Author Nancy Pearcey says the problem with our view of manhood today is that "There are two competing scripts for masculinity." They are the God Man vs the Real Man. The Bible says men are made in God's image, as are women. And that men's unique masculine strengths are not given to them just to get whatever they want, but to provide, protect and take care of the people they love. So where did the idea infiltrate culture that masculinity is toxic? The irony is that the secular view of masculinity created the image of toxicity, or "The Real Man" image. Pearcey says, “Culture imposes this 'real man' script on men that contains a lot of the traits that, of course, we consider toxic: entitlement, dominance, control, and so on. When these traits are disconnected from the moral vision of the God man, it can slide into being toxic." On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Pearcey, a professor at Houston Baptist University, talks about the dichotomy of masculinity in today’s culture in her new book, “The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes.” Her data, mined from social science research, shows how toxic masculinity comes from the secular culture. Says Pearcey, "The problem is that men are being accused of being toxic, and the solution actually turns out to be a Christian view of masculinity."

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