Nate Pyle - Man Enough: How Jesus Redefines Manhood

PRAISE FOR MAN ENOUGH

Man Enough is a fearless and faithful clarion call for the children of God to conform to the image of Jesus Christ, not to cultural or religious stereotypes around masculinity. With his trademark wisdom and humility, Nate Pyle assesses harmful misconceptions about what it means to be a man, shares his own story and the stories of others who dont necessarily fit the mold, and returns to Scripture to forge a better way forwarda way of freedom, truth, and grace. This book is a must-read, one Ill be recommending to friends and readers for years to come. Every page is an invitation to liberation.

Rachel Held Evans, author of Searching for Sunday and A Year of Biblical Womanhood

Blessed are the tough, muscled, and masculine. Jesus never said anything remotely like this, but some modern believers act as if he did. Some Christians have transformed Jesus into John Wayne to promote culturally driven ideas about what it means to be a man. Thankfully, Nate Pyle dismantles false notions of manhood and replaces them with a more biblical concept of being human. If you read only one book on biblical manhood, it should be this one!

Jonathan Merritt, author of Jesus Is Better Than You Imagined and senior columnist for Religion News Service

This book sets men free from the culture-driven standards of masculinity and welcomes us into a Jesus-shaped humanity. Going beyond the tired old stereotypes of manhood, Nate Pyle gives us a redeemed vision for what it means to be a man after Gods own heart. Deeply pastoral, well-written, and insightful, this book will bring healing to many.

Sarah Bessey, author of Jesus Feminist

Wow! Nate Pyle has written a brilliant and much-needed book. He has exposed all of our culturally driven views of manhood that conflict with who Jesus calls men to be. The self-made, independent, muscle-bound, dont-take-nothing-from-no-one American man shares little in common with Jesus as hes revealed in Scripture. Thank you, Nate, for writing this book! Now I dont have to.

Preston Sprinkle, PhD, vice president for Eternity Bible Colleges Boise extension and author of Charis: Gods Scandalous Grace for Us and Fight: A Christian Case for Nonviolence

Nate Pyles Man Enough offers a surprisingly unique take on the topic of biblical masculinity. By centering the conversation on the ideals of Jesus, Pyle not only challenges many of the stereotypical concepts regarding evangelical masculinity but also offers a broader and more varied perspective for what it means to be a man in light of the gospel. His delivery is gracious and thoughtful, tackling manhood without ego and arrogance. Through a pastoral lensusing both theology and self-deprecation to his favorPyle expounds deeply on what it means to be both Christian and man.

Matthew Paul Turner, author of Churched and Our Great Big American God

In a world where many of us wrestle with chronic feelings of inadequacy and engage in a constant state of comparing ourselves to both others and invented ideals, Nate Pyles Man Enough speaks much-needed words of healing and validation. With the heart of a pastor and the pen of a poet, Nate invites us to reconsider the source of our cultural concepts of masculinity and helps us to rediscover a manhood beyond some of the not-so-helpful messages weve received over the years. This book is one I found to be soothing ointment on old woundsa message I wish Id been given before I transitioned into adulthood but am tremendously grateful to have now. Rarely does a first-time author hit it out of the park on their first swing, but thats exactly what Nate has done. Man Enough is one of those books that deserves to be moved to the top of the pile.

Benjamin L. Corey, author of Undiluted: Rediscovering the Radical Message of Jesus

When we talk about being a man in Christian circles, the conversation often centers around a distorted image of masculinity that doesnt represent the life, ministry, and calling of Christ. To put it bluntly, the church needs a bigger dose of Jesus in its dialogue about manhood. Thank goodness we can count on Nate Pyle for that. In Man Enough, were finally offered a refreshing perspective on male identityone that is centered fully on the depth of Christ rather than on the one-dimensional, cage-fighting model of our culture. As a woman married to a man and a mother to a son, Im so grateful for Nates brave writing and leadership in these pages. This is a must-read for both women and men in the church, and I cant recommend it enough.

Nish Weiseth, author of Speak: How Your Story Can Change the World

Man Enough breaks from the pack of man-books to liberate men from false conceptions of masculinity. Male readers will not come away with a deflated sense that they are never man enough. Women readers will encounter a brand of manhood here that gives hope to the men they love. Nate Pyles search for answers recaptures a gospel vision of manhood that is good news for both men and women.

Carolyn Custis James, author of Malestrom: Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World

Nate Pyle has brought charitable and generous consideration to a topic marked by hostility and resentment. A fine work of biblical meditation, cultural critique, and prayerful study, Man Enough challenges conservative and liberal notions of gender norms while encouraging meaningful dialogue between the two. In a pastoral and convicting manner, Pyle has authored a book well-suited to the needs of our time.

Preston Yancey, canon theologian and author of Tables in the Wilderness: A Memoir of God Found, Lost, and Found Again

Nate Pyles book is a timely contribution to a sadly one-sided conversation on masculinity. Through an engagement with Scripture, sociology, and honest self-disclosure, Nate invites us to conform not to some contemporary muscular version of masculinity but to the vulnerable Lamb, in whom we need not strive, perform, or prove ourselves. His chapter on Jesus is worth the price of the book alone. I pray that Man Enough is used as a pathway to freedom and vulnerability for men.

Dr. Chuck DeGroat, associate professor of pastoral care at Western Theological Seminary and author of The Toughest People to Love

The Spirit of the Lord brings freedom, and I can sense the Spirit of the Lord all over the pages of this book. Men will find freedom from their insecurities, the standards of others, and the combative manliness that has taken hold in some Christian circles. Nate Pyle leads the way toward Christ-centered manhood with vulnerability, gentleness, and a sharp focus on the example of Jesus.

Ed Cyzewski, author of A Christian Survival Guide and Coffeehouse Theology

Vulnerable. Honest. Humble. Not words one usually associates with a book on manhood, but Nate Pyle nails them here. I love how Man Enough points us to Jesus and insists that our thinking must ultimately be centered around him. While Nate and I dont land in all the same places, I was refreshed by his boldness in declaring we must allow Christ to critique our cultural assumptions around what it means to be man enough, because he is the One who is more than enough and the One who frees us from our posturing and pretending to become more truly human.

Joshua Ryan Butler, author of The Skeletons in Gods Closet

Nate Pyles heartfelt exploration of Jesus-shaped masculinity is both a confrontation and an invitation. It exposes all the places I attempt to hide, but it also beckons me to come out of hiding by choosing the road of risky vulnerability. I have nothing but high praise for Man Enough.