The archetypes of men

In an April 10, 2008 post, Anakin Niceguy of Biblical Manhood wrote about the “six prominent paradigms” that “society has come up with” in response to “the supposed identity crises men are facing.” In discussing one of the paradigms, Anakin Niceguy references an article by Brandon O’Brien of Christianity Today. O’Brien’s article discusses “What the new masculinity movement gets right and wrong.”

Anakin Niceguy states, “The paradigms listed probably do not exhaust the notions people have about manhood, but understanding them is essential to discerning the difference between those expectations of men that are biblical and those that are worldly.”

Anakin Niceguy presents the male paradigms of the “Playboy,” the “Feminist,” the “Nice Guy,” the “Family-First” man, the “Masculine Christianity” man and the “Misogynist.”

In regards to the “Playboy,” Anakin Niceguy states, “Under this paradigm, a man’s raison d’etre is to accumulate a large amount of toys and sleep with as many beautiful women as possible. The problem is that a man begins to see his worth in terms of the fun he is able to have and his failure in terms of what he think he is ‘missing out’ on. Sooner or later, we are left with miserable human beings enslaved to an endless quest for the ever elusive thrill to trump all other thrills.

…In the end, it’s all sinful and it betrays men.”

In regards to the “Feminist,” Anakin Niceguy states, “The Feminist Paradigm promises men freedom from restrictive sex roles and expectations, but in reality, it delivers one of the most restrictive and demeaning roles of all to men–the whipping boy. We are supposed to believe that no matter what happens, women always have it worse, that women are basically innocent, and that men are guilty. We are supposed to believe that feminism merely wants equality for both sexes.

The problem is that feminism wants equality for the sexes the way communism wanted equality for workers.

…Religious feminism is not much better. All it can offer is a tortured exegesis of certain uncomfortable passages (1 Tim. 2:11-15; 1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Cor. 11:3) in an attempt to explain away what God has clearly ordained for women.”

In regards to the “Nice Guy,” Anakin Niceguy states, “He has accepted the trek of college, work, marriage, children, work, and retirement as the measure of his worth. He really believes if he works hard enough he will get the pay raise and win the heart of the girl next door. Popular culture, parents, the community, etc. tell him he must jump through certain hoops if he wants to be ‘successful’ or ‘loved’. He dutifully complies. He doesn’t think too much about the forces unleashed in society that add to the probability of his failure and humiliation. He is all too trusting and doesn’t engage in enough healthy skepticism of the status quo.”

In regards to the “Family-First” man, Anakin Niceguy states, “In a milder forms, it is the prevailing spirit of suburban churches where bible studies go hand-in-hand with double lattes, SUVs, white picket fences, L.L. Bean and Pottery Barn Catalogs, voting Republican, etc. In it more extreme forms, it manifests itself in the Marriage Mandate Movement or the Full Quiver Movement.

…The expectation seems to be that a man must work hard in a dehumanizing office environment, be the primary breadwinner in the household, have at least two children (but preferably three or more), buy lots of consumer goods, and not question his religious leaders and the corporatist welfare/warfare state for which they might be shilling.

…Family-firsterism also seems to have the following notions about gender roles: If any thing goes wrong in a man’s relationship with women, it is his fault. He is a depraved human being who receives sanctification through the sacrament of marriage (a mystical union with a precious, fragile, female human being for whose choices he must take complete responsibility).

…A particular subset of the Family-First Paradigm merits attention–the Neo-Traditionalists. They exclaim that women have a right to be successful and stand toe-to-toe with men in traditional spheres of male influence (political, economic, and cultural). Yet, when it comes to shouldering the burdens of responsibility men have traditionally borne, neo-traditionalists are all too willing to fall back on earlier sex roles. The result is that women have choices but men only responsibilities.”

In regards to the “Masculine Christianity” man, Anakin Niceguy states, “Some have called men to renounce a ‘feminized,’ ‘nice guy’ approach to Christianity and instead embrace the supposedly ‘manly’ aspects of biblical manhood (a ‘new masculinity movement’ if you will). It’s a call for men to be Bible-believin’ bad boys–Christian tough guys who take charge.”

Anakin Niceguy quotes Brandon O’Brien, as mentioned above, where O’Brien writes concerning the “new masculinity movement,” “Imposing qualities we consider masculine on an image of Jesus we consider feminine does not solve the problem. It only gives us a new problem–another culturally shaped Jesus, only masculine this time …

In the end, the biblical image of Jesus presents a far more radical role model than Jesus the dude. Jesus was gritty, honest, and fearless. Yet his strength was not displayed in his willingness to punch evildoers in the mouth, but in his suffering at the hands of the wicked for their good. Where such strength is found–whether in a man or a woman, a latte-sipping sissy or a muscled mason–there is godly strength.”

In regards to the “Misogynist,” Anakin Niceguy states, “In response to the mistreatment men have experienced, some men have become so embittered that they have assumed a hostile stance towards women.

…there are truly men who have a dehumanizing attitude towards the opposite sex. It is a danger that any man angered by anti-male sexism needs to avoid.

…Some men say women are “only good for one thing.” Others say women all share the same amoral nature. Still others claim that women need to be demoted to second-class citizens or be coerced into submission. Finally, there are those who express elation at the suffering of women. No Christian men who takes the teachings of Christ seriously can embrace these kind of attitudes.

…religious men need to heed the admonishment of the Apostle Paul to ‘be angry and yet do not sin’ (Eph. 4:26, NASB).”

Anakin Niceguy concludes, “the six paradigms of manhood listed above are unsatisfactory in providing a framework for men to discern what biblical manhood is. They all ultimately fail to meet the most important test all of all: conforming to God’s will as revealed in his Word. Religious men need an alternative to the aforementioned choices.”

It is good to put into words the observations that we see in society regarding the archetypes that men choose. But as Anakin Niceguy stated, some of these archetypes fail to conform to God’s will.

As someone who has been quick to follow the ideals of others, I know the emotional high one gets from being able to identify with a larger group. It is tempting to behave in a certain way to gain the rewards that society has for those who behave in that way. But the Bible says that when I acted like that, I was like an infant, “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14.)

As we know or should know, society’s standards for men and women change with time. Society’s standards do not make for a good foundation to base your life upon. All I can do is recommend the use of the Bible as a guide that can be used to examine your behavior. I don’t know if the Bible has any particular archetype available for us. Perhaps rather it has a set of quality ingredients that can be combined into any number of recipes that would be pleasing to God. Just make sure that the ingredients you use come from God’s grocery store and not society’s grocery store.

I leave you with this verse: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29.)

Matthew5sixteen.