Does attending church threaten a man's masculinity?
Aug. 05, 2006

Next time you're in church, take a look around. Do you see more men or women in the pews?
If your church is typical, you'll tally a higher number of women. Have you ever wondered why that is? And if it's true, does it make any difference?

Here's how some observers say Christianity has become a female-dominant faith -- and why it should matter to you.

At the time of Jesus, and for centuries afterward, Christianity was as much a male religion as a female, wrote Leon Podles in "The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity" (Spence, $17.95).

But that began to change in the 13th century. Dominic and Francis, two religious leaders who became saints, warned their followers to spend less time preaching to women and concentrate more on men. They had begun to notice a gender imbalance among the faithful. the rest