Meek, not weak: The era of Christian loserdom is over

For decades, masculinity has been under scrutiny in the West, particularly in America, where the cultural influence of the left — bolstered by feminism — has been dominant since at least the 1960s.

However, a shift in sentiment appears to be underway in what some refer to as a “vibe shift.”

The once-unquestioned authority of leftist cultural hegemony is now being challenged, prompting a deeper conversation about masculinity’s role in society. In this changing landscape, many men are grappling with questions about their purpose and identity. For Christian men especially, the challenge is not just cultural but spiritual. How does their faith equip them to stand firm and confront the toughest battles we face?

In an article published last October for Blaze Media, Bob Stevenson took issue with a talk I gave at a men's conference my church hosted last summer, published at American Reformer.

There is much Stevenson and I agree on. Early in his article, he acknowledges the basic premise of what some have called the negative world paradigm. It is more difficult for Christians today to be public about their faith than it used to be, though there are signs that might be changing for the better with a new administration. Younger men seem to have a renewed interest in Christianity.

But as Stevenson admits, “The deck is stacked against Christians in the public square.” If people stand for the Christian faith publicly, they will likely receive pushback in our day. In fact, many Christians don’t just live under the progressive gaze; they experience progressive totalitarianism every day in their workplace. To disagree with a coworker about “gay marriage” or abortion as a Christian is to risk being fired. Heaven help them if their coworker finds out they go to church or voted for Donald Trump.

However, Stevenson seems unsure if Christians should grow a spine and celebrate Christian strength in such a scenario. He asks many questions and admits that he doesn’t know what to do with modernity or men and masculinity. Stevenson perceives Christians, such as myself, who seek to reinvigorate Christian men as downplaying certain teachings (i.e., turn the other cheek) and actions (i.e., foot washing) of Jesus as if they are ignoring them or trying to give Jesus a fresh look for the challenges of our day.

The cruciform life is not merely adopting an attitude of a doormat.

He cites my article at this point, claiming I argue that we need a “muscular Jesus for a muscular Christianity,” which is a cutout of Jesus.

Stevenson is very concerned. He is concerned that some Christians seem to understand the reality of Christus Victor more in the thinking of Nietzsche than Christ. He claims that people who promote such concepts view the victory of Christ as “permissive rather than formative; it is a call to aggression rather than cruciformity.”

Ask yourself, dear reader, if you believe that Jesus was ever aggressive.

Are you willing to believe that the aggression and hostility Jesus displayed toward some (Matthew 23:13-39; Mark 11:15-18; Revelation 19:15) stands in contradiction to Christ’s death on the cross? Neither am I. I don’t believe that Jesus’ teaching, life, and death are contradictory.

Stevenson wants to have his cake and eat it, too. He wants to claim that Christ is inexplicable, for “to make him explicable is to make him smaller.” Yet, he sees Jesus as explicable for certain attitudinal dispositions that wouldn’t upset anyone (other than Christian nationalists). Rather than truly delighting in the complexity and beauty of Christ — what Stevenson might call the inexplicability of Christ — he is guilty of the rhetorical sin that he uses to accuse others: making Christ explicable.

For Stevenson, meekness is not power under control; the meekness of Christ essentially boils down to functional weakness and passivity.

Christ is the full picture of humanity in peak form. We do not need to settle for tired paradigms of Christ, which discount his dynamic life, as Stevenson does. We need to embrace the entire life of Christ.

To those who wish to understand their masculine calling in Christ in our day, Stevenson fails to provide an answer. Instead, he re-enforces the same posture that has plagued the church in a post-Christian culture.

To those pastors who wish to help men step up to the plate, Stevenson wishes to warn them of the dangers of hitting the baseball. In fact, for Stevenson, the dangers are so great that men should never step up to the plate for fear of actually doing something. They should just let the other team win because of “cruciformity.” Are you tired of this yet? One wonders what Stevenson might do in any sport — or, more likely, board games — that he plays.

Is it Christ-like to aim to win and defeat your enemies? If Stevenson beat me at Settlers of Catan, has he rejected the cruciform life?

Stevenson is right when he says, “The experience of redemption is not simply about escaping the penalty for our sin but about being remade, or reformed, into humanity as God intended.” I have written on this. Our redemption is not merely soteriological, but it’s also formational. We are to be conformed to Jesus Christ, the image of God. This conforming means we will become a display of Christlikeness in all areas of life.

But what does this mean formationally?

It means that we should have a dynamic Christian faith that is durable. The cruciform life is not merely adopting the attitude of a doormat; it is to put on the mind of Christ for any given scenario. We can discern when a situation calls for an assertive posture or when one calls for an acquiescent posture. And in all of it, we trust Christ, who is our shield. We know we will make mistakes, and even sin, so we call out to Christ for mercy and guidance.

