This is one of the most important and insightful books ever written for men trying to find their way in a culture where challenges abound. Mansfield knows men and knows how to reach them with a powerful message.

Men on Fire
by Stephen Mansfield

4 stars

This book calls men to return to being men. With a claim that men are in crisis from every direction. It is urging men to reclaim their manhood.

The book has is based on stories and is written in an easy to follow narrative style. It is an easy read, with seven chapters to keep the message simple.

The question is will some of the concepts be controversial in current society? There will be some members of society that think that the book is divisive. However, there are elements that will help men with their self-identify

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This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

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Do we have a problem with manhood? If I believe the talk I’ve heard for the last seven years, the answer is yes. It seems about every few months, I come across someone who believes this to be one of the most significant issues in Christianity. Regardless of where it ranks on problems Christians need to confront, gender is undoubtedly a topic of ongoing conversation. What we believe here intertwines with other critical areas of Christianity. Therefore it is something that must be defined biblically.

Author Stephen Mansfield is known for several books, especially two which tackle the faith of former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Now though, Mansfield takes on manhood in this new release, Men on Fire: Restoring the Forces that Forge Noble Manhood. The author’s task seems simple enough: to see people live out manhood on fire. Unfortunately, he fails to achieve that goal.

The book has seven primary chapters that the author has designed around the seven central fires he says are necessary to manhood. These include heritage, battle, destiny, friendship, love, legacy, and God. How the author arrives at these seven is not clear. One could ask, for example, why he doesn’t include the church body, which would seem essential to me. Neither does he necessarily include family but instead calls on one’s heritage, which could consist of family, but he primarily uses this to refer to family history. Therefore, while he uses Scripture to identify these elements, it seems he has chosen random points that work for his theory and neglected vital aspects of the Christian life.

His use of Scripture falls on questionable practices, so even when verses are quoted, they often miss the original author’s heart and intent. The usage never conveys the ‘thrust’ of the verses. This imprecision carries over to his use of words. Frequently he refers to man’s destiny, a secular concept that spiritualizes one’s idea of God. Another time he shares that other faiths resonate with the intention to restore righteous manhood (emphasis mine), which ignores the concept that righteousness is an attribute of God, and apart from him, it cannot exist. Most notable is the author’s use of fire, which obviously is prevalent throughout the book. His usage comes from Robert Louis Stevenson while suggesting that fire is what occurs when there is change. To prove his point, he cites Pentecost. This citation not only misuses that verse, but the author ignores the primary role of fire throughout Scripture.

In a book on manhood, the author never defines what authentic manhood is. Furthermore, he fails to capture a biblical view of it. Loaded with secular ideology and quotes, the author has created his idea of manhood and then tries to make his quotes, verses, stories, and research conform to that idea.

It’s too bad that if this is such an important topic, there are not more biblical resources addressing it. It seems that those books in this discipline that garner the most attention are the most unhelpful ones. I hope that is not the case with this one.

Coffee Pairing: Every good book deserves to be partnered with a good cup of coffee. In the case of this book, I would partner it with the House Blend roasted by Stumptown Coffee Roasters. While a popular coffee that garners plenty of attention and some awards, it misses the palate. Under-roasted, it fails to capture the full flavor, much like a book that fails to capture the whole essence of God’s truth. Many like Stumptown Coffee, I don’t. But you can learn more about it here: https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/.



To learn more about Men on Fire, click here. However, if you want a better book, I recommend starting with these (click the titles to learn more):

Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes
The Measure of a Man by Gene Getz
Being a Dad Who Leads by John MacArthur