Deus Misereatur

  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 tea...

  Richard Phillips, a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America (Second Presbyterian, Greenville, SC), has given a handy, straightforward, readable 220-page softback on biblical masculinity. It won't resonate with those who are happy touting their victimhood and their need to victimize women in manosphere world. But for those who really desire to grow in godly, biblical manhood, this is a fine work.  The summary statement by Jerry Bridges in the Foreword, gives the overall them and direction of the book, where "the humble man, toiling faithfully at his job, nurturing and shepherding his wife, and seeking to bring up his children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, conforms to God's picture of a real man" (xii). That covers the subjects in the book in a nutshell. Though I have a few quibbles with some smaller details, in the end this is a book worth reading and even reading with other men. As Phillips notes, "If we do not seek truth in this matter fr...