A woman at a Men’s Gathering?!? What were they thinking?!? If these were your initial thoughts, we must first begin by apologizing for violating what you have come to love about the Men’s Gathering. The Brotherhood that has been developed over the last 12 years is something we hold dear. If we may though, let us give you a brief explanation of our thought process in leading up to this decision, I can assure you it is not one we took lightly.
First, as clearly shown by previous gatherings/topics/sectionals/etc, we fully and without reservation believe in God’s natural order built into creation, God -> Christ -> Man -> Woman. Our goal is to equip men to reclaim their masculinity and serve others as the head of their household. Men who will love their wives according to Ephesians 5, as Christ loved the church, giving himself up for her, and presenting her without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish. Men who instruct their children according to Proverbs 4, passing down wisdom and instruction learned from their own fathers. Men who will love their neighbor according to John 15 and lay down their life for their friends.
None of these goals however can be accomplished if we’re not “Guarding our First Charge.” The life issues we will be discussing at the Men’s Gathering this year are so often glossed over, ignored, or treated with kid gloves to not offend anyone. We must not sit by and claim ignorance. We must educate ourselves and then instruct those we’ve been given charge over. We must not be silent on these issues that the world tells us belong to women and their rights. We must speak truth and bring light into this dark world.
But why a woman!?! Well, in our 40 plus years as LCMS members, we have never heard anyone speak so clearly on these topics as Dr. Donna Harrison. Her interviews with Bryan Stecker (On The Line Episode 11) and Jason Braatan (The Gottesdienst Crowd Episode 480) left us wondering why it took over 40 years for us to hear this message. Dr. Harrison is uniquely gifted to bring scientific, psychological, and legal facts to bear on these topics no matter the crowd.
But isn’t a woman not supposed to teach? We have never considered the Men’s Gathering to be a “church”. Yes, we are gathered as men of faith and God is certainly with us, but we are not a congregation. We have never had corporate confession and absolution or administered the sacraments. We have no “called” shepherd. Before deciding to move forward with this year, we met with Dr. Harrison and President Stuckwisch to discuss how their interaction would work throughout the weekend. President Stuckwisch has been Dr. Harrison’s pastor for nearly 20 years. The Scriptures will be clearly taught by President Stuckwisch and Dr. Harrison will present the facts based on her expertise in her field.
We hope that you will forgive us if you are in any way offended, but we also pray that you will consider joining us for this unique event. We can guarantee that you will be better equipped to Guard Your First Charge when you leave. If you think the topic isn’t relevant to you, ask yourself, “Am I pro-life?” and “Do I know any women?”. If you answered yes, then you should come! If a woman at a Men’s Gathering isn’t your thing, that’s cool too and we hope to see you back next year. May you continue the fast until we Behold the Man who conquered death.