This summer marks the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical, Humanae Vitae. It has turned out to be one of the most influential and controversial religious documents of the 20th century.  Glenn Stanton, director of global family formation studies at Focus on the Family noted, “Humane Vitae is as powerful and prophetic as it is misunderstood and…

“Mere Sexuality” is the title of a book  by Todd Wilson.  His aim is to rediscover the Christian vision of sexuality. Mere sexuality refers “to the themes that have characterized the Christian vision of sexuality down through the ages….what most Christians at most times in most places have believed about human sexuality – in other words,…

Recently I was watching  sports on TV, when I saw the #EvolveTheDefintion TV spot.  The first image was the word “masculine,”  as an adjective: “having qualities or appearance traditionally associate with men, especially strength and aggression.”  Some of the synonyms  recited by various men included, macho, manly, muscular, well-built, red-blooded, strapping, strong, brawny, powerful.  A young man appears who said in…

I begin this post by quoting Galatians 2:20 from the amplified version.  “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, replying…

According to Pew Research, in 2016, men aged 18 to 36 were more likely to still be sharing a roof with their parents than living alone or with a roommate or partner.  Nearly 40 years ago, only 6.3 percent of prime-age men did not work at all over the course of a year.  In 2016,…

In my study of the prophet Isaiah, I am intrigued by God’s word to the people in Is. 8: 11-13 regarding conspiracy.  “The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said,  ‘Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear…

In Isaiah 59:9-12, the prophet offers a prayer of confession appropriate to the spiritual condition of the people of God. Rather then blaming God or the culture Isaiah  identifies with the people, lamenting “there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living” (Is 59:9 NLT).  He prays further: “We look for light but find only darkness. We look for bright…

At the recent MTV Movie & TV awards, Hollywood superstar, Christ Pratt was awarded the Generation Award. After receiving the award he told fans to “listen up,” because he was speaking “as your elder.”  He used the occasion to recite what CNN called his “Nine Rules for Living.”  Among his rules were: “You have a soul. …

In his book Building Your Band of Brothers, Stephen Mansfield makes this observation: “Men are made to protect the territory assigned to them and to assure that everything within that territory fulfills its God-ordained purpose.”  “Manly men tend their field” is a vibrant theme in Mansfield’s work with men.  It is based on II Cor.…

I have only recently become aware of “The Incel Movement.”  On April  23, 2018, a van allegedly driven by Alek Minassian, drove onto a sidewalk in downtown Toronto, killing ten people and wounding eighteen others.  On his Facebook page, Minassian pledged allegiance to the “Incel Rebellion.”  “Incel” stands for ‘involuntarily celibate.” As Vox.com explains, the “rebellion” is “not…