It's Not Just the Pastel Color Scheme (But That Doesn't Help)
From the moment a man walks into a church, says David Murrow, he gets the message that he doesn’t belong. There’s the feminine décor, which Murrow calls “Victorian parlor motif”: quilted banners, flowers, lace doilies, boxes of tissues.
Then there are the sermons, which often ask men to take on the role of damsel in distress – the lost, broken soul who needs to be saved. And don’t forget the music, which can describe Jesus as a love object, with lyrics like “I’m desperate for you,” and “I am so in love with you.” This female focus makes a difference, and Murrow says it’s the reason why most churches are 60 percent female, 40 percent male.
David Murrow, author of the newly revised edition of "Why Men Hate Going to Church"
