Semper Virilis Part 1

In this multi-part series I want to explore a topic that has been popularized over the past decade or two - manhood. I believe that today it is as essential as ever that a biblical view of manhood is expressed and that Christian men embrace it, and live it out.

The question of what makes a male an authentic man is monumental and the answer is even more critical in our current cultural climate. Gender identity and sexuality are up for grabs, and there is widespread confusion over the roles of men and women in the family. For the Christian, any attempt at defining authentic, biblical manhood will likely be met with stiff opposition on many fronts. However, as Christians we are ultimately accountable to God for the standards we uphold, not a culture that changes like the tides of the sea.  

            The process of raising godly young men, and transitioning them to authentic, godly manhood is one of the greatest callings given to parents today. Amid a culture that can be hostile to God’s definition of manhood it is vital that Christian parents raise boys to follow Christ, and commission them to live as biblical men.

            To address this issue a multifaceted and systematic approach will be required. First, the foundation must be laid of what authentic manhood is according to God. The Bible places enormous value on fathers and men. It is here that we will begin our journey.

            There is also the issue of “training up a child in the way that he should go,” as mentioned in Proverbs 22:6. While there are some general principles that can, and should, be used for boys and girls alike, there are also many principles that apply specifically to training future men.  Finally, and of paramount importance, is the method of transitioning a boy into manhood. For many young men, this never happens in any tangible way and they are left to find their own means of “becoming a man” which are typically wrong and oftentimes destructive.

Authentic Manhood Resurgence

            The past four decades have dramatically reshaped our culture’s definition and view of manhood. During this time, we have seen two major cultural revolutions; the sexual revolution and the feminist revolution. Both have had tragic implications for authentic, biblical manhood. James Dobson has this to say about this time period, “Not only did traditional moral standards and beliefs begin to crumble, but the ancient code governing how men and women related to each other was turned upside down…Swirling out of it [feminist ideology] was an attack on the very essence of masculinity.”[1]

We are still very upside down in our notions of masculinity and the images that our current culture give us of men would be indistinguishable to men of a century ago. Now, almost everywhere one looks men are portrayed as bumbling fools, or mammals with no more intellectual capacity than is necessary to acquire food and mate.

A direct result of the onslaught of feminist ideology and general erosion of authentic masculinity has been a movement of Christian men to reclaim godly manhood. This movement reached a fevered pitch in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s with the Promise Keepers movement and authors such as John Eldredge and Robert Lewis.

Though the various personalities of the authentic manhood resurgence had the same basic goal in view they had, and still have, dramatically different images of what godly manhood is. John Eldredge is famous for his image of a wild, unfettered, and free man that embraces all that is essentially male. Robert Lewis models authentic men after Medieval knights. Stu Weber helped popularize the term “tender warrior” and, more recently, Tony Evans has given us the notion of the “kingdom man.” These examples merely scratch the surface of the Christian men’s writing of the past two decades.

Despite the differences, which are manifold, each of these men share a desire to return to a genuine, godly image of masculinity. Therefore, there are some common themes that run through these works such as courage, leadership, and right relationships with women. Furthermore, each of these authors acknowledges that having a clear definition of manhood is the first step in reclaiming it and passing it on to the next generation.

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[1] James Dobson, Bringing Up Boys: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Men, (Wheaton: Tyndale, 2001),161.