No More Christian Nice Guy

Men in our culture have gone from rugged masculine frontiersmen to wimps in a culture that has been overly feminized. If a boy acts like a masculine boy in school, he's drugged to curb his aggressive tendencies. No more do we have the boys-will-be boys concept with regard to normal male behavior in either children or adults.

We've had such a feminization of our culture that mothers try to put cotton batting around their kids, especially their more aggressive, adventurous, masculine sons, to keep them from anything that might bruise poor little Jane/Johnny physically, mentally or emotionally. Adults take the challenge and the life out of kids, especially boys, not allowing them to roughhouse and so train up boys, stripping them of their natural masculinity, to become wimpy men. If they get hurt from some activity, many parents seek laws to stop anyone else from doing that same activity.

We've raised wimpy men afraid to stand up, afraid to assert the right to protect those for whom they care, and afraid to step out into the dangerous waters of challenge. Quite a contrast from the masculine men so popular in romance books, and the "real" masculine men who created civilization out of an American wilderness. Why if a man asserts his masculinity, someone's feelings might be hurt, he might be injured, or, who knows, someone might even sue.

Churches are no better, shushing anyone who dares challenge the status quo. Men may be seen and heard-but not too loudly or vigorously. Can you imagine today's church handling the masculine Jesus who drove out the moneychangers, or stood up to Pilot by basically telling him he was breaking the law in his handling of Jesus' case? And what about fearless, masculine apostle Paul, confronting Peter for being a hypocrite?

Author Paul Coughlin in his book "No More Christian Nice Guy" (ISBN-13: 978-0-7642-0369-5, Bethany House Publishers) said, "All men receive a false, demeaning presentation of masculinity from our culture. This is due primarily to the absence of fathers (an estimated fifteen million American children currently live without a father in their home); other factors include the increase in divorce, homes headed by women, an educational system dominated by women, and radical feminism, which went from a battle for equality to guerilla warfare on the masculine soul." (Pgs16-117)

We have a lot of wimpy, boring men who speculate why women prefer those masculine men with a dangerous edge to them. We women are partly to blame for where our culture has taken us by denigrating the role of men and men themselves, and insisting they be "emotionally in touch" acting like women-not masculine men, willing to scale the highest mountain and cross the widest sea for those they love. That doesn't mean we don't want our men to be good.

But, as author Coughlin shows, being "good" doesn't necessarily mean being "nice" or "passive." "No More Christian Nice Guy" takes the reader on a journey from being nice, to being the man God intended, strong, masculine men, who truly care for their spouses and families and who are confident in their faith and ability to lead. This is a must read for women, especially wives and mothers. It is a must read for men to help them reclaim their manhood and the place God has for them in life, family and faith. In fact, this should be a must read for everyone in our culture.