★★★★★ 4
Helpful Insights about Modern Masculinity and the Social Goodness of Biblical Masculinity
Format: Hardcover
In the midst of contemporary debates about masculinity and femininity in America and the West, Nancy R. Pearcey seeks to bring clarity through tracing the historical development of modern masculinity and explaining the social goodness of biblical masculinity in her book The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes. Throughout this work, she contrasts the difference between the Good Man versus the "Real" Man, and urges us to embrace the true masculinity of the Good Man instead of the toxic masculinity of the "Real" Man.
Pearcey establishes her argument through the lenses of a biblical worldview of Creation, Fall, and Redemption, which was practiced by Protestants since the Reformation in their relationship between men and women. But the Industrial Revolution removed men from the home and away from their families, and this shift led to a change in the conception of masculinity (and femininity). As she summarizes:
"The Industrial Revolution became a watershed in the social definition of masculinity. By taking husbands and fathers out of the home, industrialization created the material conditions that made it more difficult to fulfill a biblical ideal of manhood. Men were no longer physically present enough to be fully engaged husbands and fathers. They spent most of their time in the public realm, which was growing increasingly secular. The Industrial Revolution thus became a catalyst for the acceptance of secular views of masculinity" (101).
Therefore, a transition took place from communal manhood to personal, self-interested manhood. As a result, the values and lifestyles of men changed into what is now recognized as toxic masculinity. So the problem we face today is not the result of Christianity and its teaching of biblical manhood, but the perversion of true masculinity through modern secularized individualism and the abusive twisting of male headship and female submission among largely nominal Christians. This means that our solution is returning to God's revealed ideal for the sexes in Scripture, which is how God intended for his image-bearers to relate to each other.
I appreciated Pearcey's historical overview of how masculinity developed from Puritanism to today. It was both informative and challenging, causing me to consider how much my own understanding of masculinity has been influenced by my culture rather than by God's Word. As a self-confessed devotee of Francis Schaeffer, I can see how much of an impact he has had in her thinking and writing. And like Shaeffer, Pearcey may be criticized for an overly simplistic tracing of ideas through history. But the general contours of her survey seem accurate enough, and help us to identify what has led to contemporary troubles with masculinity.
At the same time, I would have appreciated more emphasis on biblical exposition when explaining the Christian worldview as it applies to men and women. While I recognize that she was not intending a Bible study, she often quotes Scripture and draws conclusions which at times I found questionable or could have been clarified by a more thorough treatment of the text. Other relevant passages from God's Word on the relationship between men and women were also left unaddressed.
The result is that I have reservations and disagreements with some of Pearcey's conclusions. Furthermore, I sensed a strong influence of Neocalvinist transformationalism, especially as it related to the cultural mandate. Thus, I would find myself differing from the author in some of her assessment and application. Nevertheless, I wouldn't want these cautions to keep anyone from reading her book. She clearly wants us to engage her arguments, and she provides and important voice in today's debates surrounding masculinity.
So I will be encouraging anyone thinking through what it means to be masculine or how to raise boys in today's world to read Pearcey's timely book. Read it carefully and with discernment. I hope that the Lord uses it to help us reconcile the sexes through Christ.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2023
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