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Why Men Are Drawn to Crusaders?

 


As a Protestant it may seem curious to some why I like Crusaders, their arms and armor, and the history.  For were not the Crusades Catholic wars? What purpose do they serve for us Spirit Filled and Sola Scripture Christians? The truth is that the crusader is romantic because its a man, men at arms displaying pious vigor and zeal to serve God in a way that is masculine. Many examples of holy men today are of silk outfits that look feminine as in High Church leaders, or casual outfits we all wear, wheras the Crusader wears chain mail armor, has a cross emblazoned on the shoulder and or chest and wields a sword. 


Men today are starving for masculine and manly role models. We’ve entered an age of drag queen shows and stay at home dads, an era of Amazon, not the online company but the Amazonia when women ruled men. As a result the testosterone had no where to go but images of action heroes, superheroes, warriors, and yes crusaders. Men are seeking an outlet for their manliness, and in the church the examples are either wimpy or boring. The crusader in contrast is a man willing to wage war for Christendom, to put himself in peril for piety and show that being a Christian man is cool, hardcore, and bad to the bone. Christian men crave this symbolism, this image of a man of God fighting, and the Bible is not against this image, but suprising is for it. For we are told by the apostle Paul we wage spiritual war and have armor, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God,so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:10-18),. Then Jesus Christ our Lord God tells his disciples to arm themselves with physical swords to defend themselves, “He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one” (Luke 22:36). Both Christ and his apostle affirm that it is not only alright be lions ready to do battle, but its encouraged. 


The romanticism of the Christian Knight and Warrior of Christ is not something antithetical to Scripture, but is a reality. Men are drawn to the Crusader not because of some campaign by Catholics, but because men are called to be spiritual Warriors and the Crusader is a perfect visual image of what we are men are: soldiers of Christ, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:3) The craving to reinforce this truth has grown as men have been forced into more maternal roles with their wives at work and a culture of Wonder Woman. Men are looking for examples, for hope really, that they can be powerful paladins of the Prince of Peace, not pew sitters listening to a man in a frock. Men want something to rally around, to be proud of and that ain’t a wimpy dude wearing a dress or a businessmen in a suite, but warrior in armor ready to face whatever comes. Why do you think Cobra Kai is one of the top shows on Netflix? It depict strong men ready to fight for their principles and beliefs. 


The Crusader is no longer a Crucinatius, military person from 1095-1291 A.D. who went on campaigns (crusades) in the East.  The Crusader is now a symbol, an image modern men want to emulate and that Scripture affirms is the identity of a Christian man.Just as Jerusalem Cross which was exclusively a symbol of Kingdom of Jerusalem during the Crusades, and thus a Catholic Cross has now become a Protestant symbol of missions and evangelism to the whole world, The Crusader too is being adopted by Protestants as a image of what a pious Christian man can be like and aspire to be. Amen. 

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