Under Construction

Warriors, lone rangers, conquerors--these are the common images that come to mind when talking about men. But are those the only metaphors for Christian men? Using the story of Joseph from the Bible, Gareth Brandt shows how male spirituality reaches its height when it shows compassion to all people, beginning with those close to us, and finds meaning through participation in building God's commonwealth of love and justice.

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When it comes to male spirituality, men seem to have only two choices for models-to be strong, take-charge and independent, like warriors, or silent and alone, like monks. That, says Gareth Brandt, author of the new Herald Press book Under Construction: Reframing Men's Spirituality, is far too limiting. "When I started examining the subject, I thought there must be other images we could use to help us define what a Christian man looks like," he says. "I was sure that not every man wants to go into battle, or withdraw from others." Brandt, who teaches spirituality at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C., decided to test his idea by inviting some male friends to participate in a discussion group exploring different images of male spirituality. He sent each chapter out in advance to the group, which then met to talk about it. The result of those meetings is Under Construction, which uses the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis to explore other images of male spirituality-images such as peacebuilder, forgiver, reconciler and creator of God's shalom. For Brandt, male spirituality "reaches its height when it shows compassion to all people, beginning with those close to us. It's about being part of building God's commonwealth of love and justice, having the courage to face the wounds of our past and building a marriage, a family, and a career while empowering others to build with us." Under Construction: Reframing Men's Spirituality was made possible through the generious support of Mennonite Men, an organization of the Mennonite Church that promotes and develops resources for men.