What Kind of Men Does the Church Need?
Masculinity has become complicated. At least, it has become difficult to be confident about what it means to be a man—to be a man as God has designed men to be. The culture has plenty to say about masculinity that is toxic, but far less to say about masculinity that is good and honoring. We hear more about women becoming men than men simply being men. And many wonder: What are men meant to be and what are men supposed to do?
Into the fray steps Brant Hansen with a wonderful new book titled The Men We Need: God’s Purpose for the Manly Man, the Avid Indoorsman, or Any Man Willing to Show Up. “This book is about a big vision for manhood,” he says. “We’ve lacked that vision, and all of us—men, women, and children—are hurting because of it. The vision is this: We men are at our best when we are ‘keepers of the garden.’ This means we are protectors and defenders and cultivators. We are at our best when we champion the weak and vulnerable. We are at our best when we use whatever strength we have to safeguard the innocent and provide a place for people to thrive. This is the job Adam was given: keeper of the garden.”
I need to say right away that this is not one of those books—those trite and cheesy books for men that focuses on a clichéd version of masculinity bound to a particular culture and a bygone century. Hansen isn’t advocating a form of masculinity that depends on swinging hammers, wrestling bears, or distributing swords. In fact, he says he’s not even capable of writing that book because “I don’t even hunt. I play the accordion. … I’m an avid indoorsman. I own puppets.”
The heart of masculinity, he says, is taking responsibility—responsibility for those things God has made men particularly responsible for. “God gave Adam the job of looking after the garden and the things within. He was to guard it, tend it, and help it flourish. He was responsible for it. I believe looking after our own ‘gardens’ remains our masculine purpose, and we all implicitly know it. Our culture is in chaos regarding what masculinity really is, so it’s dangerous to suggest there’s a distinct, wonderful thing called masculinity. … Masculinity is about taking responsibility.” Hence, true masculinity is not displayed in flexing muscles or fixing stuff or achieving sexual conquests. Rather, true masculinity is displayed in being humble, responsible, dedicated keepers of the gardens God has given us.
Once Hansen lays a foundation for masculinity, he leads readers through “Six Decisions that Will Set You Apart.” They are:
- Forsake the fake and relish the real. His focus here is rejecting pornography and video games and other fake forms of virtuous longings. “The hurting world and our hurting communities need us to solve real-world problems, protect real-world people, and fight real-world injustice. Actually, let me rephrase that a bit. The hurting world and your hurting community need you to solve real-world problems, protect real-world people, and fight real-world injustice. Please don’t waste your God-given desire for adventure and accomplishment by being a fake hero fighting fake injustices in fake worlds.”
- Protect the vulnerable. Here he says that “The people in your neighborhood, at your school, or at your workplace should be safer because you’re there. Even if they don’t know it.” This means men must be willing to protect others and must be steadfastly unwilling to become a threat to others.
- Be ambitious about the right things. “You will struggle with feeling meaningless when you choose to invest your time and energy in meaningless things,” he says. Hence, we must use our God-given ambition to pursue causes that actually matter.
- Make women and children feel safe, not threatened. Here he calls upon men to invest themselves in helping the people around them grow and thrive. “I’m trying to be this kind of man, a man who makes his wife feel secure and protected. I know my wife is every bit my equal. I know she’s highly intelligent and strong and creative and funny. I know she can survive with or without me. But it’s my goal to see her thrive and flourish. I believe in her so strongly, I’m excited about what she can yet become.”
- Choose today who you will become tomorrow. Quite simply, who we will be tomorrow is a direct result of what we pay attention to today. For this reason we must take great care when it comes to those things that earn our attention.
- Take responsibility for your own spiritual life. This final chapter is dedicated to forming a real, open, honest relationship with the Lord—a loyalty to the God who is so very loyal to us.
At a time when masculinity is viewed as a liability more than an asset, as something that is more likely to harm the world than help it, Brant Hansen describes and celebrates a form of masculinity that is good, pure, and true—a form of masculinity that will serve families, serve the church, and serve the world. He calls men to embrace it and display it in their lives. It turns out that in this time of confusion, The Men We Need is exactly the book we need.
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A La Carte (August 24)
The Lord be with you and bless you on this fine day.
What’s the Deal with BeReal?
You may well have heard of the app BeReal (especially if you have teens). Chris Martin takes a look at it here and tries to help parents better understand its potential strengths and weaknesses.
Saturday Night Lights
“Any Nebraskan can describe the scene to you: It’s a fall Saturday in Lincoln, the state capital. 90,000+ people have descended on city campus at the University of Nebraska to see a football game at Memorial Stadium, the large stadium built in 1923 to honor Nebraskans who died in the Civil War, Spanish American War, and World War I.” I really enjoyed this explanation and appreciation of Nebraska’s fixation on college football.
How can I be sure I’m saved? (Video)
Derek Thomas offers a helpful answer to a very common question.
Praying Down Divine Blessing
“Lately, I have been impressed with the fact that prayer is arguably the most important need for the sustenance, vitality, and continuance of the church. A prayerless church is a powerless church. A prayerless congregation will trend toward becoming a loveless congregation. A prayless people will ultimately become a self-reliant people.”
Why Does Justice Matter?
It’s important that as we dispute matters related to social justice, we don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater and neglect true justice—an issue about which the Bible has much to say.
