Please bear with me. I’m staying with the topic of boys and girls matching up to wrestle because this issue is indicative of a much deeper problem. The problem roots deeply into the culture at large.
What is the problem? We have forgotten — or not believed — who we are as male and female. We have failed to understand and appreciate God’s equal but different creation of male and female. Failing to appreciate our very identity and the relationships and responsibilities that come from that identity has a profound affect on marriage, family, the workplace, the military, well — in general — the health of civilization.
The younger generation is not to blame for experimenting with behaviors or wanting to break through barriers. Young people have always wanted to cross boundaries or do something different from their parents. It’s the older generation I hold responsible. When fathers, mothers and grandparents forget what God has done and the hard-learned lessons of experience, then we will probably fail to equip (let alone protect) our children.
The culture is deteriorating. We are falling to a lower standard of behavior. And, as so-called adults remove natural boundaries and disregard the uniqueness of male and female, our children will suffer the consequences. But…
I’m an eternally optimistic person. Nearly every day, I hear from someone who writes or speaks with the logic and sense that can only come from the Creator of male and female. In my next post, I hope to share the thoughts of some of those daring and clear-headed thinkers. In the meantime, let me leave you with this:
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness, for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promises for the present life and also for the life to come . . . ” (1 Timothy 4:7-9).
The young wrestler, Joel Northrup, is an example in speech, conduct, and faith (v. 12) not only for his generation, but for mine.
Ezerwoman's Blog 
Males & Females on the Mat
Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Commentaries of others, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Relationships, tagged contact sports, Joel Northrup, men, moral choices, physical intimacy, women, wrestling on February 26, 2011| 1 Comment »
A few days ago, I commended Joel Northrup of Iowa, the young gentleman who forfeited his match rather than wrestle a girl. Jim Daley of Focus on the Family also posted a blog. He received dozens of responses. One of them is from a mother. It may serve as an example of how our thinking has been more influenced by the world than by God’s Word. The mother’s comments are in italics. My questions — to perhaps help us all think — are in parenthesis.
The mother wrote, “My daughter loves to wrestle. She is the only girl in a family of three brothers and is very much a tomboy. Don’t get me wrong, she is totally female and knows how to be and act like a lady. (Q: How does a “lady” act? Will she knowingly place a gentleman in a position that compromises his convictions?) She knows how to be rough with boys and take it, knowing full well they can hurt her.” (Q: Does she want to put boys in a position where they can hurt her? Is it ever o.k. for boys or men to “hurt” girls or women?)
The mother continues, “My daughter wanted to wrestle. There are no all-girl wrestling teams in our area so she had to join the boys’ team. The only boy who would even practice with her was a boy that had been part of our family since she was born. (Q: Is there a message from the boys in their reluctance to even practice wrestling with a girl? How is a Christian boy or young man taught to treat a girl or woman?)
The mother concluded, “My daughter gave up something she loved because the boys wouldn’t wrestle her. Is she supposed to refrain from something because it’s a ‘boy’s sport'”? (Q: Isn’t the Christian often called to “give up” something we love because it might be wrong or harmful to others? Aren’t we called to “refrain from something” that might cause another to lower their standard of behavior or be tempted to sin?)
What, after all, does this mean:
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