Biblical Manhood

Americans are schizophrenic when it comes to manhood. On one hand they want their men emasculated, well-groomed and gentle to the point of femininity; on the other, they want all men to look like Schwarzenegger and to get what they want as a result of pure swagger and testosterone.

The Christian ideal is much different. You could say it’s somewhere in between, but in reality true masculinity has nothing to do with whether you pluck your eyebrows or carry a .12 gauge in your Dodge pickup. True manhood lies in assuming and living up to the role God set for men when He created Adam, and which Christ exemplified and fulfilled.

Fortunately that role is clearly presented in Scripture, both by example and in theory. A “manly man” is characterized primarily by his love of God’s law and his desire to live according to its precepts. David was a man after God’s own heart because of his devotion to righteousness and his passion for knowing God. If we want to reach the same status our only recourse is to pursue holiness above all else.

That’s not to say manliness has nothing to do with how we act or what we do in our free time, but it’s less tied to both typical traditional and contemporary models. If a man likes to cook more than work on cars that doesn’t make him feminine, nor is a man who hunts animals and has a beard necessarily more manly. There are certain activities a man is more likely to undertake than a woman due to his role, but if he’s really a man he’ll do so humbly and not brag about it.

Some Christian authors claim a real man is loud and not “nice” and that he wears denim instead of a collared shirt. While this may describe some men, such details are trite and belong more in a book about stereotypes. True masculinity is true godliness. Because we believe the best place to learn the “manly virtues” is at home from dad, many of our books center around fathers and sons, the earthly relationship illustrative of the bond between God the Father and us His children.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
Did you find this review helpful?
76 Items found Print
Active Filters: 11th grade (Ages 16-17)
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
by Sean Covey
Original from Fireside Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
by Sean Covey
Updated from Fireside Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$17.99
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens - Workbook
by Sean Covey
Updated from Touchstone
for 7th-12th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
8th Habit
by Stephen R. Covey
from Free Press
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Addresses to Young Men
by John Angell James
from Soli Deo Gloria
for 9th-12th grade
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Amusing Ourselves to Death
by Neil Postman
from Penguin Putnam
for 11th-Adult
in Culture & Discernment (Location: XCU-DIS)
$17.00
Angels in the Architecture
by Doug Wilson & Doug Jones
from Canon Press
for 11th-Adult
in Art & Culture (Location: XCU-ART)
$15.00
Art of Manliness
by Brett McKay, Kate McKay
from How Books
for 9th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
Atomic Habits
by James Clear
from Avery
for 9th-12th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$27.00
Because You Are Strong
by Daniel Forster
from Doorposts
for 7th-12th grade
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Blink
by Malcolm Gladwell
1st edition from Back Bay Books
for 11th grade-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$18.99
Boy's Passage - Man's Journey
by Brian D. Molitor
Revised & Expanded from Emerald Books
for 7th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Boyhood and Beyond
by Bob Schultz
from Heart of Dakota
for 9th-Adult
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
Business by the Book
by Larry Burkett
2nd edition from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 11th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
Business for the Glory of God
by Wayne Grudem
from Crossway Books
for 9th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
Choosing Your Career
by Martin Clark
from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)
Created for Work
by Bob Schultz
from Heart of Dakota
for 4th-12th grade
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
Creativity, Inc.
by Ed Catmull
1st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 11th-Adult
in Creating Culture (Location: XCU-CRE)
$19.00
Crossroads
by Colin Creel
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
$10.39 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Dangerous Book for Boys
by Conn & Hal Iggulden
from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$22.99
David & Goliath
by Malcolm Gladwell
from Penguin Press
for 11th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
Do Hard Things
by Alex & Brett Harris
from Multnomah Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Growing Up Christian (Location: XCL-GROW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Do Hard Things
by Alex & Brett Harris
from Multnomah Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Growing Up Christian (Location: XCL-GROW)
$16.00
Double Dangerous Book for Boys
by Conn & Hal Iggulden
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$24.99
E Myth Revisited
by Michael E. Gerber
2nd edition from HarperCollins
for 10th-Adult
in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)
$26.99
Essentialism
by Greg McKeown
from Currency
for 9th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$18.00
Essentialism
by Greg McKeown
from Crown Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$12.50 (1 in stock)
Every Man, God's Man
Every Man Series
by Stephen Arterburn, Kenny Luck, Mike Yorkey, Rick Warren (Foreword)
1st edition from WaterBrook Press
for 11th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$14.50 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Everyday Battles
by Bob Schultz
from Boulder Creek Books
for 10th-Adult
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
Everything Career Tests Book
Everything series
by A. Bronwyn Llewellyn & Robin Holt
from Adams Media Corp.
for 10th-Adult
in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)
$15.99
Family: God's Weapon for Victory
by Robert Andrews
2nd edition from Sentinel Press
for 10th-Adult
in Covenant Family (Location: XFA-COV)
$12.00
Finding the Career That Fits You
by Larry Burkett & Lee Ellis
from Moody Press
for 11th-Adult
in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Future Men
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$10.00 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Future Men
by Doug Wilson
2nd edition from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
$12.50
God at Work
by Gene Veith
from Crossway Books
for 11th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
$9.00
God at Work
by Gene Veith
2nd edition from Crossway Books
for 11th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
$12.79
God's Gift to Women
by Eric Ludy
from Multnomah Books
for 11th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Greatest Among You
by Randy Sims
from Worldview Academy
for 9th-12th grade
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Hidden Art of Homemaking
by Edith Schaeffer
from Tyndale House
for 9th-Adult
in Purposeful Homemaking (Location: SS-HOM)
$16.99
Hold Fast in a Broken World
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
for 8th-12th grade
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
$14.99
How Should We Then Live?
by Francis A. Schaeffer
2021 Edition from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Philosophy (Location: XWV-PHI)
$19.99
I Loved a Girl
by Walter Trobisch
from Quiet Waters Publications
for 11th-Adult
in Preparing for Marriage (Location: XFA-PREP)
$15.00
Investigating Career Paths
from Basic Skills
for 10th-12th grade
in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)
$24.00
Joy at the End of the Tether
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Commentaries (Location: XBI-COMM)
$10.00
Life Skills for Kids
by Christine M. Field
from Shaw Books
for ages 6 and up
in Life Skills for Kids (Location: SS-LIFE)
Lifepac: Accounting - Boxed Set
LIFEPAC Electives
from Alpha Omega Publications
for 4th-12th grade
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$108.00
Like Father, Like Son
by Pete Alwinson
Fir from New Growth Press
for 10th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$15.29
Making Sense of Your Dollars
by Ian Hodge
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for 11th-Adult
in Money Management (Location: SS-MM)
$7.00
Mark of a Man
by Elisabeth Elliot
from Revell Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$16.00
My Life For Yours
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for 11th-Adult
in Covenant Family (Location: XFA-COV)
$15.00
Outliers
by Malcolm Gladwell
from Little, Brown & Company
for 10th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Plants Grown Up
by Pam Forster
2nd edition from Doorposts
for 1st-12th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIB-CHDP)
$48.00
Plants Grown Up & Polished Cornerstones - CD-ROM
from Doorposts
for Nursury-12th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIB-CHDP)
$10.00
Plants Grown Up (old)
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for 1st-12th grade
$14.00 (2 in stock)
Ploductivity
by Douglas Wilson
from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
$14.95
Practical Accounting Fundamentals
by Lori Peterman
from Insight Technical Education
for 9th-Adult
in Consumer & Career Math (Location: MATR-CON)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Practical Graphic Design
by Paul Bunch & Melvin Peterman
from Insight Technical Education
for 9th-12th grade
in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Practical Happiness
by Bob Schultz
from Heart of Dakota
for 9th-Adult
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
Preparing Your Son for Every Man's Battle
by Stephen Arterburn
1st edition from WaterBrook Press
for 6th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Shop Class as Soulcraft
by Matthew B. Crawford
from Penguin Press
for 10th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
Shop Class as Soulcraft
by Matthew B. Crawford
from Penguin Press
for 10th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
Solomon Says
by Mark Horne
from Athanasius Press
for 9th-12th grade
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
$14.95
Stand Fast in the Way of Truth
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
for 8th-12th grade
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
$19.99
Starting and Operating a Small Business
from Basic Skills
for 10th-12th grade
in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)
$24.00
The Call
by Os Guinness
1st edition from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
Thoughts for Young Men
by J. C. Ryle
from Vision Forum
for 7th-12th grade
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
$4.50
Thoughts for Young Men
by J. C. Ryle
from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
$8.95
Tiny Habits
by BJ Fogg
from Harvest Books
for 9th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$16.99
Tipping Point
by Malcolm Gladwell
from Back Bay Books
for 11th grade-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$12.50
We Became Men
by Shawn M. Brower
1st edition from P&R Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$14.99
What He Must Be
by Voddie Baucham
from Crossway Books
for parents
in Preparing for Marriage (Location: XFA-PREP)
$13.59
Wild at Heart
by John Eldredge
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Work Matters
by Tom Nelson
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Work & Vocation (Location: SS-VOC)
$12.79
Worldly Saints
by Leland Ryken
from Zondervan
Social Commentary for 11th-Adult
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$19.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Young Man’s Guide to Awesomeness
by Barrett Johnson
from CreateSpace
for 6th-12th grade
in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
$14.99
Your Career in Changing Times
by Lee Ellis & Larry Burkett
from Moody Press
for 11th-Adult
in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)
$12.00 $6.00 (1 in stock)