Does God Actually Get Angry? Why He Reveals Himself in Human Terms
Mark Jones: “What are Christians to make of these declarations of God? Is God eternally unchangeable in his being, or does he, like humans, have the capacity to change? Can God really experience distress or learn something new? What does it mean for God, who is Spirit, to ‘get angry’? Does God really need to ask Adam where he is, as if he can’t find him?”
Flashback: Lessons In Becoming a Better Listener
Good communication and healthy relationships depend upon not only on hearing the words other people say, but on carefully listening to what they mean to communicate. To listen is to love.If faithfulness to God is not our measure of success, then the world’s expectations will become our standard. —Bryan Chapell
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Free Stuff Fridays (Radius International)
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Radius International. They are giving away a conference package that includes: 2 tickets, a Radius pullover, and 2 books.
The winner will receive two free tickets to the Radius Missiology Conference being held June 29-30, 2022, at Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, NC. This event will be live in person or available as a live stream. Kevin DeYoung, Alistair Begg, Ian Hamilton, Wayne Chen, Brooks Buser, Chad Vegas, and others from the Radius world will be live and in-person to teach on the Great Commission in today’s world with free books from 9Marks, Banner of Truth, and others.
The winner will receive a Radius International branded pullover. Size and gender option to be selected by the winner from available stock. And a Radius branded Yeti Travel Mug.
The winners will also receive two books that Radius International highly recommends:
No Shortcut to Success
A Manifesto for Modern Missions
By Matt Rhodes
Avoid “Get-Rich-Quick” Missions Strategies and Invest in Effective, Long-Term Ministry
Trendy new missions strategies are a dime a dozen, promising missionaries monumental results in record time. These strategies report explosive movements of people turning to Christ, but their claims are often dubious and they do little to ensure the health of believers or churches that remain. How can churches and missionaries address the urgent need to reach unreached people without falling for quick fixes?
In No Shortcut to Success, author and missionary Matt Rhodes implores Christians to stop chasing silver-bullet strategies and short-term missions, and instead embrace theologically robust and historically demonstrated methods of evangelism and discipleship—the same ones used by historic figures such as William Carey and Adoniram Judson. These great missionaries didn’t rush evangelism; they spent time studying Scripture, mastering foreign languages, and building long-term relationships. Rhodes explains that modern missionaries’ emphasis on minimal training and quick conversions can result in slipshod evangelism that harms the communities they intend to help. He also warns against underestimating the value of individual skill and effort—under the guise of “getting out of the Lord’s way”—and empowers Christians with practical, biblical steps to proactively engage unreached groups.Missions By The Book
How Theology and Missions Walk Together
by Chad Vegas and Alex Kocman
Across the church, there is a rift between theology and missions. Bad theology produces bad missions, and bad missions fuels bad theology.
We wrongly think that we must choose between making a global impact and thinking deeply about the things of God. But the relationship between theology and missions is symbiotic—one cannot exist without the other. They walk hand-in-hand.
Enter Here
Again, there is one package to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes on Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at midnight. -
Weekend A La Carte (January 6)
I am grateful to Guidelight for sponsoring the blog this week. Guidelight is a wonderful ministry that provides Biblical hope and practical help for families experiencing disability.
Ligonier Ministries is offering a copy of The Valley of Vision with a gift of any amount in case that’s of interest.
Today’s Kindle deals include a small selection of titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Deep Answers to Real Questions about Attraction, Identity, and Relationships)This is a fantastic article from Samuel James. “Part of the evangelical witness right now should be to point out that modern life stinks. Its technology makes us lonely. Its sexuality makes us empty. Its psychotherapy makes us self-obsessed. Many people are on the brink of oblivion, held back in some cases only by medication or political identity. We struggle to articulate why we should continue to live. Evangelicals should jump in here.”
“Today, we have replaced the moralistic tales of church kid’s programming with the intellectual, political commentaries of the modern Youtube influencer. People who hold to Judeo-Christian values are, rightly, calling foul on the culture. But so often, people begin to think that that is what Christianity is all about: Follow the rules, think the right thoughts, and you’re good to go.”
Joe Carter has written a really challenging article encouraging church leaders to be a “non-anxious presence.” He unpacks the term and offers specific ways for church leaders to adhere to it.
I don’t agree with the entirety of what Alan Shlemon says here, but I do think the main point is a good one—that as the world around us changes, it’s important to revisit our language to ensure we are being heard and understood.
If you’ve ever grappled with the doctrine of Limited Atonement (aka Particular Redemption or Definite Atonement)—and who hasn’t at one time or another?—you may find clarity in this article by Stephen Kneale. “The doctrine is ultimately driving at the idea that Jesus died for particular people, as opposed to all people in general (particular redemption), and that the people Jesus intends to save are actually saved by his death on the cross (definite atonement) rather than just potentially saved by his death and then only actually saved upon their belief.”
“In our predominantly Christian corner of East Africa, the prosperity gospel is often preached in churches and curses are often pronounced by witch doctors in villages. We have less encounters with other religions than with skewed interpretations and applications of our own religion. As with anywhere in the world, there is still more room for the Gospel to go forth, to take root, and to grow deep.” This opens a really meaningful reflection by Krista Horn.
Though I had snapped it just quickly with my iPhone, it captured both of the objects that were so precious to Carmichael. “I know,” “Fear not,” and Matterhorn are all right there.
It is the word of God, the gracious message of Christ, that awakens faith and so prayer – and so that must be the basic shape of our everyday communion with God.
—Michael Reeves
