Strength in Service: A Better Way to Be a Man
Reclaiming a vision of masculinity rooted in self-sacrifice, not domination
TL:DR/ Executive Summary:
Drawing from James Gunn’s upcoming Superman, the temptations of Christ, and current cultural figures like Joe Rogan and JD Vance, this post explores a Christ-centered vision of masculinity. Contrasting harmful extremes on both the political left and right, the author calls for a Philippians 2 model—where men use their strength not for dominance or self-promotion, but for love and service. In a culture full of confusion about manhood, Jesus offers a better way.
“James Gunn’s Superman revives the idea that persistent devotion to serving others with your strength leads to the best life, even when others with wealth, power and influence seek to prove otherwise” - Switching Codes w/Eric Deggans
The temptation of Christ, recorded in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), tells of Jesus being tested in the wilderness by the devil.
Henri Nouwen, in his book In the Name of Jesus, frames these temptations like this:
Relevancy — turning stones into bread
Spectacle — leaping off the temple
Power — bowing to Satan
While these don’t exactly mirror the Deggans quote above, they echo the same spiritual tension: the lure of strength used for self, rather than for service.
Rogan, Vance, and Discipleship
I recently replied to a Substack post by Eric Hoke about Joe Rogan apparently attending church. It reminded me of a conviction I’ve held for some time: JD Vance’s view that Christianity is about protecting your own tribe first is ultimately a failure of discipleship.
In my view, Vance hasn’t been properly discipled. I’m glad to see Rogan and other young men showing up at church—but my hope is that they’re not just attending. I hope they’re being formed in the way of Jesus: a path of loving self-sacrifice and love of neighbor.
Competing Visions of Masculinity
I’ll keep it simple: our culture is saturated with competing—and often harmful—messages about how men should live.
On one hand, there’s a tendency on the left to label everything masculine as “toxic.” While there are certainly toxic behaviors in our culture, masculinity itself isn’t inherently bad. Men are different from women. Not all “manliness” is dangerous.
On the other hand, there’s a push on the right that glorifies men who selfishly chase wealth, dominance, and influence—even if it comes at the expense of others, especially the vulnerable.
But I believe men are called to something different. A third way. The way of Jesus.
Philippians 2 Masculinity
Men are called to imitate Christ, who—“though being in very nature God—did not cling to power, but instead “emptied himself” in love and service.1
This is strength, not weakness.
This is manhood, not cowardice.
This is Jesus.
So I come back to Deggans’ reflection:
“Persistent devotion to serving others with your strength leads to the best life.”
I don’t know anything about Deggans’ religious values or beliefs. But that sounds a lot like Christ-likeness to me, and a profound vision for men in America.
Also, I definitely want to see the new Superman movie!
I want to acknowledge that I am offering some kind of “normative” framework of masculinity—something that has been controversial in progressive circles as folks try to steer clear of “normative” or “single-story” lenses. But I also want to point out that this modern trend of the individualized self in which we alone construct our own version of ourselves is both impossible and impractical; what instead happens is folks mirror what they see on social media from algorithmically-fueled influencers. In short, I believe we need norms and frameworks for how men should exist in society while also acknowledging all men do not HAVE to behave the exact same way. It’s a tension that is certainly easier said than done. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I don’t think what we’re currently doing is working.