★★★★★ 5
Nancy Pearcey finds true toxicity in the war on men!
Format: Hardcover
Nancy Pearcey has done it again. This work will prove to be a harbinger for a re-evaluation of the war on masculinity current in the Western world. Many are joining the bandwagon and spouting the mantras of "toxic masculinity." Particularly, that breed of “manhood,’ which is perceived to have its origins in the Church, is quite repugnant. Pearcey turns the tables on these folks to show that toxicity is, in reality, their own atmosphere of existence.
With the use of widespread research and surprising statistics, Nancy Pearcey has provided in this volume a veritable course in gender issues. The work includes history, cultural evaluation, biblical insight, philosophical sophistication, and balanced classical apologetics. Far from being a partisan theological tirade, the book will bring needed clarity to people on various points on the spectrum.
At the core of her thesis is distinguishing the authentic manly characteristics that throughout history have been applauded and found so necessary for the flourishing of Western civilization in contrast to the bravado and supposed "real man" macho type that is the stereotypical target of the so-called feminists. Here, in particular, Pearcey uncovers acute analysis and recorded available statistics for any that would do the spadework. For example, from the research of one study, entitled 'The Pentecostal Gender Paradox,' she shows "that evangelical forms of Christianity benefit women by 'morally restraining the traditional autonomy of the male and the selfish or irresponsible exercise of male power' " In another study, published in the New York Times, it was concluded that "the happiest of all wives in America are religious conservatives . . . Fully seventy percent of wives who hold conservative gender values and attend religious services regularly with their husbands have high quality marriages." Pearcey is so enthralled, she says, "Did you catch that? Let me repeat it . . ." In addition, the satisfaction that women in this demographic have extends to the bedroom as well. Due to these widespread findings, Pearcey says, citing Brad Wilcox, "Academics need to cast aside their prejudices about religious conservatives and evangelicals in particular." A telling conclusion!
In this reviewer's opinion, the chapter on the Pioneers and Puritans was outstanding. No spoiler alert. Get the book and read it for yourself. This chapter alone is worth the cost of purchase.
The discussion on the industrial age and the transition for men to become absentee fathers was a helpful reminder that political and economic emancipation brings with it some unexpected consequences. The Father, as the provider, now becomes engaged in a manner of individual competition for prestige and advancement. No longer surrounded by loved ones in a struggle to eke out a living in an agrarian world, the industrialization process reduced men to cogs in a machine. Profit for the owners of the means of wealth production, the proverbial bottom line, now was all that really mattered. As Pearcey elegantly puts it, "The new workplace fostered an economic philosophy of individualism, where workers were treated as so many interchangeable units to be plugged into the production process, each struggling to advance himself at the expense of others." Most importantly, Pearcey catches that underlying and emerging contrast in the following comment, ". . . the conflict between work and family did not involve just juggling time demands but also transitioning between two contrasting sets of character traits." Here also, Pearcey draws on her prior book Total Truth to examine the resultant separation of spheres where men began functioning differently in actual practice depending on what and where they were acting out their divided lives.
There is so much ground covered in this fine work. I cannot recommend it highly enough. No doubt, as this reviewer found the occasional issue that would be worded differently or even contrastingly, the bulk of the book is endorsed wholeheartedly.
Thank you, Nancy Pearcey for another book that will become a classic.
I had received access to a pre-published edition of the book. I was under no compulsion to give a favorable assessment.
Theodore Zachariades.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
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