The Christian MASKulinity Episode
EPISODE SUMMARY
What does the Bible really say about being a man? What does headship actually mean?
Find out in this episode as Samantha calls on theologian and author Dr. James Spencer to debunk some of the biblical interpretations that Christians—and many others—rely on to justify male dominance. Remoy’s former preacher-boy self also makes an appearance! Tune in!
EPISODE NOTES
Headship? Wives submitting to husbands? Yep, we're talking about Christian MASKulinity this week with the help of theologian and author Dr. James Spencer. The hosts start out by reflecting on how much Christianity has impacted not only their own lives but American life as a whole.
What has our society retained as a nation founded by Chiristian men? So much of American culture is based on Christianity, and even folks who aren’t Christian in practice deem themselves culturally Christian. The hosts start by setting the stage for the wide-reaching impact of this conversation.
In fairness, it’s not just American life. Samantha and Remoy have a moment about who the oldest Christians are, and they remember one of the first ways Christianity was leveraged to perpetuate a distinct group’s interest…
They start dissecting their own Christian experiences… What exactly did these two former Christians learn about gender and masculinity in church? Samantha and Remoy share the views their respective churches had and how it shaped their idea of gender in that context.
Remoy puts on his preacher boy hat to recall some of the key principles he remembers about Christianity. And more importantly, what did he teach about manhood and masculinity when he was behind the pulpit?
Samantha shares why this episode is important to her as a former Christian and the suspicions her upbringing brought up for her. James addresses her concerns about some biblical intentions.
It turns out there are a lot of key differences between Samantha and Remoy’s past Christian learnings and experiences and James’s biblical conclusion of what it means to be a Christian man…
Men are expected to be the final decision maker on everything, and people will often turn to the Bible to prove that point. But what if that’s not what God intended? James gives us a theologian’s perspective on what God likely intended.
Where exactly in the Bible does it say that men should be in charge? When it comes to marital relationships, a very specific verse tends to come up to justify male leadership, but there seems to be some context missing. Samantha gives us the verse, and James fills in the blanks.
The idea of headship comes up consistently when folks cite the Bible as the basis for men’s blanket leadership.
It’s not just the biological essentialist claim that men are better leaders in the home because they’re men; it’s supposedly also because God said so. But does the Bible actually back that up? James lets us know.
James breaks down how men’s leadership should mirror that of Jesus Christ over the church.
And what does that look like in relationships? It’s vastly different from the “do as I say” leadership that some men feel they are owed and entitled to, including Christian ones.
James helps us understand what that means for husbands and we hear echoes of shedding the mask that is MASKulinity for the sake of a deeper faith.
Like in our Anti-Anti-Porn Episode, we’re seeing how Christianity gets co-opted to further a human-made patriarchal agenda rather than the spiritual life Christians are called on to develop according to James.
Christian men don’t have to be married to have integrity with their faith.
James gives us insight into what different Christian masculinities can look like, through the story of one of Jesus’s most prolific and significant apostles. We discover that how it looks is far less important that where it comes from…
Remoy gives some seldom-talked-about background on how Christianity emerged back in the day like only a former preacher boy would…
Samantha ends by bringing up a topic that’s been in the news so much, it’s taken over the image of mainstream Christianity…perhaps (actually definitely) for the worse: Christian nationalism.
James provides some important, should-not-be-forgotten-lest-we-want-to-repeat-history context about the merger between church and state and the implications on society…
He cites the Barmen Declaration as an example of Christians fighting extremism during Nazi times.
There are parallels between nazism and Christian nationalism in the US which James does not equate, but we kinda do!
Samantha examines a few tenets from a popular Christian nationalist group.
How close do these tenets mirror God’s biblical message? The hosts discuss…
Referenced on this episode:
Inclusivity & Gender in Christianity - Two religious leaders lend their thoughts to the gender debate in Christianity today
Dr. James Spencer’s podcast, Thinking Christian (erroneously called Christian First in the episode, which is the name of the framework he teaches courses in)
COMPANION PIECES:
What Does Christian Masculinity Really Look Like?, by our guest, Dr. James Spencer
Notes on Christian MASKulinity - our new Substack piece
The Anti-Anti-Porn Episode about Christian men and porn
Our Guest This Week
Dr. James Spencer
As a theologian (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), author, and speaker, James help Christians develop a Christian First posture. My work is calm, thoughtful, and theological—equipping God's people to develop a Christian First posture so they can live with uncompromising faith. In addition to hosting the Thinking Christian podcast, James teaches for and leads Verum Seminary, an AI-enabled theological education initiative. James writes regularly for christianity.com and his own Substack page, appears on podcasts and broadcasts, and speaks at a variety of events..
