Authentic Masculinity: Leaving Behind Counterfeits for God’s Design
Moody Publishers, 2026, 235 pages. Seth Troutt
Summary:
A thoughtful book on how to be a man following Jesus Christ in the modern era. Biblical, and theologically and philosophically informed.
Benefits:
I find most books on masculinity embarrassing and cringe worthy, along the lines of the Rolling Stones’ exposé, “Jesus Made Me Puke and Other Tales from the Evangelical Front Lines,” Matt Taibbi, May 1st, 2008. (It’s not a read for the faint of heart, but it’s a good reminder not to be a trivial Christian and not to trust reporters working for the Rolling Stones.)
Seth Troutt makes the argument that men are not God, they are not animals, they are not little boys, and they are not women. Men are least like God and most like women, but we are not women, nor are we little boys or animals. Not only that but men need to be humble, disciplined, responsible, and chivalrous. We are supposed to do all this as sons, brothers, makers, husbands, and fathers. All of which is the journey of a lifetime.
He does a thoughtful job of pointing out that toxic masculinity is real and has two poles: abdication and abusive. Adam was abusive when he blamed Eve for sin, and abdicated when he joined her in sin. Toxic men are abusive jerks, and toxic men refuse to take responsibility and act like sons of Adam following Jesus Christ. He tells us we may have had bad dads, but let’s step up to the plate, take responsibility for today, and model our behavior on Jesus Christ obeying our perfect Father.
Exemplar Quotes:
Masculinity as opposed to divinity. Man is not God. Things that exist are either: made or not made; creature or Creator; finite or infinite; subject or king. Because man is not God, he must be humble, the foundation of the masculine virtues. (17)
Christian humility comes from three places: submitting to our limits as creatures, accepting our vulnerability as sinners, and embracing our calling as servants. Submit, accept, and embrace. (25)
Adam falls short of his masculine calling by being self-interested. Jesus redeems the masculine identity by being other-interested. (38)
An animal is not at war within itself; a man is. Man isn’t just different from an animal, he’s greater than animals. (46)
Sometimes shame is a good thing—the feeling of being exposed in a way you didn’t plan on or want. You come face-to-face with your limits and discover all at once that you aren’t who you thought you were. (50)
There is no microwaving growth. Not good growth, anyway. Cancer grows fast; muscles, bones, and neuropathways grow slowly. . .painfully slowly once you’re no longer a child. (51)
Slowly committing suicide by life-style is forbidden by God. (58)
I am the cause of my actions. Other things can influence me, but I am the cause. Often, when we flinch toward defensiveness, we’re avoiding responsibility, regressing back into boyhood, and leaning away from manhood. (68)
Adam falls into temptation and blames his bride. Jesus overcomes temptation and takes responsibility for his bride. (68) (Seth Troutt, Authentic Masculinity)
Little boys are afraid of the dark. Men are afraid of the dark and act with courage. Little boys need a night-light when facing the darkness, but men are capable of being the light in the midst of the darkness. Boys experience fear and withdraw; men experience fear and press on. (71)
On top of the suffering, generational patterns of sin persist due to the contagious nature of sin. Whenever a parent sins against a child, not only do they directly harm the child, but they also tempt the child to imitate their sinful behavior. Consequently, when the sin is repeated, as in the case of Abraham and Isaac, the child becomes culpable not only for their parents’ sins but also for the sin of imitating their parents’ sin. (122)
Work itself is not a curse; work is cursed. (176)
Detriments: Super helpful book. I will be assigning it in pre-marital counseling. The only weakness is an enormous amount of white space and the large print is killing trees.