Male Identity & Spirituality (original) (raw)
Related papers
Becoming a real man: evangelical discourses on masculinity
Dutch evangelicalism has always been institutionally dominated by men, and has always known various forms of male brotherhoods. However, the past years 'the problem with men' has come to be defined in a particular way, and a whole genre of books has emerged defining and explaining this problem and proposing solutions. The books are part of a broader evangelical men’s movement that focuses on the body and on physical endurance as a test for manhood. Surprisingly, the sources and legitimisations for the essentialising gender ideologies proposed in this movement lean on popularized forms of evolutionary theory and biology, popular culture such as movies and music and spiritual or mythopoetical ideas from books such as Iron John by Robert Bly. We found that the perceived problems of men can be summarized as circulating around three key themes: the absent man, the feminisation of men and the blurring of gender roles. These problematizations furthermore suggest particular remedies that should lead to becoming a ‘real man’.
In the Image of God: The Case for Re-Asserting Masculinity in the Church
2006
A recent book has captured the attention of many pastors who are struggling with the issue of growing their churches. That book, written by David Murrow, is entitled "Why Men Hate Going to Church." Why do men hate going to church? It is such an accepted reality that I doubt anyone would offer many objections to this assertion. This situation has profound effects on the broader society and history itself. Robert Bly writes of this loss of masculinity in his best-selling book, Iron John: In our time, when the father shows up as an object of ridicule (as he does, as we've noted, on television), or a fit field for suspicion (as he does in Star Wars), or a bad-tempered fool (when he comes home from the office with no teaching), or a weak puddle of indecision (as he stops inheriting kingly radiance), the son has a problem. How does he imagine his own life as a man? 1 Modern attempts by Christians to recapture some sense of the masculine can at times spin off into the infantile and the absurd. The Promise Keepers for example, have the feel of earlier fraternal organizations with their boyish activities as is demonstrated by this incident from a Promise Keepers event: "Later in the evening, Gary Smalley, another well-known author and speaker, hilariously made his entrance on a kiddiesized Big Wheel bike, again to the boisterous crowing of the crowd." 2 But this is not the masculinity that has fueled the church through its most precarious hours. This paper
What Would Jesus Do? Negotiating Hegemonic Masculinity in Religious Organizations
2015
Author(s): Molina, Carolina | Advisor(s): Valdez, Zulema | Abstract: This study investigates how men’s only church programs rearticulate notions of hegemonic masculinity. Specifically, this study examines two male-only programs, one English-speaking and one Spanish-speaking, within a non-denominational Christian organization in California’s Central Valley. Using qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews and participant observation, this study shows that masculinities are constructed by aligning notions of hegemonic masculinity with religious beliefs to produce religious masculinity. Religious masculinity emerges as a form of masculinity that rejects traditional expectations of manhood that contradict religious doctrine. Yet, findings show that male-only programs tend to reinforce hegemonic masculinity in the process of constructing religious masculinity; for example, by exhibiting masculine displays through the use of physical strength, competition and familial leade...
“Men never cry”: Teaching Mormon Manhood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Sociological Focus, 2017
We examine the ways Mormon leaders establish "what it means to be a man" for their followers. Based on content analysis of over 40 years of archival material, we analyze how Mormon leaders represent manhood as the ability to signify control over self and others as well as an inability to be controlled. Specifically, we demonstrate how these representations stress controlling the self, emotional and sexual expression, and others while emphasizing the development of self-reliance and independence from others' control. We draw out implications for understanding (1) how religious leaders create ideal notions of manhood, (2) what the religious interpretations of secular constructions of manhood are, and (3) how these relate to the reproduction of gender inequalities. In recent years, scholars have begun to direct more attention to the interrelation of gender and religion as well as to the ways religious males establish and signify masculine selves (see, e.g., Aune 2010; Gerber 2015; Heath 2003). These studies imply that religious males draw upon the symbolic resources provided by religious representations of what it means to be a man in a wide variety of ways to signify "Godly" manhood 1 (McQueeney 2009; Sumerau 2012). Further, these studies reveal that religious males often construct manhood in ways that symbolically and structurally subordinate women (Bush 2010; Sumerau, Padavic, and Schrock 2015) and transgender people (Sumerau, Cragun, and Mathers 2016). While these studies have invigorated sociological understandings of the interrelation between religion and gender, as well as the ways religious men individually and collectively fashion masculine selves, they have, thus far, left unexplored the religious representations males respond to in their daily lives (however, one exception is Sumerau, Barringer, and Cragun 2015). How do religious leaders construct manhood in their official representations of what it means to be a man in God's eyes? What consequences might these constructions have for the reproduction of gender inequalities? Understanding official or dominant constructions of manhood by religious leaders, however, requires shifting our focus away from the ways individual males interpret religious doctrine to the ways religious leaders and their chosen representatives (intentionally or otherwise) embed notions of manhood into the institutional structure of a given faith (see Sumerau, Barringer, and Cragun 2015;
The voices, experience, and wisdom of women in the Bible have been long silenced in myriad ways, including in the preached Word. Believing that God is calling for transformation in the priority of women’s stories in Her church today, this project seeks to explore opportunities for male preachers to better utilize narratives of biblical women in preaching and teaching. This thesis utilizes the educational methodology for change of South American philosopher Paulo Friere as described in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The work of liberation theologian James H. Cone, feminist theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether, and womanist theologian Katie Geneva Cannon help to lay a foundation for the dismantling of patriarchy in the Church. By doing so, it is hoped that a group of male preachers will move from a state of indifference regarding the relative worth of women’s leadership, through a metanoia, a turning of mind and heart that will lead them to belief in the importance of biblical women’s experience. Members of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area (MN) participate in conscientization learning sessions, and then practice preaching a sermon from a women’s scripture in their home congregations. Impact of participation in this project is evaluated by both empirical and narrative means. Factors evaluated include both changes in preacher’s attitude regarding intentionality of including more scriptures about women in preaching schedules and the impact of increased congregational exposure to biblical women’s narratives.