomas Collins and Father Stephen Hero, the archdiocese's vocations director. Christian singer Mark Mallet provided music for the event. Some 350 men from across Alberta and other parts of Western Canada attended the event. Many were young boys who accompanied their fathers.

Staples is a full-time evangelist and director of evangelization at the Catholic Resource Centre in West Covina, Calif. He was raised a Baptist and was an Assembly of God youth minister before he met a fellow Marine who knew how to define the Catholic faith. He soon became convinced the Catholic Church was indeed the Church started by Christ. Since his conversion, he has given hundreds of talks and is said to have helped thousands of Catholics find their way back home.

Dust off your Bibles and join the battle to change our culture." - Tim Staples

"How many of you know that we are in a war?" he asked his audience. Then he reflected on how St. Paul uses sports and military imagery to illustrate his readiness to fight. "St. Paul says the weapons of our warfare are not thorny but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. That's military language. The destruction of strongholds is obviously very important in combat. But Paul uses it in the spiritual round to say the strongholds of the enemy; that's the enemy of our souls - Satan.

"I believe that the family is only as strong as the men. Our Church is only as strong as the men and God bless the women because it's the women who have kept any semblance of civilization," Staples said. "It's the women who have been holding down the fort while men are running around crazy.

"The Catholic Church is the same way. We have women who go to daily Mass. What would we do without the old blue-headed grandma? (Without her) we wouldn't have daily Mass in a lot of churches.

"We need a renewal of our men in the Church," Staples continued. "(We need) men that stand up and act like men, strong men that get out and change our culture because I believe ultimately that's the only way it's going to be done."

Staples praised single mothers who are trying to be moms and dads to their kids, but said that's not the way it should be because "ordinarily without a strong father and a loving mother, you are not going to have a healthy family." And without a healthy family, you will not have a healthy Church.

"Guys, what we are talking about is the war that we are in. The only ones that are ultimately going to fight and win the war are men. It's the way we are made. We have guys and women who try to fight against our natures but there is a good reason why God gave us this testosterone.

"There is a difference between the structure of men and women. Why? You and I are created to be the providers, the protectors. We are the hunters and women are the gatherers. And we are not talking about superiority here," he laughed.

"You see the point here; in our spiritual lives, I believe we need to not lose our masculinity because if we do, we will lose authentic spirituality."

Since the 1950s, the culture began to change drastically and things that were not allowed before became normal, like topless dancing, abortion, contraception and pornography. Now all those things are seen as rights protected by law. In 1962 in the U.S. there was a law passed that prohibited prayer in the schools, Staples lamented. "Culturally we said 'no' to God in the 1960s."

Contraception was legalized in 1965 and abortion was legalized in 1973. "In essence what we said is 'God, we don't want you in our marriages either.'

"We are in a fight and it looks like we are surrounded, but we have to fight," Staples said. "We have to educate our young people to fight this war. Dust off your Bibles and join the battle to change our culture."

Some of those attending the conference agree with what they heard. "I totally agree with what he said," said Mike Mayenschein, 23, a Radway Bible school student. "We are in a war and to win this war we have to get out there and teach our faith without fear of offending people."

William Richard of Hinton attended the conference with three of his four sons. He was impressed with Staples' remarks. "He made it clear this is a war of action," he noted. "He has in a way lit a fire under us that may make us uncomfortable if we are not men of action."

Matthew Weiler, 15, a Battleford, Sask., Catholic, said he truly enjoyed the talk. "He is a good speaker. I think he made it clear that we have to pray more and get closer to God," he said. "But I don't agree there is a culture war; just a battle to turn things back to the way they were before."

"I don't think he is calling us to be aggressive, but more assertive," said Doug Barlund of Penhold. "We (men) need to be the authority in our (families') lives and leaders in our homes."

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