In recent years, women have been put under the microscope about how to act, look and be more respected by men.

I, however, would like to call out myself and my fellow men.

If we are promoting music, movies and books that all contain demeaning language about how a man’s lust leads him to only focus on the sexual side of love, we are doing something incredibly wrong.

As men, we are called to be just that — men. I feel that many of us have lost what this term actually means. We are called to love women for their equality to us, not to view them as only sexual entities.

Some of us are called to be leaders of the household, leaders of the workplace and even leaders of our relationships in a spiritual aspect. Are we truly doing that correctly?

When I use the word “lead,” I’m not saying to put women behind you or to even think that you overpower them. I’m saying lead in a sense of being the selfless servant that a leader is actually defined to be.

Women are our equal counterparts. Men, we are not better than women. We all have different skills and talents as individuals, but no one gender is superior to the other.

Now that we have that clear, men, biblically, women are designed to be a partner of our own. We are called to love women and not devalue them, objectify them or, most especially, think we are better than them.

Even in Genesis 2:22, the creation of woman is from the rib of man. Therefore, man and woman are created “side by side.” There is no bone taken from man’s foot nor head, and therefore I think that this creation story is meant to be a depiction of what equality looks like in a literal state. She, woman, is part of you and you of her. We are one in the same. We are equal.

We are, as mankind, both created in God’s image and likeness. Never are we meant to hurt, bad-mouth or hate women.

Dane Chronister is a senior journalism major from League City. He is the news editor for the Lariat.