2010-­‐2011  CCCS  Working  Group
Participants:
Bruce  Berglund  (History)
Chis  DeGroot    (Religion)
Kristen  DuMez  (History)
Simona  Goi  (Political  Science)
Jennifer  Holberg  (English)
Beryl  Hugen    (Social  Work)
Martin  Hughes  (Sociology)
Will  Katerberg  (History)
Cindy  Kok,  (Broene  Counseling  Center  and  Psychology)
Mark  Mulder  (Sociology)
Christina  Van  Dyke  (Philosophy)
The  Working  Group’s  Mandate
In  recent  years,  there  has  been  a  flood  of  popular  religious  writing  on  men,  manhood,  and
Christian  faith  and  practice.    Books  such  as  John  Eldredge’s   Wild  at  Heart  (Thomas  Nelson,
2001),  for  example,  have  been  popular  among  students  at  Calvin  College.  This  “muscular
Christianity”   often   replays   fears   and   ideals   about   masculinity   and   the   church   that   were   expressed   a   century   ago.   Christian   expressions   of   renewed   manhood   often   find   close   parallels  in  popular  secular  books  and  movements.  Finally,  it  is  worth  noting  that  religious   conceptions  of  masculinity  can  strongly  influence  the  attitudes  and  experiences  of  men  in   the  workplace  family  life,  military  service,  and  foreign  policy.
At  the  same  time,  the  field  of  masculinity  studies  has  grown  exponentially,  in  fields  ranging   widely   from   evolutionary   psychology   to   historical   and   cultural   studies   and   social   psychology.    Such  work  has  dealt  with  fundamental  questions  such  as  possible  universal,   biologically   rooted   elements   of   masculinity   versus   diversity   in   culturally   and   historically
distinct  forms  of  masculinity.    It  has  been  written  about  both  as  scholarship  and  with  goals   of  dealing  with  practical  social  and  political  problems  in  mind.
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Despite  these  trends,  there  is  as  yet  relatively  little  scholarly  work  on  the  concept  and  lived   experience  of  masculinity  in  relation  to  Christianity,  and  more  specifically  scholarship  done   from  within  the  viewpoint  of  the  Reformed  tradition.  Though  they  have  gathered  a  great   deal  of  attention,  the  theological,  scientific  cultural-­‐historical  foundations  of  popular  books   on   Christian   manhood   usually   are   highly   questionable.   More   serious   examination   of   masculinity  in  light  of  Christian  doctrine,  Biblical  teaching,  and  disciplines  such  as  biology,   psychology,   sociology,   social   and   cultural   history,   philosophy,   and   gender   studies   are
needed,  both  for  scholars  and  for  Christian  readers  as  individuals  and  in  church  groups.
With   these   issues   in   mind,   our   working   group   met   and   discussed   a   series   of   books   and   essays  with  the  goal  of  sustained  engagement  with  the  existing  literature  that  connects  this
aspect  of  gender  with  Christian  thought,  living,  and  engagement  with  society  and  culture.
Reading  Suggestions
The  material  listed  below  includes  both  material  we  read  and  other  readings  suggested  by   participants  in  the  process  of  putting  together  our  reading  list.    It  is  a  very  modest  entry   point   into   a   huge   scholarly   and   popular   literature   that   includes   historical   and   cultural   studies,   biblical   studies   and   theology,   work   by   sociologists,   psychologists,   and   biologists,   and  more.  These  readings  are  not  overly  technical,  for  the  most  part,  and  are  appropriate
for  a  general  undergraduate  university  educated  audience.  Books  we  read  in  whole  or  part   are  noted  with  an  asterisk.
General:
*     Mary   Stewart   Van   Leeuwen,   My   Brother’s   Keeper:   What   the   Social   Sciences   Do
(And  Don’t)  Tell  Us  About  Masculinity   (IVP,  2002).
Van   Leeuwen’s   book   is   one   of   many   she’s   written   for   general   Christian   audiences   that   synthesizes   material   from   the   sciences,   social   sciences,   humanities,   and   biblical   studies.   It’s   a   book   general   introduction   to   the
variety  of  interconnected  issues  related  to  Christian  faith  and  masculinity  in   the  United  States.
Religious  Studies:
*     Stephen   B.   Boyd,   W.   Merle   Longwood,   Mark   W.   Muesse,   eds.,   Redeeming   Men:
Religion  and  Masculinities  (Westminster  John  Knox  Press,  1996).
