Aaron Renn wrote an op-ed recently in the Wall Street Journal wondering why men turn to online influencers instead of traditional institutions and authorities. He pointed out five ways this is taking place:

1. Online influencers (OI’s) are men speaking to men, whereas many (if not most) mainstream figures writing on men’s issues are women;
2. OI’s treat men as ends, not just means… viewing men as important in their own right;
3. They also provide an aspirational, appealing version of manhood in ways mainstream figures don’t;
4. OI’s give practical, actionable advice to help men improve and attain their goals;
5. They create community.

Renn believes traditional institutions can re-create the online influencers’ success: “They can have men talking to and about men.  They can acknowledge that men are important in themselves… They can craft an aspirational vision of manhood that includes elements of sacrifice and service.  They can build men up with practical insights and advice, even when the truth is unpopular.  And they can crystallize community around them.  None of these things are objectively hard to do.”

In my passion to speak to the masculine soul, I take to heart Renn’s comments that men are not merely a means to an end (godly husband and father) but also as an end in themselves (being a man of God).  It seems that many of the messages men get from the dominant media come primarily from women.  Men are told that their roles need to be “instrumentally good” and enable women to fulfill their life ambitions.  But what men sense is that “they don’t matter until they become a problem for somebody else that society actually cares about.”  Renn references Richard Reeves pointing out during the UN #HeForShe Summit that men’s issues (increasing suicide rates, educational underachievement, etc.) can easily end up in grievance politics.  Reeves stated that if problems like these are not addressed, “they can turn into grievances, and grievances are weaponized… We have a responsibility to take those problems seriously.”

My heart’s prayer with this blog is to speak to the masculine soul, treating manhood not just as a “means” but as an “end” as well.  When I started writing in 2009, I wrote a blog entitled “Themes for the Wildman Journey” and used Prov. 4:23 as a theme verse: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”  I wrote, “This simply means that wildmen have come to the point in their lives when they know they have to pay attention to their hearts (soul)… I can say with deep conviction that men need to band together to deal with their soul lives.”

On that note, is it possible that too many men have seen the media, online influencers, or maybe even their own mothers or wives unduly influence the nature of their masculine soul and shape it in an unhealthy way?  I believe along with Renn that men need to build community and let the Lord define who they are.  Men need “soul care” groups to find healing, support and encouragement from other men, where they can will look to Jesus for inspiration and courage as men trying to find their way in modern society.

My journey of wholeness as a man has been going for many years.  I’m continually inspired by Psalm 71:18, “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”  And I sincerely pray that this blog will provide “practical, actionable advice” from a man who cares about the “soul life” of men.

Both Cambridge and Merriam-Webster dictionaries have announced their Word of the Year for 2023.  Cambridge chose “hallucinate” while Merriam-Webster gave the nod to “authentic.”  

Cambridge’s traditional definition of hallucinate has been “to seem to see, hear, feel, or smell something that does not exist.”  It now includes “when an artificial intelligence (AI) hallucinates, it produces false information.”  This definition was added after a year-long surge in interest in generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Bard and Grok.  AI ethicist Dr. Henry Shevlin said it was “a snapshot of how we’re thinking about and anthropomorphizing AI.”  He added, “Inaccurate or misleading information has long been with us, of course, whether in the form of rumors, propaganda, or fake news.”  

Cambridge Dictionary’s publishing manager noted, “The fact that AIs can hallucinate reminds us that humans still need to bring their critical thinking skills to the use of these tools. AIs are fantastic at churning through huge amounts of data to extract specific information and consolidate it – but the more original you ask them to be, the likelier they are to go astray.” 

As I pondered this usage of hallucinate, I came to realize just how much cultural change has influenced the meanings of words.  Whatever happened to lying or simply not telling the truth?  In the eighth commandment God instructs us, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex. 22:16).  Luther instructs us in his catechism, “We do not deceitfully lie, betray, gossip about, or slander our neighbors.”  False or misleading information is simply a lie that God forbids.  Is not AI-led “hallucinating” bearing false witness or leading others astray?   

Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large at Merriam-Webster, observed, “We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity.  What we realize is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.”  2023 has been a year of AI impacting our culture.  ChatGPT (and its maker OpenAI) seem to be suffering from a credibility crisis, raising questions of authenticity.  “We sometimes don’t believe our own eyes or our own ears,” suggests Sokolowski.  “We are now recognizing that authenticity is a performance itself.”

In this regard the Merriam-Webster dictionary struggles to define authenticity.  It includes the following: “not false or imitation: real, actual” – “true to one’s own personality, spirit or character” –  “worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact” – “made or done the same way as an original” –  “conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features.”  I wonder – what is “original” and “fact?”  Do we make up what is real, or is there a basis for all of reality?

To know what is “fact,” that is, what makes up reality, we need to go back to the beginning and the Creator.  We read in John, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  Earlier John tells us, “Through him all things were made.” (1:3).  Knowing Jesus will continually give a sense of what is authentic.  James Huston reminds us, “You are never more authentic than when you are in Christ.” And the apostle Paul tells us “reality… is found in Christ” (Col. 2:17).

Men, we are going to be more and more influenced by AI.  So, beware of misinformation and the lack of authenticity influencing you.  These words of the year remind us to be truthful and live authentic lives.  Jesus words: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4).