The category Stevenson is looking for to help people is wisdom. Wisdom is the exercise of prudence in any given situation. Stevenson is concerned that the Christians in the new “Christian right,” who call men to excellence, lack prudence. He doesn’t say it that way, but he could.

This would be a fair critique if it could be proven. The church doesn’t need a vision of manhood taken from the pages of Yoder. Instead, we need a complete picture of the manliness of Christ, the God-man who had a mission and accomplished it with tactile precision. His mission did not end at the cross; it will end upon his return, when he will judge the nations. He has already put his enemies to open shame. He has disarmed them. When he comes again, he will come in power to judge the living and the dead. He will banish to hell those who have not bowed the knee to his Lordship.

Does this mean we simply “coexist” in the meantime? No, we pray the Lord’s prayer and get to work.

We exhort Christian men to enter the battlefield and stand strong, putting on the mind of Christ, exercising prudence, and boldly proclaiming the victory of Christ.

Stevenson reveals his hand at the close of the article. “But Nietzsche missed the real beauty of the gospel. My hope is that Christians trying to find their footing in this tumultuous world won’t, that they will instead see that true greatness is found in humble service. That true triumph is had through suffering. And that true power is gained through weakness.” Stevenson is using the same rhetoric that many Christian leaders use today to essentially problematize Jesus.

We cannot really be sure what Jesus would do in our culture. Except, we can be sure that Jesus would not fight back.

It’s as if Stevenson is writing a submission to the “He Gets Us” campaign. He celebrates humble service, suffering, and weakness. And, of course, on their face, all Christians should be willing to endure persecution and suffering gladly. We should not pursue persecution for the sake of persecution, but when we experience it for Christ’s name, we should glorify God. We should admit our weaknesses to the Lord and seek to grow in righteousness and the strength of the Lord.

But we should not wallow in our weakness as if our weakness is virtuous in its nature. Our weakness is an occasion for God’s power to be displayed in us. And, of course, Christians should be humble like Jesus.

As I stated, these traits are unobjectionable on their face. For Stevenson, however, these things are not just aspects of Christ; they are the end of Christ and the Christian life. While he opened his article celebrating Christus Victor, a medieval atonement theory emphasizing the total victory of Christ over Satan and evil, he fails to provide men with a vision other than Christus Loser. This will, of course, come as a shock to him. He might claim that we are saying that Christ was a loser.

Not at all.

With Stevenson, we admit that Christ was a humble servant, died a horrific death, and suffered greatly. What we also confess is that Jesus Christ lives today and is seated on his throne, judging the earth. We are willing to suffer greatly and live with power under control. What we will not stomach is rejecting that we have any power at our disposal, which should be used to glorify God and advance Christ’s kingdom. We are unafraid to call Christian men to excellence. We exhort Christian men to enter the battlefield and stand strong, putting on the mind of Christ, exercising prudence, and boldly proclaiming the victory of Christ.

Christian men are called to embody both strength and humility — all while relying on God's power in their weakness.

The time for Christian loserdom is over. The time for action is now. Spur one another to good works, glorify God in your lives, encourage your brothers, pray earnestly, and reject the vision of masculinity that explicates Christ as nothing more than an errand boy in the longhouse.

History is replete with such examples of courage under fire while following Christ unto death.

John Rogers, a Protestant scholar and Bible translator, was no stranger to standing firm and speaking boldly to the issues that plagued the church in his day. He did not shrink from confronting corruption in the church. He resisted when the state ordered him to wear prescribed vestments in his ministry. He displayed Christlikeness in speaking boldly and unashamedly. And yet, he was imprisoned and martyred on February 4, 1555. He was offered a pardon if he would recant, but he refused. He displayed power under control and service to the church in boldness, and he endured suffering for the cause of Christ. His life was not a contradiction of attitudinal dispositions but instead a picture of Christlikeness.

Christian men are called to embody both strength and humility — meekness, kindness, and gentleness, alongside courage and resilience — all while relying on God’s power in their weakness. They must pursue excellence and wield their power with prudence.

However, if the church diminishes Christ’s majesty by distorting his power and authority into a hollow, domesticated vision of servant leadership — one that merely seeks to keep people comfortable — Christian men will drift aimlessly in turbulent waters. Worse still, the church will fail to reach men who are longing for a bold and purposeful vision of masculinity.

If we do not speak truthfully about our faith, grounding these men in the full counsel of scripture — including humility, meekness, and service — they will seek direction elsewhere. And there will be no shortage of voices, many with harmful intentions, ready to offer them a counterfeit vision of manhood.

“Young men, to you I would honestly say that I should be ashamed to speak to you of a religion that would make you soft, cowardly, effeminate.” — Charles Spurgeon