MEN AND MASCULINITY

Author ROY McCLOUGHRY Publisher HODDER AND STOUGHTON ISBN 0-340-53153-3

This book was first published in 1992, it is no longer in print and so a second hand copy is all that is available.  Perhaps it is understandable that it is no longer in print as it has dated somewhat.  It is subtitled “from power to love” and represents an attempt by a Christian writer and speaker from England to take a serious look at the impact of feminism on society and the way that men’s studies and interests had responded, at least by the early nineties.  The author buys in to some of the stereotypes so typical of much of the earlier books on gender.  The idea of “from power to love” is over stretched to say the least but under-girds this interesting book.  The idea that men simply have a thing about ‘power’ and feel threatened is an oversimplification.  I think we can say that this author joined the debate on gender issues, (a debate that continues to this day) and offered a more nuanced Christian approach.  He does not delve back far enough into the relationships that exist in the Godhead; there is some theology here but not sufficient to make a thoroughly sound basis for a book on these matters.  He does draw on his own experience of men’s groups, knowledge of the women’s movement as well as some Biblical insights to arrive at the conclusion that men must remove and discard their stereotypical masks in order to enter into what it truly means to be masculine, namely to become not “the new man” who has found his feminine side but a truly Christian man in the image of Christ.  This means love, intimacy and friendship.  There is plenty of interaction and consideration of popular gender viewpoints, a chapter on ‘the new man’ and one on ‘the wild man’ of American poet Robert Bly.  Chapters deal with men and friendship, work, sexuality, fatherhood, communication and intimacy; some of these are quite helpful.  Almost at the heart of this book is a chapter on “Jesus, the ultimate hero.”  The idea of being like Jesus in His manhood and relationships with women is central here and just does not go far enough.  It is not attempting to copy Jesus that will bring about change, nor adopting the various stereotypes presented in the world today.  Christ in you is the hope of glory; this includes the hope of the glory of what it means to be properly male.  There are shortcomings in this twenty year old attempt to give a Biblical, Christian perspective on what it means to be a true man, I am sure that in later books there will be more mature reflections on this vital matter.

 

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