"The Redeemed Man" Edited by Beeke, Phillips, and Smalley. A Review

 

There are many voices noting that men and fathers have forfeited the game and thrown in the towel. Some of those voices coach their male audiences to curl up in fetal positions, kick their feet, swing for the air and squall victimhood. Others instruct their viewers that they must reassert themselves forcefully, maybe even abusively, manhandling women and a womanized world. But some authors and talking heads that see the multidimensional problem squarely, are beckoning men to return to the game, unashamed of their masculinity, and to step out in manly fashion, even as gentlemen. And these fill the spectrum from Louis Perry to Jordan Petterson to Anthony Bradley, and more. Soon, Reformation Heritage Books will be stepping into the ring to offer biblical direction for men with a 296-page paperback, “The Redeemed Man” edited by Joel R. Beeke, Richard D. Phillips and Paul M. Smalley. This straightforward volume includes chapters of scriptural direction from a number of pastors and teachers from around the world.

 

As the title denotes, this is a Christian work, and so it begins with being a redeemed man, a man who has come to submit to Jesus and rely on Jesus to put him right with God. From that centered, grounded position (four deeply important chapters) flows the rest of the book. The authors cover what it means for the redeemed man who is single, the redeemed man honoring his parents, the redeemed man loving his wife, raising kids to be redeemed adults, worship and witnessing, all the way to retirement and death. As one can see, this manuscript covers the breadth of a man’s life, a redeemed man’s life! The framework for the whole project is stated well by Richard Phillips in the introduction, “Redeemed men are to lead in their homes, in the church, and in society simply through living by faith and influencing others to also walk in the way of the Lord…, starting with the priority that must be given to his relationship with God” (pg. 2-3).

 

The working premise of the volume is not about advancing victimhood, spreading disgusted retaliation, or asserting male supremacy. It’s gospel-grounded, bible-shaped, Jesus-focused from one end to the other. And all the way through, it is seriously concerned about and for men, and motivated to promote God’s goodness for families, churches, and communities. As Beeke notes, with the help of William Gouge, man is the head of the family, but his wife is the heart (pg. 88). And Jason Helopulus remarks that it’s not a question if the man leads his family, but “whether he leads it well” (pg. 96). And a warmhearted, redeemed man leading his family well spills out and over into the church. If it’s not warm-hearted redeemed men leading, then, as Kevin DeYoung observes, “the spiritual temperature of the church will always have a hard time rising higher than the spiritual temperature of the men in the church” (189).

There’s so much to commend in this manual, and I am commending it to you. On a personal note, to emphasize its practicality, as I was starting to work through the book I landed on the chapter by Terry Johnson, “The Redeemed Man Honoring His Parents.” As I opened those pages of that chapter, my mother-in-law had to be moved into my house for us to care for her. It was an urgent change in our home life that was filled with quite a bit of reflection and worry on my part. As my mother-in-law lay in our spare bedroom where I could easily see her to check on her, I read the words of this chapter and was reminded, clearly, of my leadership role in honoring this aging, ailing believing woman who carried my wife in her womb, raised her, and prepared her for our marriage. That chapter, at just that providential time, had a big impact on me.

 

“The Redeemed Man” should be in your hands. It is easy to work through and ideal for men’s reading and study groups. Pastors and elders, fathers and sons should snatch up a copy and pore over it. In fact, they just might want to work through it together. I see from the publisher’s page that it can be purchased in bulk for a discount. What are you waiting for? Get out there and get it!