God's Gift to Women: Discovering the Lost Greatness of Masculinity

It didn't take long to see that this book was for guys ages 15-22. Ludy is an engaging (although he has his fair share of corny times) writer. Although he tries to appeal to the young adult guy, I could see this appealing very well to high school and even junior high guys. This book is stocked with narrative. It's popular in the true sense however, not theological or exegetical in the...more

It didn't take long to see that this book was for guys ages 15-22. Ludy is an engaging (although he has his fair share of corny times) writer. Although he tries to appeal to the young adult guy, I could see this appealing very well to high school and even junior high guys. This book is stocked with narrative. It's popular in the true sense however, not theological or exegetical in the least bit. He doesn't exposit even one verse of Scripture, but I don't know that he is unaware of that fact. His goal is to appeal to the young male and to offer a manifesto for what it means to be a man of God. And he does a fine job at that. His message is "Manhood that is truly great is manhood built by God. Everything else is but a creative counterfeit of the original" (260). Ludy reminds me of a junior Eldredge. His book is centered on challenging young men to become spiritual William Wallace type warrior poets.The counterfeit of this image-bearing man-ness is what he calls the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is the mindset all young boys in America grow up with, it objectifies women, it is crude, selfish, arrogant and worried only about satisfying pleasure and holding up an image of a strong man. He hits this pretty well. This would even be a good curriculum for junior high guys juxtaposing Ludys Brotherhood and his little-mentioned but well explained Fellowship. The Fellowship is the antithesis of the Brotherhood it's men who have learned to be warrior poets and are living the way God created them to live. The warrior poet protects and guards women, and is affectionate, tender, and selfless. A solid book for younger guys and the final chapter is a great lesson for guys of all ages who are preparing to pursue marriage.   hide