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.
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52 Items found Print
Active Filters: 12th grade (Ages 17-18), Trade Paperback
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
8th Habit
by Stephen R. Covey
from Free Press
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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)
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
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Crossroads
by Colin Creel
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
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$10.39 $7.00 (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
E Myth Revisited
by Michael E. Gerber
2nd edition from HarperCollins
for 10th-Adult
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$26.99
Essentialism
by Greg McKeown
from Currency
for 9th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$18.00
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)
Four Pillars of a Man's Heart
by Stu Weber
from Multnomah Books
for 12th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Future Men
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
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$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
Get the Girl
by Douglas Wilson
from Canon Press
for 12th-Adult
in Preparing for Marriage (Location: XFA-PREP)
$15.95
God at Work
by Gene Veith
from Crossway Books
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$9.00
God at Work
by Gene Veith
2nd edition from Crossway Books
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$12.79
God's Gift to Women
by Eric Ludy
from Multnomah Books
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Greatest Among You
by Randy Sims
from Worldview Academy
for 9th-12th grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Hidden Art of Homemaking
by Edith Schaeffer
from Tyndale House
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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
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$15.00
Joy at the End of the Tether
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
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in Bible Commentaries (Location: XBI-COMM)
$10.00
Life Skills for Kids
by Christine M. Field
from Shaw Books
for ages 6 and up
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Like Father, Like Son
by Pete Alwinson
Fir from New Growth Press
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$15.29
Making Sense of Your Dollars
by Ian Hodge
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for 11th-Adult
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$7.00
Mark of a Man
by Elisabeth Elliot
from Revell Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Biblical Manhood (Location: XFA-MEN)
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My Life For Yours
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for 11th-Adult
in Covenant Family (Location: XFA-COV)
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Practical Happiness
by Bob Schultz
from Heart of Dakota
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in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
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1st edition from WaterBrook Press
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Shop Class as Soulcraft
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Solomon Says
by Mark Horne
from Athanasius Press
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in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
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Stand Fast in the Way of Truth
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from P&R Publishing
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in Raising Sons (Location: XFA-SON)
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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
Tipping Point
by Malcolm Gladwell
from Back Bay Books
for 11th grade-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
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We Became Men
by Shawn M. Brower
1st edition from P&R Publishing
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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
Rev Exp from Thomas Nelson Publishers
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Work Matters
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from Crossway Books
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Social Commentary for 11th-Adult
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Your Career in Changing Times
by Lee Ellis & Larry Burkett
from Moody Press
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