Judging by its title

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Disciplines of a Godly Man.
_R. Kent Hughes.
_Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1991.

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Some people collect commentaries, some people collect Christian biographies, some collect rare Bible editions. I collect books on men and men's ministry. The reason may be quite primal and subconscious: it may be that I am searching for identity, confused in the switch from baby-boomer society to post-feminism. Maybe it's a reaction to the kind of feminists who are throwing stones at Helen Garner. Or it maybe I'm still searching for a ‘real man's’ Christian book.

Whatever the reason, my bookshelves are stuffed with books about men. In Understanding be Men was a disappointment, when it turned out it was not specifically about men, but just borrowed the King James translation of 1 Corinthians 14:20. It is in fact a helpful book for all Christians.

Several other books were tried, but most turned out to be pop psychology with theology to match. Point Man by Steve Farrar, and its strangely titled sequel, If I'm not Tarzan and my Wife isn't Jane, then what are we doing in the Jungle? (Study Guide Included) were a bit more satisfying that most. Farrar followed it up with Standing Tall, complete with allusions to cowboy movies which warmed the heart of someone brought up on Rifleman and Bonanza. Of those three, Point Man was far and away the best. It was not so much concerned with American Politics and proof-texting to support the case of a “Presidency under God”, and concentrated on a challenge to personal godliness.

My introduction to R. Kent Hughes was a few brief conversations during his Australian visit, during which I confided to him that I was searching in the genre of books to Christian men. In characteristic humility, he revealed he had made a modest contribution to the area, and my first question was, “Where do you get it?”. Unfortunately, it was some months until I could get a copy because his books have not been available here until recently. Why? I don't know. Perhaps it has something to do with the title. If he'd followed Farrar's lead with Tarzan, etc., he may have been a million-seller by now.

But the straightforward title reflects the strength of the book. Hughes has gone straight to the heart of what Christian men need, focusing on discipline. He applies a minimum of pop psychology and a maximum of Bible in backing up this conclusion. He stands squarely at the reformed evangelical end of the spectrum of American theology, and his erudition is evident as you read the book.

Various areas in the Christian life are covered, such as men's relationships, character, and ministry, with chapter headings such as ‘Discipline of Marriage’, ‘Discipline of Fatherhood’, ‘Discipline of Integrity’, ‘Discipline of Leadership’ and ‘The Grace of Discipline’. This last chapter helpfully puts the ‘discipline’ in the context of God's salvation and grace, and is a useful correction to the tendency towards legalism which is evident in many books on Christian living.

That said, there is no doubt Hughes is urging men to work at their personal holiness, and he offers many helpful illustrations, personal anecdotes, and an extra supplement which lists some resources for Bible study and Prayer.

What sets it apart from other books of the genre, apart from a better handling of Scripture, is the stress on two things: male-to-male friendship and books.

Using David's friendship with Jonathan, Hughes points out how much men need the commitment and encouragement of male friends. It's an argument that I'd encourage you to read in full in the book, but I'm convinced he's right. In reaction against the Australian ‘beer and footy’ mateship, sensitive new men are likely to miss out in this area. We need models for proper relationships, and David and Jonathan make an excellent example.

The other distinctive is books. Hughes laments the fact that many American evangelicals do not read. When he talks about the discipline of the mind, Hughes, of course, wants us to be deep in the Scriptures, but also in helpful devotional/theological books. He surveys Christian leaders such as J. I. Packer, Charles Colson and James Dobson, to find out their favourite books. As well as Christian books, Hughes contends that reading of great and noble works of literature will fill our minds better than the trash we are liable to encounter on cable and network TV. That's an interesting perspective that I have yet to encounter elsewhere in writings on Christian men's issues.

I have to say I'm enormously impressed with the book, which is not to imply that I didn't find some problems. I found the chapter on worship excellent for the first half, but the last section I felt concentrated too much on ‘worship’ being the Sunday Church Service. Some of that discomfort may spring from theological differences on the point and some, perhaps, from the different cultural perspectives of a very low church and laid-back Australian, the American steeped in a more traditional Sunday-best culture.

The chapter on work presents a reformed theology whereby the ‘good works prepared in advance for us to do’ are equated with our jobs/professions on earth. I am not comfortable with this view, although I confess I have to do much more thinking on it. (Perhaps a Briefing article by one of our local theological bods may be in order?)

But these quibbles, if you do share them with me, should not prevent you from taking up what is the best of the genre—an extremely helpful book for those pondering the challenges of living as Christian men in the nineties.

A word of warning, though: put your copy in a brown paper bag. My wife had read mine cover to cover before I even had the chance to read the dust jacket. She's now waiting for the changes.