“Thank you” for writing this profound book. I was drawn into reading your book with anticipation and a longing, both personally and professionally, to hear the alternative voice that you have provided. In this past year of transition I have come to be more open in recognizing God’s working in my life, and I feel that here again is another way that God has opened a new avenue of understanding that has enriched my life. Your critique of the traditional images of maleness that are dominant in Christian circles models your thoughts in your chapter on reconciliation. That is, although you do directly challenge some of the prevailing thinking, your reflections of your personal struggle with the images has the potential to disarm the likely reaction from those who are strongly invested in the traditional images, and invites men into their own reflection. I believe that the section on Relational Spirituality in the last few pages of the chapter on Reconciliation is particularly relevant in our world, in our day.
I continue to return to the book to review especially those areas that I highlighted as I read the first time through. I see the potential use of the book in a group setting, which I want to consider for my professional practice.
Don Neufeld, MSW Registered Social Worker
This afternoon I finished reading Gareth Brandt’s book Under Construction: Reframing Men’s Spirituality. Gareth is a former professor of mine at Columbia Bible College where he teaches spirituality and theology.
It is fitting that I review this particular book on male spirituality since the mere mention of a book like Wild at Heart often induces a state of nausea in yours truly. Indeed Gareth’s journey to publication of this book occurred through similar dissatisfaction with books on male spirituality–it was his craving for another voice that led him to write:
I did not set out to write a book on men’s spirituality. I set out on a personal quest. After reading more than a dozen books on the subject, I was left with the craving for another voice. And a voice inside said, ‘Then speak up!’ (14).
As the subtitle suggests, Under Construction attempts to provide a fresh framework through which to view male spirituality. Gareth begins by debunking the popular belief that the ideal man is contained in the typical masculine images of king, warrior, lover, and magician/sage. For males who feel like less of a man because they don’t necessarily fantasize about going to war or rescuing a princess–this is a welcoming and needed reminder.
After clearing the ground Gareth searches for an appropriate Biblical character or narrative to serve as a helpful structure for examining male spirituality. Eventually Gareth settles on the Joseph story since the narrative provides substantial depth and since many of the themes of his life can be identified with by average men.
Each subsequent chapter examines a metaphor that emerges from this story. Some notable examples include: beloved, journey, sexuality, builder, and legacy. Gareth begins each exploration with a paraphrased section of the Joseph story followed by insights from his own personal experience, theological and/or psychological research, and even some of his poetry. Gareth’s thoughts are not intended to be exhaustive but rather provide food for thought and provoke further reflection on the part of the reader.
Despite some minor theological and terminological quibbles I have with the book I would still recommend Under Construction to anyone interested in male spirituality. Gareth’s book doesn’t shy away from issues that men today need to face such as being the “beloved” and not just the “lover”, coming to terms with the inevitability of death, and recognizing the importance of both leading and following. Throughout the book Gareth demonstrates a candid, humble, and wise approach that is backed by a solid intellectual grasp of the various disciplines he works with that make his book appealing to both young and old, academic or layperson, and to the macho-man or romantic. True to Gareth’s personality and theological convictions the book also lends itself well to be read in community. His supply of questions at the end of his work make the book a great spring-board for a book study or discussion group.
Travis Barbour, graduate theology student
www.travisbarbour.wordpress.com
Gareth Brandt has written a personally grounded book on men’s spirituality as a resource for men’s prayer or discussion groups. His goal is to re-frame the basic contours of the field of men’s spirituality, which he considers neither practical nor biblically resonant.Brandt begins with his personal story and the quest for his own “unique spirituality as a man,” and then surveys some of the literature in the field. Much of this literature adopts the Jungian framework of archetypes put forth in 1990 by Moore and Gillette in their influential book, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of Mature Masculinity. Brandt takes issue with the notion of archetypes in general and in particular with that of the “warrior.”
He describes how various evangelical authors have latched onto this image in a disturbingly patriarchal fashion. Brandt does not “find the warrior at all helpful for developing a relevant and constructive male spirituality in an age of increasing terror and violence. Surely men can be spiritually adventurous and courageous without becoming domi-
nant and violent,” he writes.
Instead of archetypes, which he considers “almost coercive,” he suggests a framework of metaphors based on the life of Joseph, which offers greater flexibility and biblical resonance.
While I agree with Brandt’s critique of the evangelical appropriation of the warrior metaphor, I am not convinced of the necessity to do away with archetypes altogether. He seems to dismiss them without clearly understanding their nature or depth.
Richard Rohr, whom he quotes numerous times, claims in his book Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation (Crossroad Publishing) that all of the images he has encountered in his extensive work with men can be boiled down to “versions of the big four.” Rohr also claims that “liberals generally do not understand the good and necessary meaning of the warrior,” and I think Brandt may be a case in point.
The warrior archetype has to do with the natural male realities of passion, inner drive, and the desire to achieve and protect. In and of itself, warrior energy is not bad. Rohr promotes the archetypes as a means of meeting these realities within ourselves; by facing them—especially their shadow side—we open ourselves to transformation for Christian discipleship. Rohr says he has met many men in the peace movement with unresolved anger and an ambiguous witness due to a repression of the warrior archetype within them. I’m also reminded that Gandhi considered healthy warrior energy a prerequisite for successful training in nonviolent resistance.
After dismissing the archetypes, Brandt devotes the rest of the book to exploring the metaphors for a new construction of men’s spirituality based on the biblical story of Joseph. There is much good content for discussion here. I particularly appreciate his poignant reflections on his own boyhood wound, and his subsequent journey of healing. The book is written with integrity and is recommended for group study and reflection.
Scott Brubaker-Zehr is pastor at Rockway Mennonite Church, Kitchener, Ont. This review initially appeared in The Canadian Mennonite, June 14, 2010
Gareth Brandt teaches practical theology at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C. and is very keen to help people discover and develop their personal spirituality. He is surprised to be focusing on male spirituality, partly because he is so aware that many men do not fit the traditional “assertive, head-ofthe-home, spiritual-leader type” model. Under Construction is his attempt to develop a more robust understanding of what it means to be a 21st centuryC hristian man.
Along the way he tells his own story and includes numerous examples from the lives of men he knows. But the heart of the book is an extended character study of Joseph, the son of Jacob who survived slavery and imprisonment to become a ruler in
ancient Egypt. He extracts 10 metaphors from Joseph’s life, exploring them as
ways for men to understand how to act with masculine integrity in the midst of
life’s perplexities. We don’t have to have all the answers. We are under construction all our lives.
Seven Magazine [Promise Keepers], March/April 2010
I hope the book Under Construction enjoys a wide reading. I am honored to be quoted in it, and I thank you for your personal vulnerability.
I rather totally agree with your critique of the warrior archetype. It still dominates most books on male spirituality, particularly those from the evangelical Christian world. They do not have enough of Francis, the mystical level, nor the Mennonites and Quakers in their resumes. I hope you did not hear me affirming that kind of warrior. I think we Catholics, bound by so many historically bound words, become masters at saying “This is what it really means!” while still maintaining the old word for the sake of continuity and not upsetting the old guard. (Protestant do not need to do that so much!).
There is also something mind expanding and memorable when we re-define any word, although I know it also has its limitations. That is why I probably would continue to use the image of “warrior’ (Ephesians 6:13-17), but I am also fully aware that males filled with testosterone, will pull it into their all-pervasive world view of domination instead of grace. It is probably just a judgment call, and I surely would not use warrior UNLESS I could re-define it spiritually.
Richard Rohr