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The  essays  in  this  collection  take  a  comparative  religious  studies  approach  to   issues   related   to   masculinity   and   manhood.   Like   most   edited   collections   of   this  sort,  it  includes  essays  from  people  of  a  variety  of  religious  backgrounds
(though   mostly   varieties   of   Christianity)   and   scholarly   and   non-­‐scholarly   perspectives.   Some   of   the   essays   are   more   scholarly   analysis,   some   more   proscriptive.
History  and  Cultural  Studies:
*    Michael  Kimmel,   Guyland:  The  Perilous  World  Where  Boys  Become  Men  (Harper,
2008).
This  book  is  a  piece  of  popular  social  criticism,  one  that  addresses  the  often   corrosive   world   in   which   boys   grow   up   and   become   men   today.   As   such,   it   reads  on  occasion  as  over-­‐heated  and  lacking  nuance.  But  it  does  offer  some   useful   insights   on   factors   that   leave   young   men,   from   a   variety   of   cultural   backgrounds,  ill-­‐equipped  to  succeed  in  school,  careers,  and  family  life.  If  you   go   to   the   Amazon   page   for   the   book,   you’ll   see   the   strongly   critical   and   supportive   comments   it   generated   among   readers.   It   did   the   same   in   our
discussion  group.
Michael   Kimmel,   Manhood   in   America:   A   Cultural   History ,   Third   Edition   (Oxford
University  Press,  2011),
This   is   a   good   survey   history   of   manhood   in   the   United   States,   paying   attention  to  both  ideas  about  manhood,  especially  popular  ideas,  and  to  the   actual  social  circumstances  in  which  men  lived.
Bethany   Moreton,   To   Serve   God   and   Wal-­‐Mart:   The   Making   of   Christian   Free
Enterprise  (Harvard  University  Press,  2009).
This   history   of   Walmart   addresses   a   variety   of   topics.   A   blurb   for   the   book   says:  “In  the  decades  after  World  War  II,  evangelical  Christianity  nourished
America’s   devotion   to   free   markets,   free   trade,   and   free   enterprise.   The   history   of   Wal-­‐Mart   uncovers   a   complex   network   that   united   Sun   Belt   entrepreneurs,  evangelical  employees,  Christian  business  students,  overseas   missionaries,  and  free-­‐market  activists.  Through  the  stories  of  people  linked   by  the  world’s  largest  corporation,  Bethany  Moreton  shows  how  a  Christian   service   ethos   powered   capitalism   at   home   and   abroad.”   It’s   listed   here   because   several   chapters   explore   how   the   ideal   of   “servant   leadership,”
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modeled   on   Christ,   helps   many   men   in   low   to   mid-­‐level   management   reconcile  work  in  a  post-­‐industrial  “service  economy”  with  ideals  manhood   that   emphasize   independence   and   patriarchy.   It   can   help   to   make   the   connection   between   how   men’s   lives   are   being   transformed   at   home   and
work  even  as  traditional  ideals  continue  to  be  influential.
*    George  L.  Mosse,   The  Image  of  Man:  The  Creation  of  Modern  Masculinity  (Oxford
University  Press,  1998).
Mosse’s  book  is  an  intellectual  history  of  the  cultural  of  masculinity  in  Europe   since  the  eighteenth  century.    It  is  helpful  for  understanding  how  ideas  about   manhood   have   changed   and   evolved   in   the   past   three   centuries.   But   it   is   intellectual   history   and   pays   limited   attention   to   actual   social   practices   of   men.
Social  Sciences:
Tanya   Erzen,   Straight   to   Jesus:   Sexual   and   Christian   Conversions   in   the   Ex-­‐Gay
Movement  (University  of  California  Press,  2006)
This   ethnographic   study   examines   a   ministry   to   gay   men   who   believe   that   homosexuality  is  a  choice  to  be  overcome.  The  men  who  go  to  the  ministry   typically   come   from   conservative   Christian   backgrounds   and   struggle   with   their  sexual  desires  and  religious  convictions.    It  includes  some  history  of  the   ex-­‐gay   movements   (including   Exodus   International)   but   focus   on   a   small   organization  in  California  and  the  men  who  seek  it  out.    The  goal  of  the  New
Hope   ministry   is   to   “rebuild   masculinity.”   Tanzen   avoids   the   politics   of   the   issues   and   focus   on   the   experiences   of   the   men   and   the   ministry,   trying   to   understand  them  on  their  own  terms.
R.  Marie  Griffith,   God's  Daughters:  Evangelical  Women  and  the  Power  of  Submission
(University  of  California  Press,  200).
