The Masculine Mandate
by Justin Duran
We are in the midst of a global pandemic, and this pandemic has pervaded every facet of our lives. It has modified, changed, or flat-out eliminated our normal day-to-day interactions. It has changed the way we deal with the checker at the grocery store; it has changed the way that we engage with our families and our neighbors; it has even changed the way we interact with our brothers and sisters in the church. This pandemic has even changed the way that we view ourselves when we look in the mirror.
Make no mistake this pandemic is deadly, and unless something is done immediately to curb it’s spread, countless Christians will suffer. But I don’t want you to be confused: I’m not talking about Covid-19. I’m not talking about some pestilence that has swept across the globe. No, the pandemic that I’m speaking of is far more insidious than a virus. The pandemic that I’m talking about is an erosion of masculinity.
As a society we have forgotten what it means to be a man. In fact, if you were even to ask the question “what is a man?” in any secular venue, you would likely be greeted with a myriad of abstract definitions. You may even be met with harsh criticism, perhaps from someone claiming that your question itself is oppressive because it narrowly defines someone’s personhood or identity. But this isn’t happening only among those who embrace a secular worldview. The sad truth is that even within the church and within broader Christian culture, the question of what it means to be a man garners a wide variety of answers and pseudo-intellectualism sprinkled with a healthy dose of Christianese. Sadly, many within the church have lost or forgotten what it means to be a man.
Unlike the never-before-seen virus that is currently sweeping the globe, the pandemic of missing masculinity is a wide-spread, hyper-infectious disease that has leeched the marrow from men’s bones in God’s church for countless decades, only occasionally and inefficiently being treated with various smoky flavored chunks of machismo packaged neatly in Christian-friendly, biodegradable, non-GMO, BPA- and frustration-free packaging. Like many such products marketed to men, some are tasty, some are tender, some are chewy, some are buttery, but these remedies for our ailing masculinity are over-hyped, over-valued, and have little, if any, nutritional value.
What the men of God’s church desperately need is the rich, fatty, dense, and delicious truth of God’s Word cooked perfectly to medium-rare over the snapping and popping of an open flame of our desire to be righteous and mighty men of God.
Enter The Masculine Mandate, our book for the upcoming men’s breakfasts.
In the first five chapters of his book, Dr. Richard Phillips, (a husband, father of five, full-time pastor, author of thirty-five books, adjunct professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, and, among other things, a retired tank commander) sets about establishing a theological foundation for true manhood from Genesis 2:15 by clearly expositing the two first and most basic commands given to man: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Men were created by God to work and to keep.
In the second half of the book, Dr. Phillips sets about outlining the very practical application of these simple yet powerful commands in the five major areas of a man’s life: marriage, parenting, work, friendship, and the church.
With care and precision, Dr. Philips addresses situations for a wide variety of Christian men from single brothers to men long married. He thoroughly explains the distinctions God’s Word makes between men and women (Gen 1:26-31; Matt 19:4) and the vital and distinct role that the father plays in raising his children (Prov 4:10; 20; 5:1; Eph 6:4; Col 3:21).
Philips also emphasizes the need of a father to make it clear that he’s given his heart to his children before asking them for their’s (Prov 23:26). He outlines the necessity for men to labor to truly and continually know and understand their wives so that they may lead them with excellence and love (1 Pet 3:7; cf. Col 3:19; Eph 5:25). And he underscores the vital need for men to have true friendships with Christian brothers that extends far deeper than social activities like drinking beer, watching sports, or going fishing (Prov 17:17; Heb 3:12-15). All the while he reminds us that in Christ we no longer have to be the pale shadow of masculinity that Adam was; by God’s grace we can really fulfill the Masculine Mandate (1 Cor 16:13; Col 3:13.
In a world full of snake oil and herbal remedies that all promise to treat our lack of masculine fortitude, Dr. Richard Phillips points us to the true cure.
Justin is my nephew and a pastor at Creekside Bible Church in Cupertino, CA.