Biblical manhood in our culture is under assault today on a variety of fronts. On one hand, men today are taught to have strong sculpted bodies so that women can drool over them. Movies portray men of strength as those who will get the girl of their dreams and overcome all obstacles they face. Manhood is something many people are greatly confused about in our culture. This is why I was excited and greatly encouraged by the recent book The New Man Becoming A Man After God’s Heart by Dan Doriani.
As part of my ministry as a lay leader at my local church, I minister to men. I lead the men’s Bible, help provide leadership and vision to the men’s ministry, and often engage in counseling men at our church. The more I do this the more I’m convinced that we have a real crisis on our hands in relation to biblical manhood in the local church. Men need to understand who they are in Christ so they can lead their families. This is what this book does so well. In thirteen chapters, Dorinai walks men through every topic that they would want to know about – from being a man after God’s own heart, to attacks on manhood in our culture, marriage, love, fighting against pornography, friendship, work, leadership, wealth, taking care of one’s self, play, and more.
The New Man is an excellent contribution to the ongoing conversation going on about biblical manhood. This book speaks the truth in love but does so without pulling punches. Men will appreciate the refreshing approach of the author as he speaks honestly to men about issues related to manhood. Given that fact that I write often on the topic of purity I was happy to see the author address the topic of pornography and am pleased with how he handled and discussed that particular issue.
Men today need frank conversation about what biblical manhood is. As I’ve noted already, biblical manhood is under assault in our culture. We need books like The New Man that focus not only on principles for how we should live but ground those principles in the grace of God. This is not your typical manhood book with five things to improve your marriage. This book gets to the heart of manhood by helping us to see how we sin as men and then brings in the cure of the gospel to issues related to manhood. While men today do need principles for how they are to live, along with understanding how to implement their faith into everyday life,, what they need more than that is to see their sin and to behold the Savior who died in their place for there sin so they would put their sin to death. As you read this book you’ll be confronted with where you need to grow in your own walk with God, in your own approach with your wife, how you view work, and more. As men, we need to be confronted with the truth so that we can see ourselves rightly.
This book challenges men where they are. It will challenge your apathy by calling you to abandon it for an all-sufficient Christ. Biblical manhood requires courage—courage that is fueled by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The New Man is a book grounded in the gospel that calls for gospel-transformation in all of life for the purpose of biblical manhood. I highly recommend this book for every man and believe it will be a blessing to you and help you to understand what biblical manhood is all about.
I received this book for free from P&R Publishing for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