This   book   is   not   about   masculinity,   of   course.   It   examines   Women’s   Aglow
Fellowship,   an   inter-­‐denominational,   international   evangelical   women’s   spirituality  organization.  But  it  pairs  well  with  Wilcox’s  study,  examining  the
mirror   side   of   the   ideal   of   patriarchy,   submission,   similarly   exploring   the   complex  negotiations    in  day  to  day  life  in  putting  the  ideal  into  practice.
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*    W.  Bradford  Wilcox,   Soft  Patriarchs,  New  Men:  How  Christianity  Shapes  Fathers   and  Husbands  (University  of  Chicago  Press,  2004).
This   is   a   monograph   based   on   a   dissertation.   It   examines   contemporary   evangelical   and   mainline   Protestant   ideas   associated   with   the   “nuclear”   family   and   the   role   of   fathers   in   families—e.g.,   in   the   Promise   Keeper’s   movement.  It  also  uses  social  scientific  survey  data  and  detailed  case  studies   of  particular  families  to  look  at  actual  practices  in  family  life.  Wilcox  argues   that   mainline   Protestant   men   are   "new   men"   who   take   a   more   egalitarian   approach   to   the   division   of   household   labor   than   their   conservative   peers   and   a   more   involved   approach   to   parenting   than   men   with   no   religious   affiliation.  Evangelical  Protestant  men,  he  says,  are  "soft  patriarchs"—not  as   authoritarian  as  some  would  expect,  and  given  to  being  more  emotional  and   dedicated   to   their   wives   and   children   than   both   their   mainline   and   secular   counterparts.   He   argues   that   religion   domesticates   men   in   ways   that   make   them   more   responsive   to   the   aspirations   and   needs   of   their   immediate   families.
More   Readings,   from   Academic   Journals,   Recommended   by   Working   Group
Members
John,   P.   Bartkowski,   “Breaking   Walls,   Raising   Fences:   Masculinity,   Intimacy,   and
Accountability   among   the   Promise   Keepers,”   Sociology   of   Religion ,   Vol.   61,   No.   1,
(Spring,  2000),  pp.  33-­‐53.
Brian  Donovan,  “Political  Consequences  of  Private  Authority:  Promise  Keepers  and   the   Transformation   of   Hegemonic   Masculinity,”   Theory   and   Society ,   Vol.   27,   No.   6
(Dec.,  1998),  pp.  817-­‐843.
Sally   K.   Gallagher   and   Sabrina   L.   Wood,   “Godly   Manhood   Going   Wild?:
Transformations  in  Conservative  Protestant  Masculinity,”   Sociology  of  Religion ,  Vol.
66,  No.  2  (Summer,  2005),  pp.  135-­‐159.
Melanie  Heath,  “Soft-­‐Boiled  Masculinity:  Renegotiating  Gender  and  Racial  Ideologies   in   the   Promise   Keepers,”   Gender   and   Society ,   Vol.   17,   No.   3   (Jun.,   2003),   pp.   423-­‐
444.
Christina   Kwauk,   “Goal!   The   Dream   Begins:   Globalizing   an   Immigrant   Muscular
Christianity,”   Soccer  and  Society ,  Vol.  8,  No.  1,  January  2007,  pp.  75-­‐89.
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Books   on   Masculinity   for   Lay   Christian   Audiences   that   Motivated   the
Reading  Group
Herbert  Anderson,     Jacob’s  Shadow:  Christian  Perspectives  on  Masculinity  (Bridge
Resources,    2002)
Paul   Coughlin,   No   More   Christian   Nice   Guy:   When   Being   Nice—Instead   of   Good—
Hurts  Men,  Women  and  Children .  (Bethany  House,  2005)
John   Eldedge,     Wild   at   Heart:   Discovering   The   Secret   of   a   Man's   Soul   (Thomas
Nelson,  2001)
Elizabeth   Elliot,   The   Mark   of   a   Man:   Following   Christ’s   Example   of   Masculinity
(Baker  Bookhouse,    2006)
Xan  Hood,   Untamed:  Becoming  the  Man  You  Want  to  Be .  (NavPress,  2006)
Eric  Ludy,   God’s  Gift  to  Women  (Multnomah  Books,  2003).
Kevin   McCollough,   The   Kind   of   Man   Every   Man   Should   Be   (Harvest   Publishers,
2008).
Tim   Reiter,   Strong   Enough   to   Be   a   Man:   Reclaiming   God’s   Plan   for   Masculinity
(Beacon  Hill  Press,  2005)
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