Episode #87- Nancy Pearcey: The Toxic War On Masculinity
Have you ever wondered how we ended up in a world where masculinity gets a bad rap? You might have seen headlines like "Why Can't We Hate Men?" or come across hashtags like #KillAllMen. It's a trend that's hard to ignore, with articles titled "I Hate Men," "No Good Men," and "Are Men Necessary?" You might have also heard claims that evangelical Christian men are prime examples of toxic behaviour. However, the research tells a different story. Studies show that men who are committed to their families and attend church regularly are often the most loving husbands and dedicated fathers out there. And get this—they also have the lowest rates of divorce and domestic violence in the country.
In her book, The Toxic War On Masculinity, Pearcey takes us on a journey through history to uncover how the idea of masculinity became tangled up with negativity. But it's not all doom and gloom. She's also armed with solutions for how we can turn things around. These sociological insights challenge the stereotypes we often hear about men and show us that embracing traditional Christian values can help bridge the gap between the sexes. So, next time you come across a #KillAllMen tweet or a book bashing masculinity, remember that there's more to the story—and that there are steps we can take to create a flourishing world for everyone.
Nancy Pearcey's latest book is The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes. Her earlier books include Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, The Soul of Science, Saving Leonardo, Finding Truth, and two ECPA Gold Medallion Award Winners: How Now Shall We Live (coauthored with Harold Fickett and Chuck Colson) and Total Truth. Her books have been translated into 19 languages. She is a professor and scholar in residence at Houston Christian University. As a former agnostic, Pearcey has spoken at universities such as Princeton, Stanford, USC, and Dartmouth. She has been quoted in The New Yorker and Newsweek highlighted as one of the five top women apologists by Christianity Today, and hailed in The Economist as "America's pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual."